Livia: A Solace or An Heir?
by lkaz
Summary: The books and films create a wonderful environment that is destroyed. What happens to it? How could a headmaster who cared about it leave it vulnerable? Why would he question his Potions Master about his allegiances if the latter loved one woman his whole life? Why would that man grasp at straws before acting as asked of him? Only if a Plan B existed. This is HER story.
1. A Humble Beginning

She was called Livia, though she her birth certificate indicated her name as Olivia Mary Woodcock. At least that is all that family told her until she was about six years old. She lived in the quaint market town of Framlingham in Suffolk, sometimes called just "Fram" by locals. A picturesque, mostly quiet locale that had existed for centuries, most people knew of it owing to its intact castle exterior, which eventually became a notable tourist destination. The town's long historical associations dated back to the Domesday Book commissioned by William the Conqueror. Castle inhabitants included members of the Plantagenet family and several dukes of Norfolk. Even the St. Michael's Church's clock had a notable past, though Livia did not often think of Queen Victoria's surgeon Sir Henry Thompson as its donor when she scurried past it to make her mother's set supper time. As soon as she was old enough to walk, Livia liked to spend time outdoors near the castle alongside its Mere, a watery meadow where she daydreamed. At first she joined her brother but when older she would often venture there alone. When her brother could not go, birds kept her company. They flocked to her.

Her family lived in a Victorian-era dwelling constructed nearly adjacent to St. Michael's, where Livia's father served as rector. St. Michael's essentially served as the town's focal point, and few who lived in its vicinity did not know the reverend and/or members of his family. The Woodcocks celebrated Livia's birthday on 4 September, but the first time Livia could truly remember it she found the celebration odd. She was only five but somewhere inside of her she had misgivings about the situation; she got the distinct notion that what took place somehow appeared as less than a real birthday, at least compared to everyone else in the household. Her mother, Emma, had never shown great enthusiasm for it. Sure, there was a cake and her father, Rev. James Woodcock, the rector, made sure she had at least one nice gift and her brother, Thomas, the eldest child, would make sure to tell a story that amused everyone. Tom, as everyone called him, endeavored to make the day most enjoyable, especially for her. He even reminded her of her birthday starting about a week beforehand – only later did she realize why he did so. He continued reminding her like that for as long as both remained in Framlingham.

Livia started to show an ability to understand the motivations and emotions of those around her, particularly her sisters Cathy and Lydia. Cathy usually appeared amiable that day, but something seemed, for a lack of a better word, un-sisterly. Cathy dutifully participated but generally held only a slight amount of enthusiasm. She behaved far more sincerely and acted more fondly towards Livia on Christmas. Perhaps the choir inspired her or it had to do with her time in the back of her mother's 1970 Vauxhaul Viva with Livia, in order to prevent Lydia from trying to hurt her (the bonus of Lydia feeling special by being in front and saying nothing derogatory to Cathy was a great bonus). The younger sister, Lydia, the sister only a year older than Livia, held back a great deal of contempt for the day as with any other involving Livia – as if biding her time for the right moment, usually when her father attended to clerical duties without them or when they were away from the house and his oversight. Livia's first attempt to peer inside a person's mind involved trying to understand her sister's emotions. On the surface, Lydia did everything her father might expect from her. Beneath that, she wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. A hateful sneer lay hidden beneath her polite well wishes. Only when Livia pointed this out to Tom did he note it as well. He marveled at Livia's keen abilities of perception.

Livia truly began to understand her sister once she formally enrolled at Sir Robert Hitcham's Primary School, a small structure of only a few classrooms. Already at that school for a year, Lydia had amassed a number of female friends. As a group, they taunted Livia mercilessly, as if looking for the right button to push to make her cry, be it a physical or emotional trigger. To these girls, the prospect of making Livia cry became a challenge, but she never did. At recess behind the school, the bullying often became relentless and included a retort Livia never forgot. Lydia, usually sly about her behavior, had unwittingly allowed a teacher to witness her pushing Livia down onto the blacktop. This teacher reported the action to the headmaster after confronting Lydia with the fact of what she had witnessed and that it was particularly callous of her to lead a group in bullying her own sister. Lydia quite angrily told this teacher, "Why should I care about her? She's not really my sister anyway!" Only because the headmaster spoke to Mrs. Woodcock versus her husband did Lydia escape serious punishment. Emma Woodcock merely reminded Lydia that her behavior was "unacceptable for a daughter of the parish rector," and she warned Lydia that she would have to tell her father if it happened again. The school put Lydia and her friends in detention for a week and the other parents, when notified, took a harsher view of the incident than Mrs. Woodcock had. The only thing Mrs. Woodcock did was pay more attention to separating Lydia and Livia in her car, wherever possible.

Meantime, Lydia even resented that Mrs. Woodcock would give Livia clothes that Lydia could no longer wear owing to her growth. Lydia's friends could tease Livia for lacking her own wardrobe, of course, but Livia never complained because she generally accepted or even liked how she looked in what she wore. Lydia thought she could torment Livia but only because Lydia was jealous that Livia usually looked better in whatever she wore than Lydia ever had, regardless of how Livia or Mrs. Woodcock manipulated Livia's long, loosely curled locks (Mrs. Woodcock preferred Livia have a hair bun straight out of a Jane Austen novel; it was the only time Mrs. Woodcock showed great interest in her). Lydia merely tried to exercise her own anger by acting it out on Livia. Livia knew it very early on but also figured there would be zero benefit in speaking the truth so she learned to show nothing and hide her own thoughts and feelings so adroitly that no one knew what they were other than a cat named Sarah who came later and the crows she happened to encounter. A few teachers remarked how they had never seen so stoic a young student ever. The only time she showed any enthusiasm occurred when she saw her grades on an assignment or exam – which would have appeared as a slight flicker of satisfaction to anyone else. In Livia, any emotion stood out. A standardized school uniform eventually resolved the issue – at least at school – regarding Livia's attire.

Yet that small statement by Lydia to a teacher spoke volumes to Livia. She started to remember how Lydia constantly resented Livia having even the slightest interest in any of her toys, which helped Livia gravitate toward those Cathy possessed. Cathy tended to be at least more civil, and she more generously shared or simply gave them to her, if she felt she had grown indifferent to them. Cathy's abiding love was her collection of stuffed animals. Livia played with them carefully and often was seen gently trying to clean them or dress them or groom them. Livia also ensured they were perfectly arranged on Cathy's bed or on her dresser, depending on the time of day. Cathy may not have been a perfect sister, but she appreciated Livia's care and believed Livia was less spoiled and more amiable than Lydia.

Upon more reflection over Lydia's remark, Livia realized that she did not greatly resemble anyone in the Woodcock family other than Tom. Both girls had blonde hair and brown eyes and when sunbathing in Brighton could become very tan, much like Mrs. Woodcock. Tom had dark brown hair and blue eyes, much like Rev. Woodcock, but both also could tan and had a more medium-white skin tone when not tanned, just a bit lighter than Cathy and Lydia. Livia was very pale and had very dark hair with pale blue eyes. If she did not wear heavy sunscreen, she would burn miserably, her skin would peel and she would return to her pale pallor very quickly. She had to remind her father to buy it, since Mrs. Woodcock often forgot to bring it, even though all the children would benefit from at least some sunscreen.

The only member of the household to really dote on Livia was Tom. In turn, she was curious about his work at school. She always asked him questions, and he patiently would explain his homework or his lessons for that day. Tom oddly found himself to have a better grasp of his school subjects because Livia's questions reinforced what he needed to know. And sometimes her queries led to Tom's recognition of his own mistakes in his homework. In this fashion, Livia almost functioned as a tutor though she was five and he was already 11 and had started attending Framlingham College, a preparatory school that would serve him until he went to university. In fact, this arrangement had actually even begun before Livia set foot in a classroom herself. She knew the alphabet, she knew basic maths and she could even print her name. Tom even steadied her hand so she could write her name since someone that young had great difficulty holding a pen.

Perhaps her relationship with Tom was the reason why Cathy and Lydia especially took issue with her. But Livia sensed Lydia's grievance went beyond that. Tom enjoyed a strong bond with Cathy but had very little relationship with Lydia. Tom even went so far as to criticize Lydia for her incivility to Livia. Lydia ignored him, however, as she tended to do. Since Mrs. Woodcock singularly doted on Lydia, Lydia felt no inclination to alter her behavior towards Livia. Lydia merely concealed her disdain around her father, since she knew he would view it rather dimly. As the rector, he would scarcely allow his congregates to treat anyone poorly, let alone a child under his own roof. But Mrs. Woodcock's clear feelings limited his ability to reprimand Lydia; he also avoided getting in the middle of any family drama whenever he possibly could do so.

Two other events stood out in Livia's mind as to how vexed Lydia felt. Around that same time, a moggie female tabby with white pawed mittens first appeared near the door where the family lived. The cat apparently had been taking shelter around or even inside the parish church for some time when she decided to try to get the family to let her in. Lydia enthusiastically wanted the cat, but actually liked to mistreat her. Indeed, Lydia chose the cat's name: Sarah. Despite this, Lydia acted toward the cat as if the cat was a substitute for what she wanted to do to Livia. Once, towards the end of the fall that year, Lydia threw the cat against a wall, and the cat ran into Livia's room. From that point on, Sarah was Livia's cat, much to Lydia's displeasure. Livia became Sarah's protector and her friend. Only then did Livia actually discover that she could communicate with Sarah. Sarah also could recognize Livia's voice as well as the snap of her fingers.

Sarah did not mind her name, she liked Livia's nickname Sairy, but she did not like Lydia at all. Livia and Sarah understood each other perfectly. Livia told Mrs. Woodcock what food to get for the cat, what kind of litter to buy and even if the cat required a veterinarian's attention. No one could understand how Livia knew these things, given her age and given that no one should know these things. Mrs. Woodcock would have dismissed her recommendations entirely had not Rev. Woodcock pointed out that there was no harm in trying what Livia suggested. Livia was never wrong, either, another point which greatly peeved Lydia. The rector tended to indulge whatever Livia said – at least according to Lydia. Rev. Woodcock found Livia credible, convincing and astute. He did not know why, though. Sometimes he wondered how she could be this and yet be so young, but he kept his thoughts on the subject to himself. He and Tom discussed it once, since Tom noticed the same thing and opted to ask if his father had noticed. He had.

Cathy, who had a stuffed toy cat herself, was delighted and greatly respected Livia's concern for the cat's wellbeing. Sarah sometimes slept among Cathy's stuffed animals on school days, which would thrill Cathy when she came home early enough to see it. Cathy even got her father to photograph the scene, and it became a treasured picture as Cathy grew up. Cathy imagined working in a veterinary clinic.

Livia spent a great deal of time in her own room, especially if unable to wander the castle grounds and Lydia was around. Occasionally, she kept company with one of Cathy's stuffed animals there or just with Sarah and the odd crow now and then. She found she could speak to them, also. Cathy was never upset about the borrowed animals because she typically only noticed how precisely lined up and well cared for they were in her room. She knew only Livia, rather than Mrs. Woodcock, would do this. This realization gave Cathy the idea to buy Livia stuffed animals for herself, usually ones Cathy herself did not own, like the first one she gave that Christmas, a bobcat. A wild feline, the bobcat only existed in North America, not England or anywhere in Europe. Finding one to buy for Christmas took some doing for a nine-year-old, but Rev. Woodcock thought it so great an idea when she told him about it that he helped Cathy locate one and have it sent to the rectory in time. The bobcat became very special to Livia, the only American possession she ever prized, especially given what she learned later. The fact that it somewhat resembled a brown tabby like Sarah only added to Livia's gratitude for it.

Otherwise, Livia spent time in Tom's room. She never made any friends at that point, in part because she loathed going to the local park where Lydia and her friends might be – or even to the town's green by St. Michael's. Furthermore, whether she attended Sir Robert Hitcham's Primary School as a nursery charge, a pre-school student or a first year student, the other children her age were not nearly as sentient as Livia was becoming or even vaguely interesting. Cathy rarely stayed home, playing with her own friends at their homes instead. Livia could not really tag along, but it did not matter. Tom was typically in his room once he got home, doing schoolwork. And Tom was grateful when Livia inquired about his work. Almost immediately, he perceived how valuable her questions were because he made the realization usually reserved for college tutors or graduate students – one truly masters a subject only when one begins teaching it.

Livia did not necessarily believe it helpful, but Tom did. He admired how smart she was even though she was so young. She seemed to know what to ask and when to ask it. Some of Tom's friends teased him for being Livia's tutor, openly questioning why he wanted to spend any time with a girl too young and ignorant to be anything other than a distraction and waste of his time. Tom did not see it that way, but he could not explain himself to their satisfaction. Livia almost seemed to understand what Tom needed to be asked and what Tom needed to know or be able to explain. She read his papers, she listened to his presentations and gave him feedback or asked for clarification. Ultimately, Tom even could show his friends how to do complex maths problems based on his interactions with Livia.

A few of Tom's friends came over one day to witness Tom's instruction of Livia for themselves, believing they could prove to him how mistaken he was. At first, they remained unconvinced, so he set up a game that essentially was like Hasbro's Trivial Pursuit where they could choose sides and answer questions about topics the boys had been taught or were being taught. It was Tom and Livia versus Tom's friends Adam and John. The first time Tom and Livia won, Adam and John considered it a fluke or achieved entirely because Tom wrote the questions or was just smarter than both of them. But they played a number of times over the course of that year and Tom and Livia always won, even after Adam and John added questions to the bag. Livia requested Tom write down her questions, too. When Adam and John could not answer one she asked him to write, he proudly pointed out to them that she came up with the question that had stumped them. Still, Tom never revealed how much input Livia had; he always acted as if the two were consulting each other before Tom gave an answer. Adam and John thought it was merely a ruse, and Livia did not say much. Only Tom knew that Livia was a budding genius, and any test of her intellect would reveal a very high IQ. Late that school year, when he found what constituted a standard IQ test, he got her to complete it and calculated the result as being about 165, probably higher. In other words, trying to measure her intelligence was ridiculous. Tom took the test himself and got 142, which he considered fairly accurate. To him, it meant he was smart but not hugely so – just smart enough to recognize true brilliance, such as in Livia. When Tom eventually showed the results to Adam and John, they no longer doubted his claim that she assisted him with his schoolwork. They asked him what they should call his little female Einstein girlfriend. He simply said, "Her name is Livia. She is my sister."

Tom wondered even before he tested her: How bright was she? What accounted for her being so bright? Should not his father look into the matter and have Livia skip at least one grade in school? Shortly before spring term began, Tom suggested it. Rev. Woodcock thought it best to keep the matter quiet. He was thinking about the future, including Tom's future academic success, as well as what might happen if Livia was promoted either to Lydia's grade or higher, since Lydia was at the same school. The only hope for Livia, Rev. Woodcock explained, would be to place Livia in a different school than Lydia. That could involve an expense the rest of the family would find objectionable, even if Lydia could think of it as "getting rid of" Livia.

"Surely, there must be some form of scholarship Livia could get," Tom suggested. "Could she not attend Framlingham College with me?"

"That's an idea – and you are probably right, Tom," Rev. Woodcock answered. "But I daresay there might be obstacles given her background and I probably would have to deal with loud protests of various kinds unless she were to be boarded far away from the only home she's ever known. I think that would be hard on her as well as you at this point. Perhaps when you finally leave home yourself it would be easier for her to do so, also. I think we need to wait, and I think we need to explain to her exactly from where she came first. I think this will be a hard needle to thread. Investing in her future could yield us all great benefits, but I scarcely think anyone other than Livia or ourselves will accept this point."

"I think Livia already wonders about her background," Tom said. "I do not think you can keep the truth from her for much longer. She already suspects something is amiss. She knows there is something behind Lydia's disdain for her. But is she not your daughter, Dad, as far as the state goes?" Tom asked.

"That remains somewhat of an issue, Tom. The local council allowed me to essentially be her parent – but that could be only as a foster parent. I am not certain they assigned me full custody as an adoptive parent, though I should be allowed to make educational decisions, regardless."

"Perhaps you should formalize this already, if it is not so. We have at least one solicitor among the congregation, do we not? You should ask him."

"I should," Rev. Woodcock said. "I know I would not be denied the request, but should the rest of the family know I am doing this, that I need to do this, it will not go down easy. Lydia will throw a tantrum, and your mother will likely want to do anything to please her. Why your mother indulges her so much has puzzled me constantly. Somehow, your mother thinks Lydia was cheated out of something, but Lydia has never wanted for anything. There is no sense in trying to reason with either of them. Either I try to do this in secret, which might be a problem if your mother has to sign any papers, or things must remain as they are. I will discreetly ask, but I wonder if letting the issue go is preferable – at least for now. It depends on if I can talk to the solicitor unnoticed."

When Livia turned six, Lydia let it slip that the family celebrated what pet owners call a "Gotcha" day, much like Sarah, the cat Lydia wanted to like her, despite the abuse she continually dished out. Lydia said it with great disdain, as if Livia were nothing other than a pet, which to Lydia was practically like equating Livia with an inanimate object, like one of Cathy's stuffed toys. Still, Lydia had no idea Livia could hear her, but Livia was not that far away and had acute hearing along with a number of emerging gifts that she could not fully explain. Livia knew things about people, she could converse with animals, particularly birds and mammals, and she found herself able to produce items like cat treats or birdseed just by thinking about them. She thought it had to do with the animals, but the power to do these things lay entirely within her. Livia had no idea what it meant, except that she had to keep these things entirely to herself, much like she knew Rev. Woodcock was withholding information from her. Livia knew no one else around her shared these abilities, and that they would frighten most people, including those within her own family. So she kept it all to herself, even from Tom. She had to be certain that Lydia, in particular, never knew because Lydia might find a way to use these things against her.

The only part Tom knew about was her ability to understand people, as if mindreading. He called her "the most naturally empathetic person he knew." As Livia came to understand the psychic aspects of being called an empath, she accepted that specific word as the best description of her abilities. She had no exposure to any other word that so aptly captured what she was and what she could do. While it did not explain all of her emerging abilities – no empathy could create birdseed or cat treats in her closed fist from thought alone – it explained her abilities to penetrate the thoughts and feelings of people, birds (crows especially at that time) and mammals completely. She kept the word to herself for a long time, letting Tom's more pedestrian use of "empathetic" stand uncontested. Thanks mostly to Lydia, she learned at a very young age the value of being circumspect, and it served her well for many years to come. Livia alone could decide what to reveal to someone and when to do it. Livia disciplined her mind – both thought and feeling – beginning at an age when some children could do nothing other than be entirely transparent and emotive. The contrast was stark and only made forming friendships with other children all the more difficult. She did not lack emotions; she saw no clear and safe outlet for most of these except to creatures who could not speak of them.

During what seemed to be Livia's sixth birthday, she asked her father (as far as she knew) what a "Gotcha" day was. Rev. Woodcock furrowed his brow and wondered why she was asking. She said she heard Lydia refer to this day as such and had not referred to the cat. Rev. Woodcock finally admitted to himself that Tom was right: the time to tell Livia the whole story of her coming to Framlingham had come.

After her typical birthday celebration (as much as it was), Rev. Woodcock asked Livia to join him in his study, which seemed more like a library of religious materials plus other books. Volumes and stacks of various types of parchment or simple paper seemed everywhere. Livia realized that Rev. Woodcock took his own studies very seriously and that Tom had inherited the same work ethic. Indeed, Livia wondered if Rev. Woodcock often published anything based on what appeared to be extensive research material. While Livia examined the room, Tom stood in the doorway, realizing what was going to happen and insisting on being there. Rev. Woodcock considered the matter with some care, at first thinking that including him was a bad idea. He had only turned twelve weeks before on 6 July. Was he even ready for this? Would he upset her? He had not read the letter, either. He was only told about its contents. Finally, Rev. Woodcock relented and allowed Tom to come into the room. Tom had a role in the story, after all, and Tom probably wanted to say so himself. Really, Tom's insistence on keeping Livia drove Rev. Woodcock to allay his wife's concerns. Tom should probably see the letter as well.

Rev. Woodcock closed the door and asked both to sit. They sat next to each other, with Tom putting his hand on her shoulder. He acknowledged that Tom probably knew why he wanted to speak with Livia. Livia seemed prepared, too, oddly enough. Rev. Woodcock then produced a letter carefully preserved in an envelope addressed "To whom it may concern." The writer, Rev. Woodcock explained, had pinned this letter to a blanket on a small basket that contained a nearly newborn child, a girl. "You must read this, Livia, if you can," he said. "It is your story."

"She can read it, I am certain," Tom stated. "I doubt there are many difficult words in it. If there are, she will figure them out. Livia, please read it aloud – I never got the chance to read it for myself and I want to know what it says."

Livia carefully read the typed, unsigned letter aloud, as Tom asked. It stated:

 _I leave you this young girl. I am not the birth mother. She is a young American friend I met in London while studying drama. She was about 20. She became with child over the winter break of 1971 and gave her family a story of her staying in England to do behind-the-scene stage work this summer, for the sake of concealing her situation from them. This girl was born on 28 August at about 1:45 am. I thought she had to be premature, but she looked perfect. I helped with the birth; there are no hospital records._

 _My friend started calling her Olivia after a famed actress (and perhaps in part for Lord Laurence Olivier). She had no plan of keeping the child, however. I cannot say why she had a child she never planned to keep nor tried to place. She left that up to me and left the country. I am not old enough to care for this child or to know what to do, especially if I am to keep her mother's identity a secret. I know very little of the father. He seemed to be on break from some school outside of London. He was no older than 20 and likely younger. She told me she saw a school gown somewhere in the small room he was staying in while on a break with some friends. This gown had a crest that was prominently green, I believe, as was a striped tie that went with the gown._

 _I met him once but never knew his name. The father had blond hair and a pale complexion; my friend had the same complexion but dark hair, like this child. My friend took a fancy to him once we met him and his friends while hitting the pubs around Carnaby Street. She told me that she had a specific motive, though I do not believe it related to having this child. I thought he had drugged her, but she said she feigned the effects of something for his benefit and kept a large portion of whatever it was. That's the only motive I can imagine, though I do not understand why she did this. I know he never knew about this girl. She had no further contact with him and did not seek any._

 _I hope you can find a loving home for Olivia. She is a very pretty baby – she was born with all this dark hair and never seemed anything but pretty, cheerful and easy tempered. I drove through this part of England before and thought your town square and church seemed so idyllic, like she would have a real chance here to be loved and happy. I cannot tell you much else, not even my name. Godspeed to Olivia. Oddly enough, I think I feel more attached to her than my friend ever did. I daresay I will think about her more often and more fondly, though I only spent about a week with her._

The text explained so much but left so many new questions. Rev. Woodcock also showed Livia and Tom a few newspaper stories on the "found baby" and the rector's decision to keep the child and raise her like his own.

Tom wanted to be there when Livia discovered this in case it upset her and to explain that he was the first person to find her by the entrance to St. Michael's. He immediately found his Dad because he felt he should not try to pick the baby up, uncertain if he could carry her safely at age six. Rev. Woodcock made some inquiries, but rather than surrender the girl to a government agency, he requested that he be allowed to keep her. Her name was officially registered as Olivia Mary Woodcock, and though only Tom acknowledged 28 August as a special day then (countdown to her celebrated birthday or not) it was listed as her date of birth. The family chose to mark the anniversary of her arrival, 4 September, though Mrs. Woodcock was never remotely enthusiastic about adding a fourth child, especially given how young Lydia and Cathy were at that time. She agreed to it based on the ease of passing down clothes and on obtaining some childcare help via Sir Robert Hitcham's nursery but, once she saw that Livia was a model baby, she felt after two years or so that extra help was no longer necessary. It was Lydia who had the "terrible twos" in the worst way, not Livia. Once Lydia turned three and Cathy began attending school along with Tom, Mrs. Woodcock could manage the children herself. She said so, anyway.

The differences between Livia and the Woodcock family seemed so more obvious at that point. Her heart-shaped little face, their more squared jaws, the emerging shape of her slightly turned-up nose, their straight, somewhat wide ones. Later, the contrast between Livia and Tom was a lot harder to see. Still, other points became clear, such as the origins of Tom's gentle regard for her as if his own sister. He was protective of her from the second he saw her. He told her as much, and his insistence on not letting her go stiffened Rev. Woodcock's resolve to keep her. "But who am I really?" Livia said, finally. "Do I have a father? Would he want to know me? What should I make of this?"

Rev. Woodcock tried to reassure her that he was her father, all she knew and all she needed to know. He further emphasized that God gave her to them for a reason. For Livia, he said it was entirely in her hands who she would be, no matter who gave her life or what happened to her, good or bad. Our choices, especially when put under extreme stress, show our true character, and we can only believe that those choices somehow coincide with God's plan.

Tom had a different assessment. "I know who you are already," he began. "You are a kind soul and a very intelligent, well-meaning and sensitive being. My sisters would do well if they but partly followed your example. Lydia, the wannabe queen, will probably never do so, but perhaps Cathy will more fully come round. You are very special and scarcely know how valuable you have been to me. I, for one, know I am a better student for you being here. I am proud to call you my sister, and I always will endeavor to make you proud of me. Always. Maybe that was part of God's plan, Dad. I think so."

"Possibly so, Tom. You show your own strong character by your concern and affection for your sister, Livia."

"I cannot do otherwise," Tom replied. "I am your son, sir. I know you are proud of me for this, among other things, and yet I doubt you are fully aware that we are both indebted to this girl, as well. I know I am. On that account alone, you should be."

"Yes, I do agree with you. When you take your O-level exams, it would be nice if by then everyone else saw it, too. For now, I think only your friends really have any inkling. Of course, if they tell, half your class will be at our doorstep – we would have to open our own school."

"Could they not give testimony as to why Livia should attend Framlingham College with me?" Tom asked.

"I doubt the school would readily accept the word of underage schoolboys, no matter what they have witnessed. Is anyone from the College in our congregation?"

"I think so."

"Perhaps you can point out the right person to me. Did you tell me once you tested Livia's IQ?" Rev. Woodcock asked

"I did. It was so high I am not sure I got an accurate number for her. But what I got was 165. Mine was only 142, which I can believe."

"Really?" Livia asked. "You did not tell me any of this. What does that mean?"

"It means you are smarter than anyone in this room – or this house. And perhaps our entire congregation." Tom replied. "I am only smart enough to recognize that the test did not greatly err regarding your score – or mine. I can recognize genius, but I am not really a genius myself."

"Mensa would disagree with you, Tom," Rev. Woodcock said. "I believe a score of 130 is considered genius."

"Well, I can say I have academic talent," Tom began, "But to say there's no significant difference between myself and Livia dismisses my own experience. There IS a great difference – and I would be a fool to not notice it. I think the test shows I am not that."

"Keep all of this to yourself, Livia – for now," Rev. Woodcock said, turning toward her. "I need to find out what options I have. I am not certain you are formally adopted, despite the birth certificate's obvious assertion of it. And this may or may not relate to your admission. In a way, if you are considered an orphan or technically a ward of the state, Framlingham College actually might be more inclined to admit you at little expense. I need to talk to people about your situation, quietly. Do not talk about this until these matters are settled." Rev. Woodcock explained.

"I understand, sir," Livia said.

That line in itself made Rev. Woodcock almost shake his head in disbelief and contemplate the scene. _She's six and she understands? How long would it have taken me to say that? Tom's IQ must be higher than my own, since he asks nothing either, whether for his own benefit or hers._ At least Rev. Woodcock comprehended their affinity for each other – he was certain neither his wife nor his daughters possessed anything akin to their innate intelligence. Tom was truly his father's son. Livia? Only God knew but Rev. Woodcock felt thankful he had at least enough ability and concern for her to help her – he just hoped it was enough.


	2. Last Years in Suffolk

Livia began her second year at Sir Robert Hitchens School finding one new girl worth befriending. Her name was Farah Marie Hibbert; her family had just moved to the area. Her father had served in the British military while her mother was Malaysian. While Farah tried to tie her name to an emerging American actress then called Farrah Fawcett-Majors, the name and Farah's light brown complexion easily revealed her roots, especially when tanned. A number of students saw her as decidedly different and subsequently either poked fun at her owing to this or marginalized her completely. Livia could not have disagreed more. Livia saw a gentle soul unable to easily adjust to her surroundings.

Livia quickly befriended her and reassured her, confessing to the fact that the biggest bully in the school was her own alleged (adopted) sister. Whilst Livia could not fully protect her, there was a kind of safety in being a twosome versus being entirely alone; the other girls, concerned about a repeat offense for bullying Livia, tended to ignore them when together. Farah agreed that being a pair helped, noting that few people said anything when she was with a parent or anyone other than her young brother, Daniel Ahmed, who had just turned three. Livia asked her at recess after knowing her about a week if she had ever spent time on the grounds of Framlingham Castle. Farah had not. "I used to go there with my brother but not as much lately, now that school has begun" Livia said. "Perhaps one day we can go there together."

Farah liked the idea, though she admitted to enjoying the swings at the local park quite fondly. "I do not get to go there much because the other girls seem to dislike me. But I might go there if you would join me."

Livia felt ambivalent about the idea. She knew Lydia and her friends would not treat Farah well and Livia would not be sufficient in curbing their behavior, if Lydia amassed enough girls, which she might accomplish away from school supervision. Yet she also realized how deeply Farah wanted to go. Farah told her that her brother often went to play in a sandbox there with a nanny. Since the nanny was a local and Daniel strongly resembled his father, they attended the park in peace. Livia tried to imagine a situation where they could both she and Farah could go and enjoy themselves without any interference. "Let me think about this, Farah," Livia mused. "There has to be a way we can do this, without affecting your brother."

The teachers at the Robert Hitchens School started to really take notice of Livia's academic talent. It manifested itself in several ways. First, they judged her writing as extraordinary for a young student. She seemed to pick up grammar and vocabulary quite easily, almost innately. Her skills in other areas also created a stir, like music, maths and local history. The teacher who spent the most time with her, Mrs. Harrison, a thin, gray-haired teacher approaching retirement age, decided to do an IQ test, not knowing at first that Livia's brother Tom had already done one. When Livia saw the test, she alerted Mrs. Harrison to this fact and told her that Tom calculated the result as 165. Mrs. Harrison considered the matter, but thought another child administering the test likely rendered a skewed result, though how much she dared not guess. If anything, it just had to be too high. So Livia took the test again. This time Mrs. Harrison got a slightly different number: 172. She checked it and rechecked and thought Tom must have done a credible job, but she also barely could fathom that her scoring would produce an even higher number. Mrs. Harrison immediately brought the results to the headmaster, Mr. Lenihan, a genteel, distinguished man who never was seen at school without his crested academic robe.

"Headmaster, you have to look at this. I can scarcely believe it myself. I cannot remember teaching a child with a score like this. What should we do with this girl?"

Mr. Lenihan, a tall man of average build with salt and pepper hair, perused the paper and the scoring. "Well, I would have thought you had made a mistake except I do not see one here. This is remarkable. There are a number of things we can do – either promoting her early, giving her private instruction or referring her for schooling in a more advanced environment. Since my family attends St. Michael's, I will speak with Rev. Woodcock about her. Surely we can do right by her one way or another."

Rev. Woodcock and Mr. Lenihan spoke in private after the following Sunday's last service of the day. Rev. Woodcock confessed that his own observations of Livia confirmed what both Tom and Mrs. Harrison had found. "I must be quite blunt with you, sir," Rev. Woodcock said. "I adopted Livia when she was left as a baby at the door of St. Michael's. I cannot take any credit for her abilities, but I want to do right by them just the same as you. I have a problem, however. My youngest daughter, Lydia, who you know, greatly dislikes her, probably out of jealousy. Moreover, my wife dotes on Lydia and would never consent to anything that promotes Livia's potential, as if it were a crime against Lydia. Whatever you do, you must do it quietly, so neither Lydia nor my wife make it an issue. I will agree to any proposal that can keep this problem in mind."

"Are you saying you cannot stand up to your wife?" Mr. Lenihan asked with genuine surprise.

"I suppose it looks that way," Rev. Woodcock replied. "My son Tom even suggested to me I try to get Livia into Framlingham College, but I am reluctant to fight this battle because I know how it will go. I could never spend any money on her without protest. It would not shock me if even Cathy sided against Livia for what will be deemed unmerited special treatment by Lydia. I am all for you tutoring Livia beyond the work expected of her at her age. For now, you and your faculty should only discuss Livia's studies with me or with Livia. Livia realizes far more than any six year old should. Your faculty can attest to this, I daresay. Just ensure you never indicate anything unusual is taking place as far as Lydia and my wife are concerned. Make up any excuse that you can, even if it comes across as punishment."

"Well," Mr. Lenihan began, "I guess you know all about the bullying Lydia has led against Livia, then?"

"Actually, I do not know any specifics, but nothing you tell me will surprise me."

"The worst incident took place last year," Mr. Lenihan revealed. "Lydia threw her down on the playground during a recess after she and her friends had been verbally taunting her for some time. Mrs. Harrison happened to see this one episode fully. A staff member rang up your wife, I believe. The involved kids all received detention for a week – it would have been longer, except we could not verify that other episodes had occurred. The other parents apparently came down hard on their girls, who do not seem to be helping or hindering Lydia's desire to bully her because they do not want to be involved. I think one of them even has changed her mind about Livia owing to some falling out she had with Lydia. The remaining group likely found an easier student to bother, but Livia, to her credit, interferes with their efforts. Livia defends this new student, Farah Hibbert, and apprizes us about the bullying, more than she ever did anything to help herself."

"Interesting, but that's so much like Livia. And of course my wife said nothing to me about what Lydia did," Rev. Woodcock said. "Typical, also. Makes me wonder if anything Lydia does will ever warrant any serious discipline from her. From now on, please only talk to me about Livia or Lydia. Call my office number, not the rectory. If I do not curb Lydia's behavior, I cannot imagine the harm she will cause nor to whom other than Livia she will direct it."

"Yes, we will do so, Rev. Woodcock. I will leave a note in their files and tell my staff. Perhaps we can consult the College and try to prepare Livia for examination to be taken by them when they open places for scholarship students. If we prepare her, she likely can transfer there after she turns 11. If they find anything akin to what we know, they should welcome her quite readily. I will inquire."

"Good." Rev. Woodcock said. "That would probably help Tom, too. Even my wife could not deny that. Meantime, I need to look into some legal aspects of her adoption. I am unclear if I am a foster parent or the adoptive parent, though this should not matter regarding her education. Anyway, thank you and good day, sir."

Rev. Woodcock ultimately consulted a solicitor who guided him through the process of finalizing Livia's adoption. He did so quietly; the small legal notice was entirely missed by Emma, Cathy or Lydia Woodcock – since they knew of no reason for reading those items. The borough's approval drew little notice, either. Both Rev. Woodcock and Tom were relieved when the solicitor, a jovial auburn-haired stout man named Alan Wilson, delivered the news. Since Livia never knew of her uncertain status, neither Rev. Woodcock nor Tom told her. They merely enjoyed a quiet moment of satisfaction in Rev. Woodcock's study. Then Tom asked, "Does this mean Livia will be coming to the College soon?"

"I'm having her prepared for their examination at Sir Robert Hitchens, Tom," Rev. Woodcock replied. "Mr. Lenihan told me they should have her well prepared to join you when she's 11 and you hopefully will be preparing for university."

"It HAS to happen, Dad," Tom stated. "Please. Livia deserves a chance to do something special. You have to see why already. She's probably gone halfway through your library by now."

Livia noticed a change to her schedule soon after. She occasionally was pulled from a class for advanced assignments or tutoring and seemed to miss recess once a week, if not occasionally more than that. Since Lydia's former friend, the slight blonde Avery, began being nicer, Livia took it upon herself to ask Avery to watch over Farah when Livia could not. Livia also told those who generally supervised recess to make sure Farah was safe. These two actions usually proved effective, but Livia always asked Farah about her absences, to be sure. Not fully satisfied with Farah's answers, Livia took to conversing with a few local crows, who had a nest nearby and often perched there. On days when Livia was absent, they began sitting atop the school's swing. One even directed a poop shoot on Lydia one early uncommonly warm November afternoon. After that day, none of the other girls ever bothered Farah on the swings. One even mistook them as one of Edgar Allen Poe's fearsome ravens. Farah express great surprise to Livia that the crows never bothered her but had taken on the bullies, especially Lydia, and had kept her safe.

"Glad to hear it, Farah," Livia said. "Crows are very smart. If ever Lydia was cruel to one, they would all know her, and all would treat her badly. They somehow recognize people. They are much smarter than most people know. They could see your suffering as akin to theirs." She dare not tell Farah the crows watched over her at Livia's request. It was too dangerous, Livia decided, so she preferred Farah think that the crows did it on their own.

Tom had some free time during the fall break and, with his friend Adam, accompanied Livia and Farah to the castle's grounds. Livia just lay on the ground taking in the scene while Tom and Adam showed Farah how to skip stones on the Mere. Later, Farah got down beside her. "This is peaceful and rather fun. Your brother and his friend are both very nice. I see why you like it here. We definitely should do this again. I still want to enjoy the playground, though."

"I doubt Tom or Adam would join us there. I think both have other things they prefer and like to think of themselves as too 'mature' to like that playground. I do not want to disappoint you, but that playground has always been Lydia's base. Your brother is lucky to have escaped her attention, though your nanny surely would put her in her place if she were foolish enough to pick on him. If you went there, you would need the nanny, too."

Fortunately for Livia and Farah, Lydia's mother decided the time had come for Lydia to take piano lessons at home. Emma Woodcock had given up on Cathy learning after Cathy found reasons to avoid them by going to friends's homes instead. Cathy did almost everything somewhere else, other than a few dinners a week at home. Thwarted in her efforts to mold Cathy into an accomplished, sedate figure Jane Austen might recognize, Emma turned to Lydia and decided this sort of disciplined teaching would make her more of a proper young lady, rather than a bully who could embarrass her father. It was only on Wednesday afternoons, though, but it gave Livia an opportunity to join Farah at the park and even meet her little brother, who had dark blond hair and blue eyes. Other girls at first considered starting something but they lacked their ringleader. Given the Hibbert's nanny and the presence of a single observing crow, the other girls resumed their usual activities and left Livia and Farah in peace.

This pattern of Livia's studies, sharing time with Farah on the castle grounds or Wednesdays in the playground continued for some time without incident. Soon after Livia turned eight, Lydia found a new way to humiliate the sister she never wanted. Lydia had some friends over and all were in her room. Rev. Woodcock and Tom were still not home yet, Cathy was at a friend's house and Mrs. Woodcock was preparing dinner. Just before they had entered Lydia's room, they caught sight of Sarah the cat sleeping in Cathy's room and a friend, Celia, carried the cat into Lydia's room. The cat hissed and snarled, which alerted Livia, who had just gotten in herself. She ran upstairs and saw Lydia's door closed and the cat nowhere else to be found. The cat clawed her way free and hid under the bed, giving herself a corner to defend. Still, it would have been only a matter of time till one of the trio of girls dragged the cat out.

Livia banged on the door. "Do you have Sarah? What are you doing to her?"

"Oh, nothing yet, but that might change soon," Lydia responded. "I will make you a deal. If we let you in, we will let Sarah out."

Livia understood the stakes and that she could defend herself better than the cat. "Okay."

The door opened and Sarah bolted from the room as Livia was dragged into it by Celia, a tall and strong girl for her age. "Restrain her," Lydia told her friends. "We are going to have real fun now."

Livia was forced down into a chair. "What will make Livia cry?" Lydia picked up Livia's left foot and shoved a thumbtack into it. Livia's anger blocked the pain. Unfortunately for her, the window to that bedroom was shut and locked. No birds could bail out Livia. Livia remained stoic and glad they had not been able to torment Sarah. "How about two then?" Lydia said, putting another into the same foot.

"Are you even human?" Celia asked, while continuing to force Livia to stay seated.

"Yes, in fact I have to use the bathroom right now," Livia replied.

"A lie, for sure," Lydia asserted. "Do not let her up." Lydia shoved in yet another tack.

"I do not lie," Livia spat. "You prefer me to pee in your room?"

Celia and the other girl Carla began to loosen their grip, though not quite enough for Livia to stand, especially on less than two uninjured feet. She only got to the edge of the chair.

"You will not deny me this. Celia, Carla, keep her there."

"I have to go. Now!" Livia yelled. Still, she remained in place.

Then it happened. A stream of urine came down from Livia, down the chair to the carpet from Livia legs and partly the chair. "I told you to let me out!" Livia shouted.

The other girls recoiled and with that Livia, despite the tacks, quickly escaped the room. She ran downstairs and into the bathroom where she removed the tacks and tried to clean herself up as much as possible.

Mrs. Woodcock thought something was amiss, seeing how Livia hobbled into that bathroom. "Livia, what is going on?"

"Ask you daughter Lydia and her friends," Livia called out from the other side of the door. "They would not let me out and I peed in her room. And that after Lydia put three thumbtacks in my foot."

Lydia tried to make up a story that Livia stepped on the tacks of her own accord by entering where she was not wanted, but she had no explanation for the rest of the evidence that everyone could see and smell for themselves. Celia and Carla, wanting to leave upon seeing Rev. Woodcock arrive, decided that they could not support Lydia's story. They could not lie to a man still in his clerical attire. Right in that room, to both of Lydia's parents, they apologized for restraining Livia so Lydia could torment Livia with the thumbtacks and participated in keeping Livia there even when she said she needed to use the bathroom.

For once, Emma Woodcock was embarrassed and compelled to punish her favorite child. "Lydia, this is your room. So you are going to have to clean this up – to my satisfaction. And you will apologize to Livia – in writing. Furthermore, you will be confined to your room for the rest of the day to write it and to clean your room. Should anyone bring you food, you better be grateful for it, because I am not sure that I can do it. Right now, I am too angry to even look at you."

Livia wondered how much Mrs. Woodcock meant what she shouted. For the moment, she sounded genuinely angry. But would it making any lasting difference? Was she concerned about Livia or was she annoyed about damage to the house? Or was she just acting vexed because Rev. Woodcock had witnessed any of this?

Tom and Cathy learned of the incident when Lydia's absence was explained at dinner – and Livia's change of clothes was noticed. Tom hoped his mother finally would stop coddling Lydia and after dinner went to his room. He ultimately collected his work and went to Livia's room to do it, to ensure she was okay and not trying to walk too much on her left foot. Cathy brought Lydia some leftovers and took her written apology to Livia. "You better mean this, Lydia," Cathy told her before leaving. "It does you no credit to act this way. Nor to Dad."

"Cathy, one day you will see things my way," Lydia asserted.

"Lydia, you need to grow up. Did it ever occur to you that, like Tom, you could benefit from Livia being here?"

"Do you?" Lydia asked.

"Not like Tom, certainly. But Livia has always been obliging to me. She is not a monster."

Lydia bit her tongue. She would bide her time until she found the means to get Cathy on her side.

Cathy delivered the note to Livia. "I gave her some food and took this note," Cathy said. "I hope it is sufficient."

"It would be if Lydia meant it," Livia stated. Livia showed the note to Tom "What do you think?"

"You have always read her rightly," Tom affirmed. "This would be fine, but I have my doubts of its sincerity, also."

"Cathy, perhaps you can get Lydia out of the house more and ensure nothing like this happens again."

"Hmm. None of my friends really like her. She has a reputation already and today will only further it. I am sure Celia and Carla will see to it. Maybe I can take her to the sweet shop a few times every so often and that will change her attitude some."

"Yes, the loyalty of her big sister should be most helpful," Tom stated. "Lydia has never thought much of me. She knows I am close to Livia, too, so I could never change her mind."

For a time, all seemed to go well. Lydia did not dominate the local playground as much and she was no longer queen bee at school. Cathy spent more time with her when she was not continuing to take piano lessons. Cathy's time with her seemed to smooth out some of Lydia's expressed animosity toward Livia. Cathy still continued to give Livia stuffed animals and make small gestures to let her know that Lydia's harbored, if contained, feelings had not made Cathy a convert. Livia, Farah and a now school-age Daniel seemed to enjoy more freedom to have unspoiled fun, at the playground, at the schoolyard or the grounds of Framlingham Castle.

Livia's studies also became more serious and complex. The Sir Robert Hitchens School faculty took the matter most seriously and Mr. Lenihan had kept his word. He knew exactly what Framlingham College would want to see out of a prospective scholarship student and they assiduously gave Livia everything she needed to impress them. Midway through her sixth year with them, past age ten, they believed she would succeed. They scheduled her testing and interviewing with Framlingham College for May of 1983, around the same time Tom would sit for his O-level examinations. Both fed off each other's academic ambitions and helped each other feel secure and prepared. Tom had quite a list of subjects, including economics, English, geography history, religious studies, sociology and physics. He considered wanting to study subjects in preparation for the study of law or economics. The fact that any of this resonated with Livia just made her ready to wow the admissions staff.

The night before Tom's exams, both were called into Rev. Woodcock's study. Both seemed very calm, so much so it surprised Rev. Woodcock. "You must be ready, I suppose," he said.

"If Livia thinks I am, I am," Tom stated.

"He is," Livia asserted. "He will make you very proud."

"Your interview is tomorrow, also, Livia," Rev. Woodcock declared. "What about you?"

"I fear nothing they can ask," she replied. "Nothing they will test, either."

Both slept soundly, and Rev. Woodcock himself drove them to the college. Livia impressed the committee who spoke to her collectively as well as the individuals who spoke to her or tested her on their own. They could not officially tell her what determination they ultimately would make, but the pleasantries extended to her towards the end seemed sincere enough to Livia to believe they would admit her. Before she offered the group her farewell, she made an unusual request.

"I know this will sound odd to you, but could you delay issuing your decision and make sure only to inform Rev. Woodcock at his office?"

"What a strange request," the admissions chair, the bespectacled Mr. Williams, acknowledged. "Why?"

"I am adopted, as you know," Livia began, "my so-called sister Lydia would do anything to sabotage my attendance here. Frankly, I do not know how she will try to accomplish this, but she will somehow turn people against me, including all of you. Your student Tom knows me better than anyone else. Just ask him about the things she has done to me and if jealousy would motivate her to try something."

Livia finished first, and she waited for Tom's testing sessions to be completed, sitting on the grounds quietly feeding some squirrels and crows and remembering things she read about wildlife. He found her on a courtyard bench and beamed, feeling all the work done had paid off.

"I think my exams went well. How about you?" he asked.

"Oh, I think they will support me, though I warned them not to disclose their decision too quickly."

"Why would you do that, Livia?" Tom inquired.

"Lydia. She will not take the news well. I believe she will try to do something that prevents me from ever coming here."

"How could she do that?"

"I am not sure," Livia answered. "But you know her. You know a lot of what she's done to me over the years. Frankly, I wish I could hide here or at your father's office or anywhere that Lydia cannot try to turn people against me."

"But Livia," Tom began, "she has a reputation and there are a number of people who know about her or know she has tried to hurt you. I cannot say I would believe her. Who would?"

"Your mother, for one," Livia replied. "Maybe she gets Cathy on her side, somehow. If no one else sees anything, I cannot imagine what exactly will become of me."

"This should be a great day for you and me, Livia. Do not spoil it for either of us."

"Just promise me you will remember how much I want this to work out and for years have endured Lydia's behavior without responding as I could have. I know I will need you if Lydia has all summer to ruin this."

"I will have your back. You know I will," Tom asserted.

They then made their way toward the area where day students get rides home. Rev. Woodcock arrived almost seconds after they had reached the curb. Tom decided to get in the back with Livia, sensing she still had not felt secure. "Well? Do I have two success stories today?" Rev. Woodcock asked.

"We will not know officially for a bit, but I think all went well with me," Tom responded. "I have zero doubt Livia owned the room and left the admitting committee stunned."

"I would hope so," Livia stated. "I am sure my session went well. I am sure Tom performed ably today, also."

"Should we celebrate now or when we hear the results?" Rev. Woodcock queried.

"Why not just a quiet moment for us three at the sweet shop right now?" Tom suggested, thinking about Livia's concern. "No chance of this moment being spoiled. The family can have a dinner out when the results are official."

"Done!" Rev. Woodcock agreed.

"I must tell you, sir, what I told Tom before you arrived," Livia began. Tom looked a little miffed but recognized that Livia could never enjoy herself unless she spoke about Lydia. "I told the committee to delay their decision and to only inform you at your office, so you might sit on any good news."

"Lydia still bothers you, Livia?" Rev. Woodcock asked.

"She has on occasion but my admission here would put her over the edge. I just know it. I will be in danger until I finally attend a class here. Can you send me anywhere to be out of her reach? I will even stay confined to your office if I have to."

"This should not be your concern today," Rev. Woodcock asserted, to which Tom readily agreed. "I will try to hide the information. But just hang around Tom as much as you can. Maybe at the Mere. I know neither Lydia nor Cathy like it, and I know you do not say this lightly. I will try not to take it lightly."

Both Tom and Livia exceeded expectations and easily earned high praise for their respective performances. Livia was invited to attend Framlingham College that fall and the college even acknowledged they might have to adjust her studies to fit her unusual talents. Tom was urged to be boarded at Framlingham to be able to fully master his upcoming studies in law, English, history, politics, economics and philosophy. Based on their conversation with Rev. Woodcock, they wanted to prepare him to be admitted to study, perhaps law or politics, at the University of Durham. Rev. Woodcock, familiar with Durham's Castle, Palace Green and massive cathedral, felt awestruck, almost giddy at the thought. He deemed losing Tom's presence even partly by boarding him at the College a small sacrifice, compared to this prospect. Livia could also find a way to check on Tom, he figured, and she would keep him informed.

Rev. Woodcock kept his word. The family went out only to celebrate Tom's success at the end of June, and he said nothing about a decision arriving regarding Livia. Unfortunately, the following Sunday, someone from the College congratulated him regarding both Tom and Livia. And Lydia stood among those who heard it.

Livia was beside herself. She would have to survive the following ten weeks or so unscathed. She knew that Cathy's attentions and Lydia's advancing age had not extinguished Lydia's determination to get rid of Livia. Meanwhile, Lydia found herself quite annoyed that she had lost about a week to execute a plan to stop Livia's admission. But how? She thought long and hard in her room later that day.

Cathy. It had to involve Cathy, Lydia thought. No one will believe me unless Cathy backs me. Cathy took the news more in stride and congratulated both Tom and Livia. So how would Lydia get her on her side? That following week, Lydia gave herself a mission to keep watch of Cathy's activities. Cathy, at 14, was starting to become interested in boys her age and in various forms of verboten amusement with her friends. Cathy had missed curfew a few times and Lydia decided to find out more. She even thought she smelled cigarette smoke on Cathy one night. Lydia discovered Cathy had friends who had taken an early fancy to parties consisting of smoking, drinking and a type of dancing the Rev. Woodcock would not think proper for a 14-year-old girl. Lydia had her, thanks to a tip from a younger sister of one of Cathy's friends, as well as Cathy stumbling in drunk late one night after sneaking out, though somehow still able to return without rousing anyone other than Lydia, who was waiting for her.

"So," Lydia began, "what will you do for me to ensure I do not tattle on you for sneaking out and going to these parties where everyone drinks and smokes?"

"Oh, God, you cannot do that," Cathy said. "What are you trying to do to me?"

"Nothing," Lydia countered. "Except you will help me get rid of Livia once and for all, without this college admission feather in her cap. Or I tell. Your choice."

"Damn," Cathy responded, somewhat in a drunken stupor. "Why do you hate that girl so much? What has she ever done to you?"

"She has stolen my rightful position as the youngest child. Our father prefers her to me, in fact. Tom prefers her to me. When she is gone, this will all change."

"Since when did you care about Tom?" Cathy asked. "And I doubt our father loves you less just because he loves Livia. He loves Livia BECAUSE she has helped Tom. He succeeded in part because she helped him study. If our Dad has shown any preference, it is for his son's sake."

"Oh please," Livia stated. "Tom does not need her. What could she possibly do that helps him? She is 10 years old."

"You seem not to know your brother, then, because that is not what he his friends. Nor our father. Framlingham College admitted her for a reason. She is gifted."

"Are you going to help me, or are you going to continue to defend that nerdy turd?"

"What do I have to do?" Cathy asked, finally.

"Just bear witness. Back me up. I am going to show our parents she is not to be trusted and my feelings have merit. When I tell them what she had done to me, you say you saw it, too."

"Oh bloody hell," Cathy fumed. "Where? When?"

"At the park, join me there this weekend. Livia likely be there with her stupid friend Farah."

"But the Hibbert kids will dispute your story, no?" Cathy asked.

"They will not dare. I will see to that."

Livia avoided the park that day, much to Farah and Daniel's disappointment, as well as Lydia's. Cathy hoped weeks like this would pass. Livia tried to tell the Hibbert kids that her sister Lydia was up to something, and they were all safer with Tom and his friends by the Mere. Farah and Daniel could not comprehend Livia's concerns very well and pressed her for a future day and time they could go to the park playground. If only they still had a nanny, Livia thought, who Lydia would be unable to intimidate and silence. "All right," Livia agreed. "We will try next Wednesday when Lydia is supposed to be having a piano lesson. If she shows, I cannot stay."

"That sounds a bit silly," Farah responded. "Daniel and I will not be invisible, you know."

"Do not put anything past her," Livia warned. "If you go against her, she will find a way to discount you, if not hurt you. Count on it."

Before Wednesday came, Livia ran into Mrs. Harrison on the street. When Mrs. Harrison congratulated her on her scholarship admission, Livia turned rather grave than happy. "I am not there yet. You know as well as I do how much Lydia hates me. This has not changed. She will try to sabotage me going there. Please tell the headmaster, too. Something is going to happen and at least half my family will turn against me. All you at Sir Robert Hitchens will have wasted your time with me if she succeeds. I know I will need your help."

"Of course," Mrs. Harrison affirmed. "You really think Lydia still hates you much?"

"Yes, I do. My admission already has pushed her over the edge, I think. I will not rest easy until the fall term begins. Lydia has enough time to derail it."

"I will talk to Mr. Lenihan and talk to the college," Mrs. Harrison offered. "None of us want to see your education and future lost to nonsense."

Lydia did find a way out of her Wednesday piano lesson and almost immediately Livia spotted her with Cathy at the park playground. Livia, Farah and Daniel were sharing a swing set.

"I just have to leave," Livia announced.

"We want to stay here," Farah countered. "You are nowhere near Lydia. A bunch of other kids are here, also. Where's the danger?"

Livia paused and it was enough. She was at the playground when Lydia awkwardly fell off a monkey bar set and hit her head on the metal as she fell. Immediately, Lydia started crying loudly and dramatically while running home, with Cathy following her. Livia knew where this would go.

Lydia entered the house crying and telling her mother that Livia made her fall off the bars by loosening her grip on them. The bump on her head and a bruise on her arm gave Mrs. Woodcock ample evidence that something bad had happened.

She turned to Cathy. "What happened?"

"It's as Lydia said" was all Cathy said. Indeed, from that day forward, for some time, she would never describe the incident in detail, just saying, almost robotically, "It's what Lydia said."

Meantime, Livia, accompanied by Farah and Daniel, had reached Rev. Woodcock's office.

"I was on the swings with the Hibbert kids when Lydia fell off the monkey bars. I can guarantee you she is right now telling her mother that I made her fall."

"You were on the swing?" Rev. Woodcock asked. All three nodded.

"There were more kids there, too, including Cathy," Livia revealed. "I have no idea how she will get Cathy to back her story, but she will. Now the fight begins."

Rev. Woodcock used his office phone to call the rectory. Tom, who had just gotten home, took the call. "Where is your mother and the girls?" Rev. Woodcock asked.

"She left me a note. She has gone to our local police station. Something about filing changes. Do you understand this?"

"Unfortunately, I do," Rev. Woodcock answered. "Your mother, with Cathy's assent, must believe Livia hurt Lydia intentionally at the playground today."

"What happened to Lydia's piano lesson?" Tom asked.

"I do not as yet know if the teacher canceled or Lydia did."

"Livia was right – again," Tom responded, sighing. "I so hoped this one time she would be wrong. I should have been watching out for Livia every day."

"Right now, the Hibbert kids are here, and they all say Livia was on the swings with them when Lydia fell. Tell my son, kids." Each briefly got on the phone and told Tom what had happened, including Livia's desire to leave upon immediately seeing Lydia there.

Tom shook his head and muttered to himself. "Funny how Mom did not think of seeing a constable when Lydia was caught dead-to-rights regarding that thumbtack incident."

"I have to live with my wife and daughters. You are probably in a better position to defend Livia than I am." Rev. Woodcock asserted. "Come over here and let us all talk to my solicitor before the police come for Livia."

That move was the only thing Lydia had not anticipated: that her father had a solicitor ready to act on Livia's behalf. Still, she knew she could neutralize the Hibberts. By the time Livia was made to appear before a Youth Court, Lydia had threatened both kids, especially young Daniel. Hearing about the latter unhinged their parents, Siti and Patrick Hibbert. From then on, they refused to allow their children to affirm anything or testify to anything. "We would tell you what we saw, but our parents believe it is in our best interest to say nothing. We cannot help you."

Livia's real birthday came and went and only Tom remembered. Rev. Woodcock was too preoccupied with Livia's future and the rest of the Woodcock family simply did not care.

The hearing was somewhat informal, despite the presence of three judges and the setting of a courtroom, with all its trappings. Livia once again denied all charges and maintained that she was nowhere near Lydia when she fell.

"But you have no formal witnesses to come forward today."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hibbert are too scared to allow their children to be here. It would be nice if you asked them about that," Livia asserted. "Still, I have several character witnesses who can testify that I never struck or harmed Lydia, no matter what she did to provoke me physically or what she or his friends said to me. Even some of Lydia's friends know this, but the testimony of my brother, Rev. Woodcock, Mrs. Harrison and Mr. Lenihan should mean something."

Even Framlingham College sent a representative, a Mrs. Johnson, to the proceedings. The judges had to decide who had set whom up. Did Livia's prediction come from her experience or from her own premeditative desire to get back at Lydia?

The judges disagreed, with the majority at first on Livia's side, given her references, her academic goals and Tom's testimony questioning the existence of a motivation for Livia, while an easily discernable one for Lydia appeared rather straightforward.

They agreed on one point, however. Livia and Lydia needed to be separated, regardless of who really needed the protection. Mr. Lenihan, Mrs. Harrison, the Hibberts and even Mrs. Johnson, on behalf of the college, stepped forward to request temporary guardianship in order for Livia's education to proceed as planned. Mr. Lenihan even offered to hold a fundraiser for Livia to be boarded there. Tom even told the judges that, if he were older and living independently, he would also apply. "I know her better than anyone else. Lydia is lying – and I well know she can do that quite well – and for whatever reason Cathy will not contradict her. Cathy does not like going there anymore, so that is suspicious to me straight away. The fact that Cathy offers no details also suggests to me that she has her own reasons for backing Lydia's story, which have nothing to do with what happened."

Rev. Woodcock had trouble with the custody issue. He despised the fact that saving Livia's education meant he had to surrender her, even if partly. That act in a tangible way would violate his pledge to be her father. He believed it the right thing to do for Livia's future, but he did not know if he could do it. In the end, his angst did not matter to the court, since the court claimed it would not or could not grant temporary custody to any of the applicants. Instead, they asserted their own authority. That is, without any known adult relatives, Livia stood at the mercy of the state. The judges asserted that there were ample reasons to doubt both accounts of the events and, regardless of the truth in this incident, they had to separate Livia and Lydia. They ignored Framlingham College's desire to keep her, for it offered no guarantee that Livia would stay away from Lydia or vice versa. One panelist wanted to dismiss the whole thing as a waste of time over a Cain-Able family squabble, but Judge Martha McDonald, the least experienced panel jurist, was essentially ignored by the two men who essentially ran the court, one of whom took a dim view of any child of an impoverished or otherwise unknown, illegitimate background.

Thus Livia's desire to attend the college with Tom would disappear. The officials interviewed her and reviewed her school records and entrance exam results. Locally, she was out of their depth; they could not agree on where to assign her. They understood why Framlingham College wanted to keep her, and once again Judge McDonald urged them to find some accommodation to suit Livia's potential. She renewed her objections to dealing so harshly with a girl praised by so many who had never in their experiences shown any sort of violent behavior towards anyone, least of all Lydia, even when thoroughly provoked. Once again, the other two viewed their hands as tied and asserted that they would be viewed as rewarding Livia, if in fact she had been the aggressor. They again reminded Judge McDonald that no eyewitness formally contradicted Lydia Woodcock's testimony and that, at the very least, they had to separate Lydia and Livia. Of course, by 1982, the rehabilitation borstals were being eliminated. The Thatcher government had not entirely settled the question as to finding a suitable place for such children, especially one like Livia. Livia would have to leave the county to find even a remotely appropriate place. Only London offered anything resembling an education with a secure living environment.

So before Tom's year at Framlingham College began, he traveled with his father and Livia to her new school. Tom ensured she could keep her favorite stuffed animal, the bobcat she received from Cathy years ago. He also openly wept upon leaving her and barely said a civil word to his father the entire trip. Tom was openly heartbroken for many months after, though at least he became successful in channeling his regret and sorrow into his schoolwork. He had a small desk where he kept a framed photo of himself with Livia at the Mere. Every girl he ever dated thereafter thought Livia was "the other woman" but instantly felt for him and even Livia herself if Tom managed to tell Livia's story. He could not bear speaking of it except to anyone he knew and trusted for a long time. Indeed, only his best friends Adam and John really understood how upset he remained, and they did all they could to cheer him up or get him to focus on his work, as if his achievements somehow were hers, also. They suggested he try to think of what he could do for her. Allowing himself to wallow would accomplish nothing.

Lydia became the queen bee again of her household, if not the whole town. She acted like the world revolved around her, with her mother's approval. Rev. Woodcock and Cathy kept their heads down. Tom came home so infrequently – because he could not forgive any of them for their roles in sending Livia away. In fact, he openly snubbed Lydia if he even saw her in town, telling her once, "Count yourself lucky your fate does not rest with me, and Livia would never encourage me to harm you. I will never call you my sister again." Cathy took Lydia's obnoxious behavior as a rebuke for her own weakness whereas Rev. Woodcock took it as a rebuke for him letting his wife and Lydia (chiefly) destroy Livia's future. He prayed there would be a reason for his inability to protect Livia. He also prayed that she and Tom would forgive him. He recognized Tom's absence most of the year as a sign even his son would not accept his own apology. Rev. Woodcock had less certainty Livia would either forgive or accept any apology, either. Tom fought hard for Livia, but he too felt he owed her an apology. Owing to this, he heeded his friends' advice and dedicated himself to his schoolwork. Tom opted to dream of a legal career if for no reason than to be able to clear Livia's name. Somehow, someday, Cathy would have to explain herself and not just to him.

Sarah the cat, once realizing her favorite person had gone, made her statement clear. September had not come close to ending, and the cat had disappeared. Rev. Woodcock carefully inspected every inch of the rectory, the church and the grounds. No cat, no sign of Lydia killing and burying her, either. She was gone and never returned. Lydia assuaged her displeasure at Sarah's departure by playing roughly with Cathy's stuffed animals, mangling at least a few. I brought this on myself, Cathy thought. She considered confessing what she had done and why, in the hope Livia could come home. Maybe her father would be so happy at Livia's return that he might not punish her too badly. She remained too scared, though. It would take her a few years before she could tell Tom or her parents the truth, let alone allow it to become known well enough to exonerate Livia.

The Hibberts, too, would come to regret their failure to allow their children to save Livia. Farah, especially, once again experienced the barbs of catty local girls, including ringleader Lydia. This time there were no crows or friends as a buffer to spare her. She wondered how long she would pay for not protecting the one real friend she had made. Daniel experienced no great problems, resembling his father so much, including the ease of manner which earned him many loyal male friends. Farah had to face the brunt of Livia's departure and became more withdrawn and downtrodden as a result. Siti and Patrick Hibbert blamed themselves for Farah's quick decline. Eventually, they moved to Norwich the following September in the hope they could start again. They began to call their girl Sarah and even legally changed her name, hoping she would rebound and the name would make her fit in better. Before leaving, they allowed their children to give legally-binding statements on that fateful July day that had changed their lives as much as Livia's. Mr. Wilson thanked them, though he expressed doubt if this would change the situation at all. The court still wanted to keep Livia and Lydia apart, and Cathy had not altered her support for Lydia's account. Someday, Mr. Wilson told them, these affidavits will prove valuable. But so long as Cathy backed her sister, the court would not rescind its decision.


	3. Limbo in London

The Youth Court decided upon a secure facility for female juvenile delinquents of some skill or talent that recently opened in the Victorian structure once known as Colindale Hospital in the northern portion of greater London. Of course, Colindale's classification as a reformatory school was a misnomer, really – it sounded like they cared, but really it was a dressed-up warehouse for 400-600 wayward girls. Younger students like Livia typically received a dormitory-like room whilst older girls received single rooms on floors once dedicated to patients requiring special care or isolation. The building was a solid red brick structure with arched windows and thick glass and surrounded an entire block. The building was an enclosed square allowing for a garden-like courtyard space to take up much of the interior. Students could enjoy sunshine and some naturalistic surroundings while remaining within the Colindale Secure Training Center, an institution Livia rightly saw as part superficial, worthless boarding school but mostly prison. Orphans, young thieves and various other female offenders could find themselves there, with the supposed goal of teaching some sort of employable skills, perhaps hairstyling or some similar job, whilst cultivating proper feminine behavior. Clearly, the majority on the Suffolk Youth Court believed Livia needed to be taught her place. Yet that institution held nothing of great civic or social value. Tom saw it, too, when he first entered the building reception area with Livia and Rev. Woodcock. "Oh my God," he said. "Did Charles Dickens see this place?"

Rev. Woodcock said nothing. He did not feel happy about dispatching with this particular duty, but he could not send Livia alone or with a stranger. Tom could not have accompanied her alone, either. The court would not have trusted him, and they were probably right. Tom might have tried to take her to the American embassy first, since Livia held in her possession the original letter carefully preserved from the time her mother's friend had left her at St. Michael's doorstep. If she could claim American citizenship, maybe she could improve her prospects, but at what cost?

Rev. Woodcock could only hope that the time would come when Livia would rightfully leave this place. He wondered if he had been wrong to have quietly adopted Livia, after all. He asked himself (and later his solicitor) if he could get anyone who applied to take charge of Livia to be able to claim her sooner rather than later, especially since the court had diminished his custodial rights. Framlingham College, unfortunately, slowly grew more indifferent to her over time, having bestowed its funding on other worthy students. The admissions staff also had experienced some staff turnover and after even six months lacked a great personal investment in Livia necessary to continue pursuing her admission. Tom would be the only Woodcock child to attend their school. Neither Cathy nor Lydia possessed the skills or talent to attract their attention.

Before leaving Livia, Tom asked his father to speak to her alone. They found a small spot where they could talk quietly to each other. "I know how talented you are with birds and mammals," he began. "Would it be possible – and quicker – if we communicated in a means other than the post? Perhaps we could be more frank with each other if the college, this place or our family know nothing about the contents of at least some of our letters."

"Crows do not really deliver mail, I think," Livia replied. "I will ask them about this. I agree with you. Only use the post if you feel what you are sending is beyond anyone's reproach. I will let you know as soon as I discover if I can correspond with you more privately."

"Good, I hope we can at least try to do this," Tom said. "You cannot imagine how badly I feel. I must apologize for my failure to protect you from this. I fought hard, but only after the accusation. This never should have happened if I had been more diligent in watching over you."

"I know you feel badly," Livia replied. "It is not your fault. You did not cause this. It should not have been your task to protect me from your sisters. You do not need to apologize to me. I know you are still trying to get Cathy to tell you why she lied for Lydia."

"I will get answers, and I will clear your name," Tom stated. "I promise I will keep trying until the day the town or the court – if not both – apologize to you. In the meantime, I will try to find ways to make this place as tolerable as I can."

"I know you will, and I know I will need your help. This is not a happy place. I will have bullies even meaner and stronger than Lydia to face. I am sure they will attack me. Somehow, I will have to find someone here to look out for me, at least when I am indoors, anyway."

Rev. Woodcock made his farewell brief. He admitted to having failed her and, looking at this place, said he knew she deserved so much better. "I am deeply sorry. I dare not ask for your forgiveness. I know I do not deserve it."

"Ask me when I leave this place," Livia said. "If I get out of here in one piece."

Tom and his father left shortly afterward. Livia was left to a chief officer who interviewed her about how she came here.

"I know you will not believe me," Livia asserted. "So many entrants must tell you some sob story, and you are quite immune to them or any assertions of innocence. My sister, Lydia, accused me of injuring her intentionally on a playground when she had bullied me and tried to hurt me for years. She could not stand that I had earned entrance into the same school as her brother, and she succeeded in blocking it. Quite ironic that I and not the bully come here and likely because I was an abandoned child, if one adopted by the town's rector. Really, his own daughter should be here, not me. Yet my lack of birth parents has led me here."

"You are correct about my attitude towards newly admitted girls," the stout, dark-haired Mrs. Smithson admitted. "Lucky guess?"

"No," Lydia answered. "You will find any measure of my intelligence to be high, but logic has little to do with my observation. I am quite skilled in what is commonly termed reading people. I am what you might call an empath. If you do not believe me, test me, in any manner you choose."

"Oh, I will," Mrs. Smithson said.

"I can tell you your secretary is looking for another post, half the staff fear you and the other half laugh at you because they believe you cannot injure them professionally or personally. I can also tell you that you will assign me to classes I will find boring because all they will accomplish is criticizing my penmanship. You will also relegate me to a dormitory where three girls will try to attack me in the bathroom and while I sleep, because it is in their nature to 'initiate' any new girl, though they will try more than once, out of a particular dislike for me."

"You certainly are a bit bold in your predictions," Mrs. Smithson concluded.

"I could tell you a great deal more in time, if you were truly interested. About myself, I will tell you I have an empath's gift in communicating with animals. When I am outside, I will be safe, once the other girls see how some creatures behave if anyone bothers me. And, no, I cannot teach anyone how to converse with animals. It is a gift and one either has it or not."

Mrs. Smithson's jaw slightly dropped. Livia answered a question before she could ask it. "Have you any thought about what you want to accomplish here?"

"Just my survival. One day, I might want to train or work with animals, perhaps at a sanctuary or a zoo, but your institution cannot help me there. You also cannot truly further any academic ambitions I have, either, despite what the Youth Court asserted. I could probably pass some O-level tests right now, given how I assisted the young man who came with me succeed in a number of them. That is precisely why Lydia Woodcock wanted to put me here."

Mrs. Smithson called in her dormitory officer, Mrs. Hatfield, a tall, still young-looking woman with deep auburn hair and a pale complexion. "It is time for you to take Livia to her new quarters after we ensure she has not brought in anything illicit," she announced before turning to Livia. "We wake our students promptly at 7 am, and you will follow the other students there to breakfast and your classes beginning at 9 am. Lunch is at noon. We stop no later than 16:00 and begin dinner at 17:00."

Examining the contents of her suitcase, both seemed unusually interested in Livia's sole stuffed animal, a bobcat. They looked for secret pockets and squeezed it in various places and contemplated cutting it open. Only then did Livia show concern.

"Please do not destroy it," she begged. "I was accused of hurting my sister, not of being a drug dealer. There is nothing in that animal, but the happy memory of receiving it. You should both feel pretty foolish if you destroy it and find nothing wrong with it."

Mrs. Hatfield decided not to cut the toy open. "Okay, for now, but if there is any suspicion, we will not hesitate to do so. If there is something hidden there, you better show us now or else we may confiscate the animal later."

"I have nothing to reveal about it. I only want to keep it secure in whatever locker or chest I can have. I know only too well if you do not destroy it, someone else will try, just out of spite. I have only one other keepsake to protect." Livia showed them both the letter describing the circumstances surrounding her birth and arrival in Framlingham.

"That is why you are here, undoubtedly," Mrs. Hatfield stated, showing some warmth for the first time. "Your adopted or foster sister accused you, and your background gave authorities ample excuse to find fault with you. You have an unknown heritage, except for the letter here spelling out your illegitimacy. In some eyes, that still would be sufficient to think poorly of you. Victorian ideas about women and the polarity of them being either Madonnas or Magdalenes are not exactly dead. The same goes for illegitimate versus legitimate children."

"Yes, very likely so," Livia agreed. "Yet my brother Tom has never wavered in his belief in my innocence. He will still try to prove it. But he was not present when the alleged incident took place. And anyone who could have spoken as a witness was threatened and said nothing on my behalf. The parents think this saved their kids, but they will learn that it has not."

"That's quite a tale," Mrs. Smithson cynically observed.

"Ask him if he does not think me innocent. Ask the various people who applied for temporary custody of me – a former teacher, my former headmaster and the parents of two friends of mine, ones they blocked from testifying. Even the college that admitted me expressed a willingness to accept custody and take full charge of me. Ask the solicitor who tried to defend me. Make all of these inquiries. None will dispute what I am saying. Even Rev. Woodcock would have trouble disputing this, though his wife and daughters's insistence regarding me created a conflict he could not or would not resolve. Two Youth Court jurists just sealed my fate."

"You have made me curious," Mrs. Hatfield asserted. "What is the solicitor's name?"

"Mr. Alan Wilson," Livia replied. "He is a member of the St. Michael's congregation. My brother spent a lot of time with him trying to stop that court from sending me away. Both Tom and I wanted to attend Framlingham College together while he finishes his education there. Right now, he is on very bad terms with the rest of his family and lucky to be boarded at the college because I think he would rather avoid them. The headmaster's name of my former school is Mr. Lenihan, the teacher Mrs. Harrison – both work for Sir Robert Hitchens School in Framlingham. And the family who wanted me are the Hibberts, who felt it was the least they could do given how they felt about their children being threatened if they testified for me."

"Time for Miss Woodcock to be taken to her room and meet everyone there," Mrs. Smithson said.

Fortunately for Livia, she was able to secure items in a medium-sized trunk at the foot of her bed before Mrs. Hatfield left to put her suitcase into storage. The lock on it had a key that only Livia and one senior staff member held. Livia wore it around her neck and never took it off. After Mrs. Hatfield introduced her to the other fifteen girls in the room, the reason for such prudence almost immediately became apparent.

Three girls held sway over everyone, perhaps because each had had their own interactions with police well before they wound up at Colindale. The leader, Megan, was an uncommonly sizeable and strong-looking girl for being no more than 12, with brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. She was a head taller than her two closest allies, Rachel and Patsy. Rachel might have been bullied for being a freckled redhead, but her unbreakable support of Megan put her beyond any open ridicule. Patsy's real name was Patricia, Livia was later told, but she would pick out targets or distract them whilst another stole someone's wallet, which solidified her nickname. Patsy was a plain girl with dishwater blonde hair, and her insecurities likely drove her to slavishly supporting Megan. Livia realized they had been sent to Colindale together, probably at least months ago, since they seemed at ease with each other. The other dormitory girls had heard something of this as well, confirming Livia's observation. She immediately took note of the fear the rest had for the trio, even among the oldest girls in the room who really weren't much older, however.

Livia learned from another dorm resident, Mary, a sullen pale girl in hair, eyes and skin, that the three self-appointed leaders of the room did something to "initiate" a new girl there, since they had lived there for longer than even she had, and she had come the beginning of the calendar year. It seems they want to torment you until you cry and then they ridicule you for crying for some days afterward. The "initiation" occurred a few days later when Livia was in a common lavatory, brushing her teeth, even though no one insisted that she do so. That became the opening line of Megan's taunting of her.

The three ended up cornering her and pushing her around and occasionally either knocking her down or into a sink, garbage can or window. Livia, without much thought, reacted as before – she stood her ground and never showed emotion. She thought through how to defend herself best and avoid serious injury. In other words, she found she could blunt the damage without causing any suspicion. Someone – or just perhaps the noise of the commotion – brought the night monitor, a lowly prison officer named Miss Hatch, into the bathroom. The altercation was over. Livia hoped (in vain, she knew) that that would also end her initiation, but the trio, incensed at being caught by someone in authority, had another idea – making Livia's prediction entirely correct. Early in October, after they emerged from their detention, they set upon Livia as she slept. She could not repel the three physically and, given the potential for additional witnesses, she dared not try to protect herself by even calling for an owl. She did not recall other nocturnal types of birds. If anything unusual happened, Livia could expose herself to too much scrutiny and perhaps even a worse situation, if possible. She immediately wondered what could be worse and did not contemplate it. She focused on defending herself and making sure the attack was noisy enough for someone to notice and stop it.

Livia made use of both a high tolerance for pain and a way to soften the blows made against her. But though Livia protected most her body, she decided to leave her face more open to injury, because it would provide obvious evidence of the abuse. She wanted to show that these girls had attacked her physically without any provocation. Maybe they could be moved or she could be. The school's nurse, roused by Miss Hatch, the night monitor, was a kind, rather young-looking blonde woman. Miss Scott, who perhaps still had teenage sisters, could not avoid examining Livia without expressing horror at Livia's split and swollen lip, emerging bruising under her eyes, slices from a sharp object, especially defensive, if somewhat superficial, wounds on her hands and lower arms, recording each injury dutifully. Miss Scott did not miss a scratch, even if partly hidden by Livia's flowing dark, thick hair.

The nurse wanted to keep Livia under observation for at least till the next day. Keeping a close watch on her only patient right then, Miss Scott sensed there was something different about this girl – and being attacked twice in one month by the same trio meant a dormitory setting held only the potential for more problems. They found a reason to single her out. Her only safe lodging would come if she were put in a single room, a privilege typically reserved for older girls on their own floor or for girls with a contagious illness. Miss Scott's report documenting Livia's injuries included the recommendation of moving her into her own room. It matched Miss Hatch's account, also. Mrs. Smithson decided, as the chief officer, not to hesitate, in case a more serious injury took place and higher ups decided to sack someone for doing nothing given prior documented incidents. The somewhat new government put institutions like Colindale on edge that, if they drew much scrutiny, they might be shut down or draw frequent, unannounced visits or undergo a large staff turnover.

So Livia's trunk was moved along with her spare uniform to a newly vacant room – that which had belonged to a girl recently released. Livia received a room key, a code to enter the floor and a key to the elevator for her floor, the same floor where executive offices existed on a different wing of the red bricked quadrangle and where staff meetings also took place. They had their own access key and controls to enter that wing of the building, a place students seldom ever saw. For the first time in about four weeks, Livia felt happy about something. This move would enable her to survive this place. The next day a more amazing thing happened – the cat, Sarah, had found a way inside Colindale. Livia immediately took her to Mrs. Hatfield and begged her to help her with the pet that ran away from Framlingham and found her way there. "If you cannot let me keep her, will you at least help me find her a new home?"

Mrs. Hatfield eyed her quizzically. "Why not just call Rev. Woodcock to take her back?"

"She would just run away again. Sairy fears Lydia Woodcock will still torture her. The only difference between myself and this cat is size," Livia revealed. "Lydia could not hurt me by herself, but she can kill Sairy and hide her tracks about it by throwing the remains in the Mere."

"Well, tell you what," Mrs. Hatfield began, "if Sarah is a good mouser, we could use her right here. I am not sure you could formally keep her, but at least you would know some of the staff feed her and look after her."

Livia paused for a moment; it was just long enough to ascertain that Sarah would function as an excellent mouser because she liked stalking mice. "I think you will like Sairy's ability to control the rodent basement population," Livia asserted.

"How did you know they mostly dwelled in the basement?" Mrs. Hatfield asked.

"On the telly, mice get found in basements, right?" Livia rhetorically asked, which in itself marked Livia as uncommonly smart, even if the content suggested a typical childhood experience.

Mrs. Hatfield thought to herself, this child is bright and possibly trying to hide it. Maybe she belongs with an older group of girls anyway, even if not as old as the 15-17 year old girls who usually received housing where Livia got installed.

Sarah proved her worth in chicken and tuna from the first day she was let into the basement. The lead dinner lady of the group that served the staff and kids alike took a great fancy to the cat and gave her various scraps and water to keep her strong. Of course, Sarah could have just existed on the mice she caught, but Mrs. Banks had heard somewhere that a well-fed cat makes the best mouser, so she showed her pleasure at having a rodent-free kitchen and dining area by leaving scraps where Sarah could eat them. Sarah also showed she could find a way to Livia's room, despite its limited access. Likely other girls let her get onto the floor, but no one ever mentioned doing it. Sarah's arrival, coupled with her insistence in spending her down time with Livia, led the floor officer, a new employee named Miss Cane, to supply a dish for giving Sarah water, a makeshift bed, a litter box and various accessories necessary for an indoor cat. An overly thin woman with a quasi-punkish hairstyle, Miss Cane, generally an amiable woman, told Livia that she and Mrs. Banks had bought the items so Sarah did not create any food hazard by making the entire institution her litter box, forcing the kitchen staff or those involved with the third floor girls's wing to have to deal with cleaning anything up. Every day when Livia returned after supper, Sarah either waited by the door or started scratching and meowing at Livia's door soon after she had returned from dinner. Livia was grateful to see her, and it became a daily routine. She would tell her brother but considered doing so in person.

Finally, realizing who Mrs. Banks was, a sophisticated-looking, tall, medium brown-haired woman angling for an Assistant Chief promotion, she thanked her for giving Sarah food and water as well as the ability to maintain the cat in her room. She told Mrs. Banks she had a question.

"Since Sairy can kill more mice than she can eat herself, where should she put the extras?"

What an odd question, Mrs. Banks thought. "If I told you where, how will that make a difference in what the cat does?"

Livia paused then answered: "I can train this cat to leave the mice wherever you say, so long as I can go there, too. Maybe there is a spot you can designate in the courtyard? From things I have read, Barn Owls can live in residential areas where they can still feed mostly on mice. Wherever you choose should offer them a chance to take the killed rodents off your hands. Seems that would suit everyone, right?"

"Barn Owls?" Mrs. Banks asked.

"I think I read in a book my father had that one Barn Owl can kill and eat a thousand mice a year," Livia stated. "They burn calories fast and they need the mice for their owlets, too. Please pick a spot so I can get Sairy to use it."

Just after mid-October Mrs. Banks picked a spot on a diagonal corner opposite from the kitchen and a spot where birds could land and take them. Livia showed Sarah the spot and via a few crows got to meet a local Barn Owl pair. The owls communicated two things to Livia: that they felt happy to have such a great food supply made available to them and that they, as well as a few other owl species, would willingly and ably deliver letters between herself and Tom Woodcock at Framlingham College. Indeed, Sarah distinguished herself sometimes with as many as a dozen extra rodent kills a day, often exceeding what one pair of Barn Owls needed. So they shared at times with other types of owls, all of whom Livia could see from her window.

Livia soon after wrote her first letter to Tom, telling him she had endured a few scrapes with some nasty girls but got for her trouble her own little room. She said her studies were dull and required little effort; Colindale could not and would not challenge her mind. The boredom might kill her. She asked Tom to send via regular mail any books he liked or anything else he thought would help her. No sooner than she finished sealing the note and addressing it to Tom did a Barn Owl begin pecking at her window. Livia opened the window, smiled and bowed at the owl, a creature wonderfully bespectacled on its midsection and with a strikingly shadowed face. These colors clearly identified the owl as female (a point she acknowledged), and Livia decided to call her Sydney. Sydney silently indicated an interest and fondness for the name.

Apparently, a well-fed Barn Owl can fly pretty far, too, since Sydney returned a few hours later bringing a note through the partially opened window Livia decided to never lock and Sydney left it on Livia's small desk. Sydney woke Livia up somehow by the flapping of her wings or some clicking sounds, and Livia began reading the letter as Sydney flew off into the night. Sarah remained asleep the whole time. Tom's note read:

 _My dear sister Livia,_

 _Hope you are doing well now that you have found a secure room for yourself as well as a way to send me private notes. I am still at a loss to understand Cathy's behavior, but I have been avoiding the rest of them till maybe Christmas. Perhaps she will finally confide something then, or I can urge her to explain herself to you. As far as I can tell, Lydia has become a lost cause, and I want as little as possible to do with her. School has begun well for me. I like my subjects and Adam and John are still around me. We may be able to secure a room together in the near future, but I may leave this place early, if I can apply myself well. I am looking into it._

 _I keep a picture of you and me at the Mere on my desk so I think of you often. It motivates me to work hard, in case I learn something that helps me to get you out of there via Mr. Wilson. I will mail a couple history and fiction books you surely will like. Recently, we read an E.M. Forster novel I know you will like. I will ask around to collect books that I can send quickly. Some students have older siblings, so I might be able to help you with some donations from kids I know – or that Adam or John know. I have something else in mind to send you for Christmas, so I might just box everything together. I will not wrap anything because I am sure whoever goes through the post will examine it all before you see it. I will also try to get another copy of the picture I have and send you a framed copy of that as well._

 _Whilst it seems I am unable to free you presently, perhaps I can at least visit you over break, probably shortly after Christmas. My friends want to explore London now that we can do so by ourselves. I know you do not get to leave so I will come, alone or not._

 _Your loving brother,_  
 _Tom_

Livia loved getting the note as much as she loved hearing of the things Tom would send. She felt no need to send an immediate response. Likely, Livia did well not to alarm Tom again so soon, since the trio Megan, Rachel and Patsy still had not given up on trying to torment Livia. They made the mistake of trying to isolate Livia whilst she was offering birdseed to a few crows outside and reading one of the first of many books Tom got to her by Royal Mail to tide her over.

Megan started by addressing Livia in a snarling, threatening tone. "Just where did you get this stuff to feed these birds? Don't you have anything more useful to do? These birds are an ugly menace that the staff would not want around."

Livia looked up and saw the three formed a kind of triangle that cornered her on this bench. The crows had avoided being stepped on in the process but soon called out for more of them from some trees near the courtyard. Soon a murder of crows was swooping on each of them. Patsy seemed the first to become terrorized by their close passes and ran off, despite Megan calling after her. Rachel, too, began to back away when waving her hands at the crows did nothing to stop them diving down toward her. Megan was left alone and she seemed less than impressed or scared until one of the birds who had bothered one of the other girls few into the tree above them and directed a poop shoot squarely at Megan's face. Megan was done, running off to the laughter of all the other girls around the courtyard who uproariously mocked her appearance. As she cleaned herself off, she swore that Livia would pay for this, as if Livia herself had humiliated her. It could not happen outside, Megan realized. Crows started harassing the trio every time they exited the structure, whether Livia was present or not. The crows recognized the girls and dished out what Livia dared not do. Megan would never consider blaming anyone other than Livia, even though no one Megan spoke to could come up with a logical explanation for why Livia deserved blaming. Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Smithson found these incidents a bit unsettling, even though they told each other that the girls harassed by the crows thoroughly deserved what they got.

About two weeks before Christmas, Megan came up with her plan. The three previously discovered that Miss Hatch kept a small amount of liquor at the facility for herself. First, they compelled Miss Hatch to share it and procure more for the girls, for either drinking or selling. Then Megan went in for her chief objective: access to Livia's floor. Miss Hatch would know how to get them in and perhaps able to get Livia to open her door, should it be closed. Miss Hatch felt the pinch. Should she warn Miss Cane? Could she do anything that would not get her sacked? She thought maybe if she put paper in the door that closed off the third floor, maybe whatever happened would not come back to her. So she informed Megan she would get the trio on the floor but nothing else. After all, if Miss Hatch got exposed and sacked, they would not get any more liquor. So Megan opted to have Patsy learn to mimic Miss Cane, who she had overheard in the dining hall. A few days of practice led to Patsy sounding convincing enough, especially through a closed door.

On the night of December 20, the trio had everything set. They even had a plan to wrap the cat in a towel and toss her out of the room, should the cat be there. Livia would be left defenseless. The trio only missed the facts that Livia kept her window unlocked and ajar and that nocturnal birds came to that window. The incident began as they desired, with Patsy's voice mistaken for Miss Cane's. The trio quickly entered the room, grabbed the sleeping cat and ejected her from the room, then closed the door.

"Your luck has run out this time, Livia," Megan said with as much bile as she could muster. "You have no escape and no one will help you." With that the three shoved Livia to the floor and attempted to kick her hard as she squirmed around the floor. Livia kept her calm, softened the blows and called out to her owl friends silently.

The trio were wrong on two counts. First, Sarah ran to where Miss Cane had her office space on the floor and meowed to get her attention. After Miss Cane thought about the oddness of the situation, she figured the best thing would be to return Sarah to Livia's room. In the meantime, a few owls, including a huge Eagle Owl, a species rarely seen in Britain, came to the ledge of Livia's window. The first to arrive, the Barn Owl Sydney, pulled open the window with her beak. The talons of that large Eagle Owl meant business, and it flew right to Megan's head and attempted to dig its talons into her face and head. One ear was damaged greatly and Megan cried out in horrible pain. By the time Miss Cane reached the end of the hall where Livia's room stood, the door opened and Patsy and Rachel ran out, terrified. Livia remained on the floor and the Eagle Owl released Megan and left the room with the two Barn Owls, Sydney and her mate, who Livia named Mel. Megan's head bled significantly and she was crying. Miss Cane, able to stop the other two from leaving the floor, held onto each as she gazed at Megan's bleeding face, scalp and ear.

"You do not even belong on this floor. What is the meaning of this?" Miss Cane realized the second question had an obvious answer, since Livia's night clothes had several footprints on them where she had been kicked or stomped.

Miss Cane marched Megan to the school nurse, still holding the other two girls, who had minor injuries. Miss Scott determined that Megan needed a number of stiches, and she had no way to provide them except without any serious painkiller. Megan had to endure over 20 stiches in various places without anything more helpful than aspirin. The other two were brought to a detention room and spent the night there while Miss Cane investigated the incident and alerted superiors to what had happened. Some suspected Miss Hatch whilst others felt one of the other girls on that floor enabled the trio's entry, intentionally or not. The three would-be hooligans spent the rest of their time at Colindale in a small room by themselves. They no longer could access the grounds or the dining hall. Food came to them as well as whatever tutor tried to teach them anything that might turn them away from permanently being the nasty creatures they were. Livia never spoke to any of the three nor saw them again.

After bringing Megan to the detention room, Miss Scott went to check on Livia. She saw a few bruises about where the footprints appeared on her night clothes but no broken bones or serious injuries. "You are very lucky," Miss Scott said to her. "How did Megan get so injured? I don't see any blood on your clothes."

"As I told the facility chief officer, Mrs. Smithson, I am an empath. I can speak to animals without talking. They also can learn or know when I am upset or in danger. That's how a pair of Barn Owls opened my window and came in."

"A Barn Owl did that kind of damage?" Miss Scott asked, puzzled.

"No. I am not sure how this happened, but what attacked Megan was an Eagle Owl, I think, a rare type to be seen here versus the rest of Europe and Asia. They are ferocious birds of prey with sizable talons. I cannot be sure if that owl responded to me or followed the Barn Owls. Barn Owls are quite capable, but their talons are not nearly large enough to cause the damage you saw."

Mrs. Smithson demanded to see Livia the next day and wondered, given recent incidents, if Livia had harmed her sister via an owl or another creature. "No," Livia said. "They showed up to defend me. I have the bruises to show that I was being attacked in my own room."

Mrs. Smithson still thought this strange power held potential danger for others, which cemented the idea of keeping Livia in her own room and perhaps instigating even greater limits.

"Why should you punish me?" Livia questioned. "I was attacked. The door to the third floor was somehow left open, and those girls tricked me into opening my door. One of them sounded like Miss Cane. Who have I attacked for spurious reasons or for sport? The incident that sent me here says nothing about any creature attacking Lydia Woodcock. Check the records."

Mrs. Hatfield already had looked into the story and found there was merit to Livia's protest. The Youth Court sought to separate Livia and Lydia but could not award custody to anyone outside her family, since Rev. Woodcock had adopted her. Mrs. Hatfield informed Mrs. Smithson that existing testimony and records did not contradict Livia. She had never attacked or bullied anyone via any sort of animal. In fact, the dissenting judge did not even find Lydia's story credible, given how her older sister offered a simple, if oddly non-specific, sort of support for her testimony.

"Mrs. Smithson," Livia began, "my brother – and I consider him my brother – wants to visit me over his winter break. He also wants to send me stuff for Christmas. I hope you are not going to block him now."

Mrs. Smithson thought the matter over. "You know we will thoroughly examine whatever he sends, right?"

"Yes," Livia replied. "That is why he will not wrap anything. Once you determine there is nothing you deem out-of-bounds, I hope you let me have the package and allow him to see me."

Mrs. Smithson and Mrs. Hatfield looked at each other and whispered some. "If we find nothing objectionable, we will allow him to see you – but only in the courtyard."

Livia once again sent him a message by owl, informing him of another scrape and the conditional approval given for him to visit based on their acceptance of what he sent. When she finally did receive her Christmas package from Mrs. Hatfield, Livia learned that Tom had called to ensure that nothing he wanted to send would run afoul of their rules. When she opened the box, she saw the item that drew his concern. Tom had sent her a radio that they opened and tested to ensure that was all it was. The radio was a small kind of boom box, since it also had its own mini-speakers and cassette player. He never mentioned why he sent an Italian dictionary, however. Later Livia found that it fell into the box. He decided somehow she was meant to have it, so he later added Dante's _Divine Comedy_ , translated and in Italian.

Since most of the girls had far more troubled pasts and typically no family, they did not see a radio, so far as anyone could remember. The rules did not specify banning such a device; they decided to allow her to have it. The other items met no objection, though they did raise some eyebrows, given the books included did not typically attract readers only 11 years old. Tom later told Mrs. Hatfield that he knew her best and that she would like the books he sent.

Before he came, Mrs. Hatfield had a chance to ask Livia about the books she received.

"Do you remember that Framlingham College wanted me because I tested and interviewed well with them?" Livia asked.

"True, but I doubt they assign _Howards End_ , _Wuthering Heights_ , _Pride and Prejudice_ or _Tom Jones_ to children that are 11 years old," Mrs. Hatfield remarked. "Maybe _A Christmas Carol_."

"Do you doubt I can read them or what?" Livia asked.

"They are rather mature for a young girl to read."

"No one challenges me here. Tom has stepped in to give my brain something to do. He told me some time ago that his own class had read a different work by E.M. Forster."

"That would challenge them, even," Mrs. Hatfield stated. "You will enjoy the radio more."

"I will enjoy all of it," Livia asserted. "Have you ever read any of these? It would be great to have someone here to talk to about something."

"I did read _Howards End_ once, some years ago. I do not know how much I will recall, but that should give you the opportunity to refresh my memory and perhaps I can help you when you have questions about it."

"Smashing," Livia said.

True to his word, Tom showed up on Wednesday, December 28. He told her that Adam and John would have joined him but that Mrs. Smithson would not allow them entry. They therefore set a time and place to meet up later that day. Livia hugged her brother and expressed some sadness that his friends could not join him. They seemed more and more to resemble each other by then. She also apologized for being unable to make him anything she would consider a nice gift at that point. He dismissed her concern.

"I should also tell you Sairy showed up here sometime after you left," Livia revealed. "The staff usually watches her during the day and I see her at night. The kitchen supervisor, Mrs. Banks, really likes her because she tightly controls the rodent population in this old building."

"I am glad to hear that she got away from Lydia. But how did she find you?" Tom asked.

"I do not know. Animals have keen senses. Maybe she learned something from you."

"I will let Dad know, at some point, so long as he tells no one else," Tom said.

"How do you get on with them all now?" Livia asked.

"I can barely speak to anyone except Dad – and not even that well with him."

The visit seemed all too brief, given the monotony of Livia's life at Colindale. She requested an Italian textbook to go along with the dictionary. He agreed and sent one, along with other books. The boys left London a few days later. Tom spent most of his break before and after Christmas at Adam's house, rather than his own. He had told Livia that he would not return to the college until the middle of January. He would, of course, let Livia know if Mr. Wilson could change her situation as soon as he knew. "Cathy still will not be open with me, despite me telling her that I will never reconcile with her until she comes clean. Since Cathy has been hanging out with some big partiers and delinquents, I suspect Lydia has something on her."

Other than the few hours she spent with Tom, the time went by very slowly and Colindale seemed particularly quiet and gray. At least Livia read a lot. She liked all of the fiction Tom had collected, though her favorite was _Wuthering Heights_. She wondered how the book might have read if told only from the perspective of the tormented, orphaned Heathcliff, rather than a possibly unreliable servant. She related to his background and how others contributed to, if not determined, what became of him. Livia struggled to understand the lead female character's choices or what made her attached to the man she married. The servant perhaps assumed that the reader knew. Livia didn't.

Meantime, some of the Colindale girls were released, some older ones were given holiday work passes whilst the staff seemed cut back, if not skeletal, for the holiday season. The instructors and various staff all had vacation time or looked at the end of the year as an opportunity to take another position. Livia started another of her books, _Pride and Prejudice_ , but also turned on her radio. She played classical music when she lacked a taste for a BBC station playing holiday tunes. Ultimately, only one piece drew her in: a song called "New Year's Day" by the Irish band U2, which the presenter said the band officially released as a single on 1 January, 1983.

An empath like Livia could only be stoic for so long. Alone in her tiny room, the lyrics hit home hard – even though they did not describe her situation. "I want to be with you, be with you, night and day/Nothing changes on New Year's Day." Livia crumbled. Tom had just been there only a few days ago but missing him tore her up like nothing else. She soon learned she could not turn up the volume or sing without drawing attention. This problem led to Livia finding out that she possessed another amazing talent. She could soundproof her room by just waving her hand above, below and around the room. Once she realized she could do that, she wailed and wailed at any song that struck her, and nobody ever knew. Only the owls seemed ever to hear and they tended to like her musical taste, if not her voice. She read in the courtyard and every evening sung her heart out. Mimicry, though not as astonishing an accomplishment, also came out. Her favorite singers to imitate were male tenor voices like the lead of U2. She was more of a contralto herself so she could replicate a tenor voice well. No lilt or accent or phrasing proved impossible.

Livia's fancy really took flight when a retrospective of another singer's work took place later that year included a song that dated from 1971, released as a single the following year. It preceded his London concert. Livia wondered if her birth mother had heard it and when. It was one of the rare times she ever thought of her mother, of whom she knew very little and usually showed little interest in finding, a kind of reflexive distaste. After all, she had abandoned Livia almost immediately after giving birth. Was she anything like this "Tiny Dancer"? Regardless, that song seemed to focus on a yearning not fully decipherable to Livia at that age. Yet emotion in these voices resonated with her like nothing else, though no one there knew. Some even presumed she listened to the news, only, even though Tom would on occasion send her cassettes. They could not conceive that Livia had emotions because she hid them so well. So they would never recognize that she had found an outlet for her longing to leave her confinement at Colindale. Once more serene, she switched to classical music sometimes.

She later did enjoy exchanging some notes with Tom or conversations with Mrs. Hatfield about the book _Howards End_. The broken, tragic aspects of both Leonard and Jacky Bast's lives suggested to Livia why the Youth Court found it easier to send her away than view Lydia Woodcock as a bully and liar. Tom saw the same point – in fact he made reference to double standards for women and people of little economic standing owing to birth circumstances – as a central part of his own assignment regarding the book. Mrs. Hatfield did not remember those characters well. She more enjoyed discussing the cross stitch works in her office and gave Livia insight into learning about those, even permitting her school time to learn how to make them. Livia concentrated on making something she could give to Tom that she'd give during his next visit.

Forster's prefatory line "Only connect" spoke more to Tom and Livia because they tried to do that, even if only via an obliging owl. To pick herself up, as the summer came with no change in her status, she went back to part of the "New Year's Day" lyrics. "I will begin again, I will begin again." Livia just did not see how she would get there, though. Still, she realized that if she did not look up to find a new beginning, she would lack any chance at ever having one.

Tom visited her again for her twelfth birthday. He told her that he had taken his A-levels already, thanks to his industriousness and avoidance of leaving the college. He had done exceedingly well, so he was beginning the study of law at the Durham University that fall.

"You only took your O-levels not even 18 months ago – you were going on 17 then. How did you manage this?"

"I worked very hard. I wanted to start university quickly because Mr. Wilson gave me the idea that, if I could independently establish myself as an adult, I could try to claim custodianship of you, even if only still a student. You would be separated from Lydia by having me take charge of you. That would be compelling, I think, especially if I can get the truth from Cathy."

His sister Cathy, he added, would be leaving school at 16. She would train as a veterinary technician. "If she leaves home, I think whatever caused her to assist Lydia would no longer exist."

"I will believe it when I see it," Livia asserted.

"I have a new tape for you – some American bloke I knew at school got me to listen to this group called Journey. They did a song called 'Don't Stop Believing.' You might like it and keep thinking forward to something better. You have to believe I can get you out of here, even though at present I cannot. Probably next year, after I establish a residence outside a residential college."

"In other words, I will not be going anywhere until 1985," Livia surmised.

"I know. I cannot do better presently."

Between the books and music Tom sent, the fall had a few good moments. Sarah performed ably, though her prime mousing days had started to go. Still, she left a decent number of mice for owls to take. Sarah informed Livia the school should adopt a young cat to take her place eventually. Mrs. Hatfield arranged for the adoption, taking Livia with her to choose a cat, a young one that could learn from Sarah and take over when Sarah got too old. A young male cat, who Livia named Sam, took up residence there; within days, he tripled the mouse kill rate, placing their bodies in the same place Sarah would. The two did everything together, even resting in Livia's room.

Tom visited again in late December, again, and announced that he had made a breakthrough. Cathy told him why she gave Lydia support to her version of the playground incident, minimal if apparently sufficient for two panel judges. Lydia knew about Cathy breaking curfew for various parties, including one where she snuck out to smoke and drink with some friends and see the boy she was dating against their father's wishes. The rector's daughter, drinking, smoking and carousing with that boy would result in a world of trouble for Cathy.

"Did she tell you what she did with him?" Livia asked.

"No, but I think it had to be a big deal for Cathy to allow Lydia to have such power over her. I have my suspicions."

In January, Cathy finally wrote to Livia, giving some indication of her duress during the hearing and after the court removed Livia. She begged for Livia's forgiveness via Tom and an owl. She confessed that Lydia had the means to blackmail her, but she still hoped that her lack of detail would make the court question her sincerity. She also thought someone else on the playground would have openly contradicted Lydia, thus relieving her of the burden of her complicity and subsequent guilt. Tom made sure the original found its way to Mr. Wilson, also. He agreed that it would help get Livia released, but she had to have somewhere to go, which Tom planned on securing in Durham by the end of his first year there. He often visited the cathedral, especially the chapel set aside for the Venerable Bede and asked him for strength and wisdom.

Livia wrote back a short note for Cathy. It read:

 _Dear Cathy,_

 _Thank you for your letter. Glad to hear of your position and hope you do well helping animals. I cannot really forgive you so long as I remain in this place, though Tom tries to make it bearable. When I leave here, you may ask me again._

 _Your once and perhaps future sister,_  
 _Livia_

Livia thought it honest and appropriate. Tom could not blame her. Livia lost her freedom and the opportunity to pursue whatever dreams for herself she had, as well as the chance to reach her full potential. Perhaps two years would not in the long run make for a significant loss, but at present the blow must have pained her. Tom did not dare ask how much so. He feared how much such an admission would hurt him. He only experienced a vicarious sliver of it and that only from being allowed to review the medical records of injuries she had received, as documented by Miss Scott. He had gotten to see them through the solicitor, Alan Wilson. It was a brutal read. He only got through to Cathy by forcing her to read them, also.

Still, a bleak winter in a drafty Victorian building put Livia in a bad frame of mind. She did not even want consolation from the radio. It was just a pacifier, often causing her to vent her own distress and despair, rather than a means of achieving any sort of progress or having any real hope. The right voice and lyric could cut her to the core, though through it, she had perfected a means to let no one else know anything about it. Her mask outside that room remained unblemished, serene, intellectually aware and mostly silent. That night, however, Livia just stared at the ceiling in the darkness, wishing she would fall asleep and not wake up until someone came to take her away from Colindale.

Just then, the owl Livia called Sydney appeared at her window and tapped at it. Livia lit a small lamp and let her in. Sydney went for Livia's desk and, removing a pen from its holder, laid it flat on the desk along with some blank paper she pulled from a drawer she had opened. Livia understood the gestures and could feel Sydney telling to write about everything she could do and how she came to Colindale and her desire to leave to resume her education if and when her brother could win her release. Livia poured herself into this letter, as Sydney wanted. The letter said:

 _To whom may receive this letter,_

 _My name as far as I know is Livia Woodcock and I was born 28 August 1972. The name Woodcock comes from the church rector of Framlingham, Suffolk, who kept me for about 11 years before a false accusation by one of his daughters removed me from his home. I never knew my parents because a girl (not my birth mother) left me as a baby at the door of St. Michael's Church. I reside in a type of prison school for juvenile delinquents in Colindale, an area of Greater London. A Barn Owl I call Sydney has asked me to write this. She likely knows how forlorn I have been for some of my time here, which dates to September of 1983. I am not aware of why she wants it. She refuses to tell me, lest I gain any false hope, she says._

 _I can talk to all sorts of animals, usually birds and mammals. When I first came here, my pet cat followed me here all the way from Framlingham. She was allowed to stay if she could be a mouser for the facility, and I essentially told my cat where to leave the mice she kills here. I told the staff I trained her to do this. I have keen insights into the thoughts and feelings of other people as if their greatest secrets are open books to me. When I was first housed in a group bedroom, I found how I could create a false bottom to a trunk and the items I wanted most safe became concealed from anyone's view, should they ever look into it. I knew several of the girls taunting me would be only too glad to seize and destroy these things. I have skills at predicting events, also. I have made myself very careful not to show anyone my own thoughts or emotions, which led to my discovery that I can seal my room from emitting any sound by waving my hand to cover all walls, the floor and the ceiling. I once materialized an item from home into a folder when I forgot it, too. I suppose I am capable of harming others, but beyond a few trips of people who have crossed me (that I can do without saying or doing anything), I have not done so, in case my various talents are discovered. I dread that I would receive a worse punishment than this place, where at least I have my own room and my cat._

 _My adopted brother Tom and a teacher have estimated my IQ as being in the 160s or 170s, though I have no idea how this institution has dulled my intelligence. Only Tom sending me challenging things to read or music has sustained me. He has promised to gain custody of me later this year when he has his own living space in Durham, but I am approaching a breaking point. He and I see each other rarely but typically communicate by messenger owls. Only when he sends packages does he use the Royal Mail, ensuring Colindale does not object to anything he sends._

 _I have told Sydney what this letter says and she has deemed it sufficient, though I know not why it is so. I am thus at the mercy of her kindness and yours. She has never let me down – she even came here once with a rare Eagle Owl to defend me from a brutal, physical attack – so I entrust her with this and hope you do not let her down. She tells me she may have to create a relay team to get this note to you, so you may not get to meet her. She says she will convey my thanks for the safe arrival of this to any or all additional carriers._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Livia Woodcock_

Livia folded up the letter, and one she sealed it, Sydney took it and disappeared. The significance of Sydney's request did not register for months. Indeed, Sydney never mentioned it in any future encounters and would only tell Livia "it is out of my hands" whenever Livia tried to grasp at why she asked Livia to write it. Long before spring's end, Livia stopped asking about it.


	4. Freedom Brings Unusual Gifts

Livia turned her attention to notes she received from Tom. He told her that he had begun putting his plans into action. He had moved out of a residential college into an apartment he shared with one other male Durham student and two female students. The other residents all signed affidavits to Mr. Wilson that Tom's sister was welcome to reside in their apartment and they would make any necessary modifications to the space for her to live there for as long as needed. Tom also concerned himself with finding a local Durham school ready and able to accept her and perhaps even board her there if they deemed the arrangement appropriate.

Tom had one final thing to accomplish: Rev. Woodcock had to sign documents allowing his son to accept physical custody of her whilst maintaining that he would be willing to continue offering Livia financial support. After his spring term ended, Tom traveled to Framlingham, where Mr. Wilson already had scheduled a hearing to award Tom custody of his adopted sister. Lydia fumed when she got wind of the plan and even tried to get her mother to oppose the arrangement. Yet Emma Woodcock also loved her son, at least somewhat, and never fully realized it until he ceased spending time with the family. Having seen Cathy's statement as well as experiencing her son's alienation from her, she could not make herself oppose the arrangement. "Why do you care if Livia is not returning to Framlingham? Why does it matter if she is in London or Durham?" Mrs. Woodcock asked. Lydia could not answer. Further, Mrs. Woodcock first began to see how doting on Lydia had made her spoiled. "I already know Cathy has changed her story. I will not support continuing to subject Livia to living in that place for no reason."

"Cathy is a liar and a whore," Lydia began, "so why should you now believe her?"

"Lydia, language. Besides, she lied only because you forced it on her. If Cathy is not credible, then no one ever supported your story. When do you take responsibility for that?"

By early July, the Youth Court had relented. The town council helped. They had not formally apologized (and Tom would still pursue that), but they awarded Thomas James Woodcock physical custody and issued the order for Colindale to release her to him. Tom made the trip to London with his friend Adam, and they met John there. Both had looked upon Livia kindly but had not seen her in nearly two years. Tom told them she had grown some and one thing they had to do was buy her some new clothes, since the hand-me-downs from Lydia would no longer fit. John informed them, since he already had been accepted at University College London, that he had secured accommodations for all from a dormitory turned into a bed and breakfast during the summer at Passfield Hall on Endsleigh Place, a connected group of Georgian structures that stood a short walk from Euston Station in one direction and a lovely little park at Gordon Square in another, where the Bloomsbury Group had lived decades ago. He had a surprise, too, but he said he would wait until Livia joined them to reveal it to everyone.

Tom looked very mature for 19, tall, dark-haired, more fair than he seemed when younger and muscular, when he entered Colindale to provide the paperwork needed for them to release Livia. Adam and John waited for him outside the building. Tom came to Colindale at their appointed time, late in the morning of Wednesday, 10 July. Livia realized she only had some of her books, radio, the little picture of herself with Tom, letters from Tom, the note explaining her past and the stuffed bobcat to put in her suitcase. She had given away many books as gifts, which lightened her suitcase. None of her original clothes fit, so she left them there. Mrs. Hatfield had found a neighbor with a teenage daughter and was able to get some items that the older girl no longer could wear, including footwear that fit Livia. Livia wore some and packed the rest. Tom signed all the papers they presented to him, briefly spoke to a few staff members who had come to see Livia off, one being Mrs. Banks, who had placed Sarah in a cat carrier. Since Sam was doing such a great job, Sarah had earned her release, also. Mrs. Banks considered it Sarah's retirement.

Livia's only regret was the fact that Sydney and her partner, Mel, would no longer be near her. Sydney reassured her that they would relocate to wherever Livia was, so long as she had settled in somewhere and called for them. Other owls would eat what Sam left. Finally, Livia entered the reception area and saw the carrier and knew Sarah was in it. She had brought her suitcase. Tom hugged Livia tightly and took control of both the strap of her wheeled suitcase and the cat carrier. He realized a short time later that they would have to make arrangements to board Sarah whilst in London, as he doubted she could keep the cat in a university dormitory.

A number of the staff seemed genuinely touched and both happy and sad to see Livia go. Even Mrs. Smithson possessed some emotion, if well hidden. Mrs. Hatfield, Miss Case, Mrs. Banks and Miss Scott (soon to be Mrs. Birks) all became more expressive in bidding Livia well, each taking a turn in giving her a hug. Then Livia was free. She left the building with Tom and immediately recognized Adam and John waiting near the entrance. Still, each had grown a lot since she had last seen either. Adam had dark blond hair in that new wave, quasi-mullet style. He stood nearly as tall as Tom but was more tightly muscled and sinewy. John stood slightly shorter than Adam (perhaps owing to his footwear) and had fairly short and straight dark hair. They were boys no more, but they remained Tom's friends and hers now, too. After hugging Livia and remarking how big she had grown, Adam grabbed the cat carrier to leave Tom a little less burdened. John seemed equally delighted.

"At last, you are rid of that place," John said. "I am so happy for you. And I have made some arrangements for us all to have some summer fun in London."

"Great," Tom stated. "Only problem is – what do we do with Sarah, Livia's cat?"

"Let me make some phone calls. I think I might be able to find a friend of my father's to care for her whilst we remain in town," John asserted.

True to his word, John did just that, using a phone by the Colindale tube station. He found the name and address of a nearby lady who loved cats but who had recently lost hers. Miss Barker, a petite immigrant from the Caribbean who worked for a London record label, told John that she would be delighted to watch Sarah for a few weeks. They found her only a few stops from Colindale. Sarah indicated to Livia that the garden and the house and the lady would suit Sarah quite well, and she would be invigorated by her time there to rest rather than try to catch mice. She would be ready when Livia collected her to accompany her anywhere she would go.

What do you mean anywhere? Livia asked silently.

Sarah told her: Remember that letter you wrote? I do. It had a real purpose. Your time in Durham may not be as you currently think it will be.

Livia was intrigued, but Sarah said nothing else and the foursome made their way back to their lodgings, where they would formulate their dinner and shopping plans and John would reveal his surprise.

They all arrived at Passfield Hall just before 15:30, giving them time to get Livia some new clothes and find a nice place somewhere off Oxford Street to eat. Tom had received a good deal of money from his father to enjoy these things and whatever else everyone else they wanted to do. Livia's request was to visit the National Portrait Gallery. She enjoyed reading the faces as well as the painter's or photographer's intentions. Other ideas included the Tower of London, a pub crawl (a drunken binge of celebration), Covent Garden and the Victoria & Albert museum.

John interrupted their brainstorming. "No, we are doing something else entirely this weekend," he revealed. "Have you heard of the great concert event of the century, if not ever, called Live Aid?"

"Of course," Tom replied. "I desperately tried to get tickets in the hope that Livia and I could go. Nothing worked. Scalpers wanted way too much for me."

"Well, then you will forever be in my debt, all of you," John stated. He removed an envelope from the inside of his sock. "I could not trust them to go anywhere but on me. My father, who has great connections in the music industry, got me four tickets to be on the pitch at Wembley for Live Aid this Saturday."

Before Adam could fully say "You're joking, mate," they saw the four tickets and began to examine them. They were real. Everyone's jaw dropped except John's.

'Now _this_ is a way to celebrate Livia's freedom," Tom announced. "Can I do anything to thank your father or you, John?"

"We can take some pictures, or you can just send him a note," John responded. "Believe-you-me I thanked him profusely already. He had some idea what this would mean, and he was very happy to make it happen. I think he told some people he knew about Livia's sorry story, and that made them exceedingly motivated to ensure that he got these."

"This is brilliant," Adam assented. "We have got a great deal to celebrate now."

Tom wondered about the best place to hide the tickets till then. "What do you think, Livia?"

"I think John has been doing so well thus far that it would be wrong of me to question his choices now," she whispered. "But since my suitcase is in my room, it might have a good pocket for concealing them, if John thinks he would not want to carry them everywhere. I learned a trick of sorts, but you have to swear never to tell. I will conceal them till we need them."

John consented to see what Livia had in mind. She took the tickets and put them inside the envelope that contained the letter pinned to the basket Tom had found containing her. She wordlessly conjured the false bottom to the suitcase so the envelope with the tickets could not be seen by any of them. "Where are the tickets, Livia? I cannot see them."

"Neither can anyone else," Livia answered. "I will retrieve them when we all are ready to go on Saturday, and I will give them all to you, John, then."

"Dare I ask how you did that?" Adam asked, awestruck.

"Probably better you do not know," she replied. "They are safe from any housekeeper or whatnot. I guarantee you will see them again on Saturday."

"We should all trust Livia, strange as it seems," Tom said. "She may still be quite young but you already know her talents are many and varied. And I know she wants to go to this event as much as the rest of us do."

The foursome spent a very pleasant few days before Saturday. Livia even got to speak to Miss Barker to ensure Sarah had adjusted to her new surroundings. "Oh yes," Miss Barker assured. "She sleeps a lot but often right next to me. She must have been very tired from all the mousing she did. I give her some boiled chicken, kibble and water, and she's fine. She has no issue with her litter box, either. She's a great comfort to me. My late Marley would love that I did this."

Passfield Hall required its guests to get up early for breakfast in its basement, which worked perfectly for the four to get to Wembley in good time for the concert's opening at noon. They gathered in the room Livia had and she, as promised, produced the tickets. Adam and John, in particular, were dumfounded by how they seemed to appear out of thin air. "Is there anything you cannot do, Livia?" John asked.

"I think the answer is pretty obvious, given where I was until Wednesday."

On their way to Wembley, the four started wondering about the concert's length and how they would handle the need for food or WC facilities. Given the list of acts and the feed from Philadelphia, it would be an all-day affair.

"First, we should all go before entering the grounds," Livia stated. "Leave the rest to me. Give me a fiver, Tom, and I got this, if we pass a Boots store."

The fiver and the store were a ruse. Livia knew she could conjure up food that would break down without requiring bathroom trips or water. Further, she would later offer what she called a homeopathic medicine to suppress any urges, claiming the Colindale nurse had tipped her off to this. "Still," Tom began, "we need a plan if we get separated, for any reason."

They agreed on a place to meet inside the stadium at the end of the concert, if they were not together. Everything soon fell into place. They arrived early, each used the WCs and they headed onto the grass toward the stage. Livia gave them these little white pills to take, that she said would keep them from needing more trips until much later. She told them that she had also acquired healthy snack bars to tide them over, all of which she kept in a small bag Tom bought for her a few days before. John had one of those bum bags worn around the waist to hold a camera and some keys and a small address book for his father and other contacts in town. There were other early arrivers, so they found themselves about two dozen or so rows beyond the stage.

Live Aid prompted began at noon with a little royal pomp to announce the beginning of the event. Livia did not know much about the first performers, but Tom, Adam and John all seemed pleased with them. They were all blown away by this new singer, who with a self-named band had released her first album, "Diamond Life." But only Livia had ever heard her sing before. "She has an amazing voice," Livia asserted.

"Forget that," Adam said. "I have never seen a more beautiful bird in my life and usually I don't take that great a fancy to women of African heritage. But blimey!"

"Agreed," John affirmed. "She is just stunning. Full stop."

For Livia, it was her song "Why Can't We Live Together?" that hit home. "No matter what color, you are still my brother…" Tom put a hand on Livia's left shoulder. She reached up to it with her left hand and clutched it. She had to keep herself in check, hard as it was.

Livia fared better when other acts she liked came out. Seeing the U2* lead from a short distance, especially when he leapt down from the stage to an area below it, made her hypnotically stare. Tom had picked her up so she could see him better. He did not see the look on her face. John did. "Ut oh," he stated. "I think Livia just woke up to find she's not a little girl anymore."

"I have heard him sing so much. I never knew what he looked like," Livia said.

"Sounds like a big crush starting to me," Adam chimed in. "I agree with John. And Livia, we will not hold this against you."

"Eh, she could do worse," Tom added, laughing. "Must be the leather trousers."

"What are those lyrics he's singing?" Livia asked. "They are not part of the song 'Bad'."

"The Rolling Stones and Lou Reed," John responded. "Guess you need to get caught up on some older material. There's much you can hear. What in the world have you been sending her, Tom?" The boys laughed.

Just then there was a commotion and from where they stood, neither Tom, Adam nor John could figure out why the lead signer had jumped to the ground in front of the crowd and gestured at some people. "What is going on?" John asked.

"Some girls are being crushed against the front barrier," Livia answered, gesturing toward the lead singer. "I think he is trying to get security staff to pick them up and get them out of there before they get hurt."

They saw the singer embraced one and danced with her, then a second and third. It seemed he had kissed each of them, too.

"Don't worry, Livia," Tom begun. "We are here, and you will not get hurt."

"I think I would risk that for a dance and kiss from him, though," Livia asserted.

"She's officially off the rails now," John maintained. "Though I must admit that I am jealous of him because those girls were rather pretty."

"Yep, I agree on that point, too," Adam responded.

"Okay, so we are all jealous," Tom summarized. "The three of us that we are not that bloke there and Livia because she was not among those girls he plucked from the crowd."

"I guess you will all need to start a band, then," Livia suggested. "I think the U2 members largely taught themselves how to play and wrote their own music because of that."

"There's an idea," John said, taking a turn in hoisting Livia to give Tom a break.

Other acts they saw also proved amazing to see in person. By the time Queen had come out, Adam was picking up Livia so she could see. They would continue rotating duties as long as they remained. They also found themselves able to slowly get closer to the stage as other people left for lavatories or food vendors. Livia kept them all from needing either until the London portion of the show ended. All of them thus really enjoyed Dire Straits, though Tom had to explain to Livia what MTV was. At that point, they decided to leave, finally hitting the WCs, getting some food and dropping off John's film for developing before heading back to their temporary London home. They were able to relive highlights on the telly in the basement recreational area of the hall. Before going to sleep, Livia ensured she wrote a note to John's father and his friends for making this day possible for her. She said she would be forever grateful that she had benefited from their kindness. The next day, she gave the letter to John. Sunday brought much less to do so she and Tom walked around the park within Gordon Square. Meantime, Adam and John played snooker.

They sat at one of the benches, just enjoying the day and the quietness of the area, which was a great feat within such a large city. An old gentlemen with a long beard tucked under his shirt approached them and sat down. "Are you Livia Woodcock?" he gently asked.

Tom looked stunned and Livia a bit blank yet puzzled. "I am," she replied. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, thanks to a Barn Owl you call Sydney," he responded. "She sends her regards. She and Mel are well. Their current clutch of owlets have grown well, thanks in part to the cat you named Sam."

"Sir," Tom began, "this is very strange to me. An owl communicated with you and told you where to find my sister?"

"Why do you think it strange, Tom?" he inquired. "You have gotten messages from this same owl, have you not? Do you think Livia is the only living being with this particular ability?"

"I see what you mean, sir," Tom admitted. "It still leaves me a bit unsettled, however."

"Will you allow me to talk to your sister alone?" he asked. "You can sit on that other bench and watch, of course."

Tom told Livia he would be only a short distance away and to call him immediately if she wanted or needed him.

With Tom out of earshot, the stranger began by asking: "Do you know why I am here?"

Livia sized him up. "You are a challenge for me to understand, which is unusual for me. Give me a few seconds…you run some sort of boarding school?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "First, I must confess that I should have called on your family before you wound up in Collidale, and I apologize that you wound up there instead because we could not intervene in time. We briefly lost track of you, but your owl Sydney arranged to bring the note you wrote in January to me, confirming your location. I am the headmaster of a special school for very talented people. From your note and what you have done the last few days it seems to me that you belong there."

"How do you know what I have done recently?"

"I have followed you some and have had a few spies. You hid tickets in what should have been plain sight, you gave your friends food you conjured as well as pills to retard their bodily functions so they could watch a very long concert without needing a lavatory break."

"Did I not cloak my abilities well?"

"You do, to anyone who does not have equal or superior abilities or at least more education in using the abilities they have," he observed. "I have only one issue with inviting you now to attend my school when it resumes classes."

"What is that?"

"It's your age," he replied. "Normally, our students start at 11 and finish around 18. Of course, it is clearly not your fault you did not start sooner."

"I see," Livia said. "I possess a fairly high level of intelligence. Would that not enable me to accelerate my studies and get at least closer to pupils my own age? I mean, thanks to my brother, Tom, I read and write far above my grade level – I could probably sit for a several O-level tests right now."

"That is not how we evaluate our students, but you might be able to catch up a little."

"Then what is this place?"

"I do not want to tell you right now," he answered. "Our new school year does not begin till orientation in early September. Usually, it is 1 September, but given that is a Sunday, it will be 2 September. If you can, do not leave London and give me a chance to speak to you again here, but more frankly at that time. You can call Sydney and she will find me."

"To whom do I address the note?"

"Just write 'Professor Albus Dumbledore'," he responded. "She will know what to do."

Thus the man stood up, bowed and went over to Tom.

"I am making an offer of admission to my school to your sister," he informed Tom.

"Oh?" Tom asked. "Where is it? What would it cost to send her there?"

"Do not worry about that," he replied. "I will find the means by the time I return. Just, if you can, do not leave London till I have the chance to speak to her and you again, which may not be until around her birthday and probably just after."

"I was planning to celebrate Livia's birthday in Durham, though," Tom disclosed.

"I get that, though transporting her to my school from Durham will be less straightforward than from here," he revealed. "Obviously, I cannot stop you, and you likely have your own reasons for returning there, since you must attend college. If you cannot wait, allow Livia to send word to me via Sydney. Perhaps you can return."

"Okay, sir," Tom agreed. "This is all so strange to me. Since I have primary responsibility for Livia's wellbeing, I need to be extra careful with any custodial matters. Legally speaking, I believe that I need to establish her residence in Durham, since I live there, and she is supposed to be able to call it her home, also."

"I see," the bearded, sprightly old man stated. "You are a law student, right?"

"I am," Tom confirmed. "How did you know that?"

"Livia can decipher things, but I am presently better at it than she is," he answered. "Establish her as you need to do, but please get her back here before September, if you can. If I have to do it, I will get to Durham. Geographically, Durham is a lot closer to my school than London, but you know Brit Rail has its quirks. It is far easier to get anywhere from London than it is to get from a town or small city to a similar locale, especially going East-West or West-East."

"So I can establish her residence and bring her back here?" Tom asked.

"That can work," he replied. "It might be tight for you. Just make sure she tells me your plans. We normally start students at 11, so Livia already trails her age group. She has expressed an interest in trying to accelerate her studies. I cannot call it impossible, but it is rare."

"I did it once myself, just to get custody of her," Tom stated. "If I can do it, so can she."

"I hope you are right," he responded. He rose, bowed his head slightly and left the square. Neither could see him after he passed the blue plaque marking the former residence of John Maynard Keynes at the end of the block.

Tom moved closer to Livia. "That was a most strange encounter," Tom asserted.

"Indeed," Livia assented. "But he seemed well meaning and honest to me, if rather cryptic about his school. The fact that my Sydney trusts him says I should, also."

"We have to establish you at my Durham residence, though, legally speaking," Tom said. "Perhaps we should leave here at the end of the month, do this and return here to meet him again?"

"Sounds like a reasonable plan, but what about Sairy?" Livia asked.

"Put that question to the gentleman," Tom answered. "I gather he would board you at his school. I have no idea about his policy on pets. If they do not accept Sarah, I will keep her. My flatmates will probably spoil her to no end."

"Good," Livia stated. "We should rejoin the others, if we are going to be leaving in like two weeks. I will send a note via Sydney about these plans before we leave."

The four enjoyed their last two weeks together seeing all sorts of places, both common to tourists and not. Some of their list was realized, some not, other things added, like the West End show "Evita"* from the front of the nosebleed section. The group retrieved Sarah before parting ways, with Tom giving Miss Barker money for watching Sarah, though she had been extremely reluctant to take it. John stayed behind because he enrolled in UCL. Adam went back to Framlingham, before making his way to the University of East Anglia in Norwich. True to her word, Livia called Sydney to take a note saying she was travelling to Durham to establish it as a home base, but she would return to London after her birthday and before Tom's education resumed. Livia also inquired about whether or not she could bring her cat, Sarah, with her. She also indicated that Tom could not stay long, owing to his own responsibilities.

During her last jaunt through Gordon Square, Sydney brought an answer. The reply gave approval of Tom's plan. It further requested that she meet the man again on Friday, 30 August at 14:00 in park area of Gordon Square. She could bring her cat, and he would find a place for them before she departed for his school as well as there, as needed. He also expressed hope that Tom would be at ease entrusting her to him, reminding Livia to message Tom after he returned to Durham as well as when she was settled in her new school. "If he is able to hear from you often enough and see you on breaks, he will have less concern," the note read towards the end. The letter further requested that any available owl take a message to him if plans had to be altered.

* Author's Note

The music for "Evita" derives from Andrew Lloyd Webber; its lyrics were written by Tim Rice.

I have attempted to render the events of the seminal concert Live Aid as accurately as possible and encourage anyone unfamiliar with them to view available video from the stage performers who lent their artistry to it. I neither own nor possess any interest in U2 or any other musical act who took the stage for it on 13 July 1985.


	5. To Durham and Back to London

Tom and Livia almost could walk to King's Cross to take a Brit Rail train to Durham, though taking the tube from Euston worked better, given they both had luggage and Sarah to manage. Livia wanted to stop at the church ground at St. Pancras, but Tom thought it not meaningful. "Historically, the church and its grounds were moved, you know. If you seek history, we should have gone to Highgate Cemetery along with Westminster Cathedral." Livia nodded. "I presume you read _Frankenstein_?" he asked.

"Yes," Livia said. "Was Mary Shelley not buried at St. Pancras?"

"Initially, yes," Tom answered. "Her son moved her remains to Bournemouth when Victorian-era renovations took place. I am surprised you did not know that."

"I guess I wanted to see if any trace of her spirit still resides here."

"That may as well be in the station itself," Tom said. "I do not know what this place looked like back then, so I cannot say I know where they would have placed her or if any of that matters."

The trip would take about three hours. Tom phoned his old home before they left (affiliated with the residential college where he remained a member and took board). No one answered. He rang a porter at nearby St. Aidan's College and begged for someone to put a note under their door. The porter found a staff member who obliged, as she knew Tom well and his circumstances.

Livia found the passing landscape fascinating. She had never seen this much of the countryside before, since she hardly paid attention from the trip from Framlingham. Tom took notice. "Yes, we see quite a lot on this trip – much more than you knew existed, I bet," he said.

"I am also wondering about that older man we met," Livia stated.

"Older? I am uncertain how many people I have ever met that were that much older than him," Tom replied. "Perhaps just 'old' is apt."

"He seemed rather spry for an old man, though," Livia said. "We both should be so lucky to have such powerful, seemingly youthful energy at whatever his age is."

"I see what you mean," Tom began, "I still do not know what to make of his offer to you or who he is. I admit I was not able to place you at a school here without the staff meeting you. This man makes me question if I should bother with attempting to place you here, but I do not want to shirk this responsibility for the sake of convenience. I have to be sure he and his school will do right by you."

"Are you asking my opinion on whether we should return to London?" Livia asked.

"I guess so," Tom surmised. "He knew so much that suggests he has vast abilities akin to your own. Then there's your messenger owl – he seemed to know her well."

"I never told you this, but I forgot about it when Sydney refused to give me information other than 'it's out of my hands'," Livia revealed. "I was rather down after you left, and she had me write a letter detailing all I could about myself and my situation in a letter. She took it from me, told me she might have to create a relay team to get it to the right person. From all that he said to me, I have to conclude that she meant for him to receive it, and he read it."

"This is odd. Has this owl ever shown anything to suggest this is untoward or dangerous?"

"Not from her, no," Livia answered. "In fact, she told me she and her partner would relocate to wherever I settled. Sarah, too, gave some indication before I left that my stay in Durham may not last as long as I once had expected."

"She did not meet that man, though. How can she assess the situation rightly?"

"Let me ask her," Livia replied. Livia picked up the cat carrier and looked in. Sarah was relaxing inside peacefully but remained awake. Livia started a silent conversation with her. Sarah pledged to protect her as long as she lived and that she did not think that Livia would require protection from the headmaster who saw her. Livia asked how she knew what the man did. Sarah shifted slightly and simply indicated that she knew that man would do right by her.

"Sarah seems to agree with Sydney about being able to trust him," Livia stated. "I did not really get an answer as to why she would know this, though."

"I still hardly can believe that, if he's well intentioned, that I will not have to pay him for your education," Tom asserted.

"I am not clear on that, either. He did not discuss money with me. My age seemed to bother him more than that issue."

"Well," Tom began, "he said he will raise whatever he needed for you and talk more about that in late August. It begs the question of what do we do if he cannot do this. So I think I shall ask my father for a signed blank cheque just in case."

Tom spent much of the rest of the journey telling Livia about his living situation and those with whom he shared his residence. He believed all of them would like her and actually be sorry that she likely would not be staying terribly long.

One of Tom's flatmates, Jake Hertford, a medium-built student with short dark blond hair and wearing a Sunderland football club jersey, met Tom and Livia on the platform soon after they left the train. He immediately smiled, took Tom's hand then extended it to Livia. "You must be Tom's sister. I have heard so much about you. I hope we all will make your stay in Durham pleasant." Jake then picked up the cat carrier. "This must be Sarah," he said. "Hello there, young lady. Welcome to you, too."

"Thank you so much for meeting us, Jake," Tom said.

"No problem. I got our pal Gary waiting outside in his car to drive us home."

"How thoughtful," Livia said. "Thank you."

"Let me warn you, Livia," Jake said. "Gary is a tad eccentric. I think he wishes he were that singer bloke who looks like a girl. He's harmless, though – his Geordie accent also can be hard to distinguish if you have not been around him long. You'll understand it better after some time."

"I have never seen who you mean," Livia said. "Please explain. And what does he look like?"

After Tom filled her in, Jake continued."He's a pale, big bloke with cornrows in his hair, makeup, plucked eyebrows, a hairband, hat and clothing that does not strongly indicate a gender. So far, Gary just likes his clothes."

After brief introductions and quickly loading the car, the sandy, short-haired Gary Reading sped away from the station. Before five minutes had gone by, he put car onto the curb and stopped. Livia was told this was a typical practice in such a town with narrow streets in general. Tom and Jake carried everything up a flight of stairs to an apartment that hung over an office for a university department not far from the Wear, the river than flowed almost entirely around Durham. Soon after, Livia met Tom and Jake's two female flatmates, Alice West and Audrey Moss. Both were mostly fair, blonde-haired, blue-eyed women and at least somewhat resembled each other. They claimed to all be friends, but Livia thought there either was or would be more to the situation than that. In any case, both girls pulled Livia in and kissed her on both cheeks and declared how happy they were to meet her. "Your picture sits here," Alice said, pointed to a bookcase in the living area. "Tom often speaks of you. My, how you have grown since then. We must get a new one taken."

"How about all five of us in it?" Audrey asked. "I think everyone here would agree that you are part of our 'family' now, so to speak." Within a few weeks a collage of photos hung on the wall, featuring a few of all four with Livia, the original picture of Livia and Tom and two pictures from the Live Aid concert featuring John and Adam with Livia and Tom.

The weeks passed rather quickly, though many things took place. The girls took Livia to a store to buy more appropriate clothes for fall and winter. All went to the castle again just to delight in Livia's fresh eyes looking it over, then they had some afternoon tea and treats at the almshouse converted into a genteel, subdued café. Privately, Tom took Livia to Durham Cathedral, taking her past the tombs of St. Cuthbert as well as the Venerable Bede. Tom told her how often he asked for Bede to help him succeed in his studies and in his ability to gain custody of her. He also explained to her the meaning of the "bishop's flag" on the cathedral's roof, noting his presence.

"He has his own flag?" Livia asked.

"Oh yes," Tom answered. "Centuries ago the bishop had his own army in Durham."

"He knows things," Livia asserted when they entered the Venerable Bede's chapel. "He probably cannot be able to help anyone but he knows plenty."

"I want to pause here so I can be sure taking you back to London is the right thing to do," Tom said. He knelt before the tomb. Livia joined him.

"Does he say anything to you?" Livia whispered.

"No," Tom replied. "I rarely can sense a clear answer. Helps to think, though."

"Maybe you can open yourself to him," Livia suggested. "Then you might feel something."

Sarah settled in fairly well and the flatmates, that is Alice and Audrey, made sure the cat had all the necessary items, like food and water dishes, food, a brush, a litter box and even her own bed. Livia urged Sarah to use the bed at least occasionally, so no one will think they wasted their money on it. Sarah complied, still feeling a need to rest up anyway, knowing more travels lay ahead for them both.

Tom had to attend to a few university-related things, like paying his bills, acquiring some books and writing supplies and assuring Aidan's College that he had returned and would resume dining there once the term had begun. Livia often spent those times in the Cathedral. She, too, had her lingering questions and hoped one of the highly distinguished occupants would give her a clear answer. Finally, one of them did, or she hoped he did, telling her to go and return as often as she could. Obviously, they would not be going anywhere.

Livia also enjoyed Durham Cathedral's evening music services, which Tom or one of the girls would attend with her. They all soon found she had a great interest in music and was quite the mimic. When Gary visited, he was quite entertained, and a bit jealous, at her rendition of "Do You Want to Hurt Me?"

"Can you teach me how to do that?" he asked. "I swear I will pluck my eyebrows and go all the way for some school contest if you can."

Now this was a teachable skill, Livia thought. She delved into the phrases, the notes he hit and how he enunciated his words, and his restrained but present emotion. Gary had to come back a few times for her to hear him and make suggestions, but they could both do the song together in less than two weeks. Tom jokingly told Livia, "I think you created a monster in Boy Gary." Meanwhile, Tom got to thinking about all the tapes he should buy her for her birthday, presuming she would be leaving soon afterward. The others told him to make a list for all of them to get something to give her. At least one said she would need extra batteries for the Sony Walkman Tom planned on getting, too.

They all decided to dine in on some delivered Indian food while Audrey and Alice made a three-layered, red velvet cake with 14 candles (one extra for good luck). They put out enough food for their additional friends, including Gary, to come share the evening together. The all brought little gifts, especially various tapes from music they had found Livia liked. Tom had heard from his father regarding the request for a cheque, but he had not expected that Rev. Woodcock and his daughter, Cathy, would make the trip.

Livia's party got into a groove early and seemed in full swing when there was a loud buzz to be let up. Tom thought it might be another friend who said he might make the party, but when Tom opened the door, he saw his father and Cathy instead.

"Well," Tom began, "this is something of a surprise. Never thought either of you even remembered Livia's actual birthday, let alone would come here for it."

"Neither your mother nor Lydia will know," Rev. Woodcock responded. "So I simply told them I wanted to spend some time with Cathy. They will have no clue. Your mother is not even ready to admit any fault of her own in what happened and, well, you know where Lydia stands."

"We both came here to express regret and to ask Livia to forgive us both for the roles we played in what happened," Cathy asserted. "I hope you will welcome us in."

"Does this mean you finally have told Dad everything that prompted you to lie for Lydia?" Tom asked.

"I have told him enough. He knows I snuck out to see that boy I was dating against his wishes as well as attending a party. I guess he has forgiven me, since I recanted and Livia is free."

"Livia!" Rev. Woodcock exclaimed as she approached the door. "Do you welcome us and accept our sincere apologies?"

For once in her life, Livia considered being bratty. She even wondered if her sister and father would suck the life out of the evening's general sense of fun. She decided that, given her prospects had a good upside, she would take the high road. "Sure," she stated. "Come in and meet Tom's friends, who all have been so kind to me. Alice and Audrey's cake is most excellent, too."

Every gift of music got played that night, from Simple Minds to the Cure, the Clash, Talking Heads and Billy Joel. Livia even got to perform a little U2 and Culture Club with Gary. The evening perhaps did not rank quite as high as the Live Aid show (which everyone wished they had attended), but it came somewhat close. Adam and John had not forgotten and sent cards and small gifts, which Livia saved for opening that evening. Livia was glad Rev. Woodcock gave her some cash because she realized she had a lot of thank you notes to write. Cathy brought a card they picked up along the way. She had not planned initially on her father taking her to Durham, so she apologized for not bringing a gift. Livia sent her a thank you note, just the same.

As soon as the party ended, everyone became more anxious in general, in anticipation of the new term approaching. Tom realized his schedule would be somewhat tight. He would leave Durham with Livia early on the 30th and hope to return as fairly quickly, this time staying near Gordon Square at a modestly-priced hotel. All the Durham students she had met came round once more, though the party had occurred so recently and had a going-away salutation for Livia, even though she could not tell them exactly where she was going. They all found that hard to believe.

"She tells the truth," Tom affirmed. "The gentleman who offered her a place at his school did not tell us much about it, other than it would be better to get there from London than Durham. And Sarah was welcome to join her."

"Awww, we lose Sarah, too," Alice responded. "That's sad. She looks so cute in her bed." The collage eventually also included a picture of Sarah.

"So what do they teach at this school?" Gary asked. "How to sound like a pop star?"

"I think not," Tom replied. "Livia has a lot of other gifts that I do not understand altogether. Let me first say this to all of you. If you ever see an owl carrying a letter, get me. We have exchanged notes for almost two years this way. How Livia gets them to do this, I have no idea. Apparently, this headmaster knew about it and uses them, also. My best guess, then, is that they teach things that have to do with all of Livia's unusual talents, that being just one."

"You're joking, right? An owl?" Alice asked.

"When you see this, you will know," Tom replied.

"What kind of owl? Is it big or mean? I know owls are great predators," Audrey inquired.

"I am not sure," Tom said. "Livia used a Barn Owl with me. There are other owl species, though – some bigger and some smaller than those."

"Is a Barn Owl okay, Audrey?" Livia asked. "If I get my wish, the owls I hope to use are ones I have used before. I call them Sydney and Mel. Barn Owls do not generally have long life spans, so I have to keep them fit. They are neither the largest nor the smallest type of owl. They and Sairy had no problems, perhaps because both eat mice, so I don't see why a person here will."

"So you will work with animals there?" Jake asked.

"I guess so, since many can come there," Livia answered. "The school does not use O-levels or A-levels, so I am not sure if animal accomplishments determine grades or what they do." Livia had some idea by this point, but she knew better than to say much more. "The only issue the headmaster had with me concerned my age. They typically begin at 11. I have asked about being able to accelerate my studies. If I am allowed to do so, I may spend a lot of time there initially playing catch-up. My break times may be very short because I will want to study during them."

"We all know Tom did this," Jake stated. "We will understand – and if he does not write regularly enough, at least one of us will take up the slack. We are here for Tom and for you."

"Thank you so much," Livia responded. "It might be I who has trouble writing often enough, if they truly challenge me, as I hope they can."

"Indeed," Alice asserted. "Since we all are students, how can we not get that?"

That last evening, the four took a good stroll around town, and riverside by the Wear. Livia stated that spring must make this area quite lovely.

"Yes," Tom agreed. "The crew team also enjoys it."

"And don't forget the wedding parties," Audrey added.

The walk helped Livia sleep well. They all got up the next day and had a good breakfast before one by one hugging Livia and bidding her well and hoping she returns soon.

"I will try," Livia said. "That cake by itself was enticing. Still, you all must go somewhere for Christmas, so perhaps I can come back after that or about then."

"Just let any of us know when we should be here," Jake stated, as he released her.

The trip back to London seemed mostly uneventful. Sarah seemed content in her carrier and Tom said little.

"Are you nervous, Tom?" Livia finally asked.

"Some," he replied. "I am finding it hard to contemplate letting you go, since I tried so hard to bring you to me."

"Understandable. That's why I will send word I am okay as soon as I get settled wherever I am going. My only question concerns the timing of that. How long is too long to wait?"

"If your stay in London without me lasts more than a few days, you better let me know that you are still there," Tom answered. "I think if a week goes by with no word, I will go mad, no matter what my workload becomes. I mean maybe you should ring John if you stay there a spell."

"Okay," Livia agreed. "On both counts." Livia confirmed how to reach John there.

Upon arrival in London, Livia and Tom checked into a local hotel. Livia had successfully fooled the staff about Sarah. They saw a suitcase, not a cat carrier. Tom never asked about it. He was going to inquire about the cat when Livia slightly shook her head and he stopped. He realized they did not see Sarah, in the same way no one could see the Live Aid tickets in Livia's suitcase, not even after Tom and her friends saw her place them in it. He considered that maybe this was a school for magicians. He asked Livia if she thought so.

"More or less, that rings true," she affirmed. "Perhaps this headmaster can print money, which is why he did not ask for any!" Livia herself laughed at the notion with Tom.

Shortly before 14:00, Livia and Tom headed to the park within Gordon Square. When they arrived, the spry, old man already had taken a seat on one of the benches and was feeding a variety of birds, including pigeons and crows.

"Glad you could come again, Livia, Tom," he said, standing then bowing slightly.

"I have a blank cheque from my Dad," Tom stated. "I should be able to cover whatever you need for at least the first term."

"How kind of you, Tom. I imagine you have some cash you can offer Livia," he responded.

"I can spare about 200 quid," Tom replied. "That cannot be sufficient."

"Give whatever you can spare to Livia and let me talk to her alone for a few minutes, please," he asserted. Tom walked over to a nearby bench again and regretted he could not lip read.

"Have you figured out where you going yet?" he asked.

"Not entirely," Livia answered. "I know it involves some form of magic – that's the word Tom actually used. I suspect it is more complicated."

"Oh, it is," he responded. "My school is called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You, my dear, are an extremely talented witch and do not realize it."

"Well," Livia began, pausing some before continuing, "It does explains things I can do that no one else can. I thought I was perhaps just an empath."

"You are that, too, no doubt," he confirmed. "Students at Hogwarts are not necessarily skilled in things you associate with that word yet are easy for you to do. This will make you quite formidable as a student and you might scare at least a few classmates because you understand children and muggles in general so easily. "

"What are muggles?" Livia asked.

"Like your brother, Tom – that is, people lacking skills in wizardry," he responded. "They cannot grasp your abilities fully nor replicate them. You are extraordinarily special, which is why you belong at Hogwarts. Your gifts need to be harnessed and enhanced. I gather you are staying at a nearby hotel but your brother needs to head back to Durham soon."

"Indeed – my cat is there, too, but no one has noticed," Livia stated. "I am feeding her special food that I conjure, and she remains quiet."

"Masterful at your age. If he can stay till Monday morning, he can go home on his train and you can go to yours. They will be in the same station, but he will not be able to see you off."

"Why?" Livia asked. "Couldn't he get a later train?"

"Muggles cannot usually access the platform. See this ticket? It is for you."

"I do not understand this."

"Go to the platform between these numbers and look for the children with any sort of owl or animal with them. They, or their parents, will show you what to do. You should get there early enough to see them. Your money will become rather useless after you board the train, but you may need it at times when you try to visit your brother. Giving you money was a bit of a ruse, actually."

"Okay," she acknowledged. "Do I call you professor or what?"

"That will do. You will see me after you settle in. Before then, I also will send someone to help you acquire the things you will need for the term. He will meet you after your brother leaves."

"How will I pay for those things?" she asked.

"He will take you to a bank where you can open an account and get money. The board of our school has approved setting aside funds for you, with my recommendation. That bank also can exchange your currency, but it shouldn't be needed. Our stipend should be enough."

"How will I pay you back?" Livia inquired.

"By being a good student and offering help to whomever asks it from you. If you succeed, and you are willing to maintain such a role, you will pay back this investment many times over. You also would get the opportunity to contribute to Hogwarts yourself, the longer you are able to aid other students. Livia, I think you will like our school so much that you will not choose to leave it often, even if you successfully catch up with your peers."

After giving Livia a few additional instructions, the man then motioned Tom to join them. He asked if Tom could stay till Monday morning, 2 September, if he left on the first train out that day. Tom assented. Getting back to Durham then would work just fine, Tom said, because he would have plenty of time to organize himself for whatever tasks remained until the term began.

"Good. I have given Livia her ticket. She will take a special train from King's Cross. She can bid you farewell at the station. I am sorry to tell you this, but you will not be able to see her off. As you said yourself, there is a type of magic involved. I know you usually do not ask questions, but I can sense your concern about leaving a young teenage girl to fend for herself. She will not be alone, I assure you. I will send someone to help her. Besides, if she could protect herself from Megan, Rachel and Patsy, a little time in a busy train station should not worry you."

"I see what you mean," Tom conceded. "And a last weekend with her sounds nice."

"Just tell your friends when to expect you back, in case anything requires immediate attention," the man suggested.

"Blimey, an even better idea," Tom responded. "I am beyond stupefied."

"I understand," he said. "Savor this time with your young sister. Maybe your friend John can join you two for part of it."

With that, the professor took his leave and once again seemed to disappear as soon as passed the blue plaque for John Maynard Keynes. Livia had expected as much while Tom reeled whilst still processing everything the man told him.

"This man sure is impressive," Tom asserted. "What should we do now?"

"Make your phone calls, then we can proceed."

They began walking back to where there was a phone near the hotel. "Did he tell you enough about his school and everything?" Tom asked.

"Yes," Livia assented. "It is much like you predicted though more complex. Forgive me, but I do not know if you ready to have me repeat all that he said. I will tell you, perhaps when I am more certain I will not take you more aback than the headmaster already has."

"I admit it," Tom revealed, whilst just reaching the phone booth. "He did. He knew so much and had such excellent ideas. You told him none of those things, I gather?"

"None of it," Livia replied, as Tom reached for change and his address book. "I do not even know how he got the names Megan, Rachel and Patsy. I have not even thought of them in months."

John had made his way back to London after a brief trip to Framlingham whilst Tom and Livia had resided in Durham. He had nothing pressing that weekend, though, so he readily agreed to meeting Tom and Livia for supper at a nice eatery off of Covent Garden. He had just met a girl he immediately liked and this new student, a medium-height girl named Perita, joined them. Born in Hong Kong of an Asian mother and English father, she came from a London suburban school. Perhaps the fact that she possessed long hair braided like the singer he saw at Live Aid had captured John's attention straight away.

Perita seemed stumped at how Tom and John spoke with Livia. Clearly, Livia was younger, but they treated her as if she could more than hold her own on their level. When Livia excused herself to go to the lavatory, Perita decided to join her. "I hope you do not think this odd, but I am curious – how old are you?"

"I just had my 13th birthday," Livia answered. "Did you expect something else?"

"Well," Perita began, "I am glad I accompanied you, given your age, but no, I did not expect you to say that. In terms of your appearance, I believe it reasonable, but in the way that both Tom and John talk to you, it is strange. Even when John has spoken about you or Tom's loyalty to you, I would have thought you were at least maybe 15. You are certainly the most mature 13-year-old I have ever met."

"I think I had to be to survive some of my misfortunes," Livia stated. "You have to think fast when three girls want to beat you up." Livia knew she gave a plausible response, if not actually a more realistic one than citing either IQ or any other attribute.

"John thinks you are a prodigy," Perita said.

"I hope I am," Livia responded. "The last few years may have dulled me beyond repair."

"From what I understand, intelligence forms at a very young age," Perita asserted. "So I doubt you lost anything recently. I think there was a study that said pregnant women should expose older fetuses and newborns to Mozart, among other things, to heighten skills in maths."

"Interesting," Livia observed. "All I know of my mother is that she was doing a stage tour the summer of the year I was born, though not as a performer."

"Maybe Shakespeare deserves some credit, then. Summer theatre tours often include or only put on his works."

"I have guessed she exposed me to a lot of music, since I tend to like it for all sorts of reasons," Livia asserted. "It sure kept my mind off a lot of things when I needed that."

"I heard John got tickets to Live Aid," Perita said. "I am so jealous."

"It was great," Livia recounted, widely smiling. The three of us went with their friend, Adam, who is at university in Norwich. They took turns giving me a better look at the stage."

"Very sweet," Perita responded. "Sounds like you are telling me something."

"Yes. John's family has connections to the music industry, and he is a very kind-hearted person. Hold onto him if both of those things appeal to you."

Perita laughed as both made their way back to rejoin Tom and John.

Tom and Livia would see both again on Saturday. They all went to Highgate Cemetery, though Perita and John often strolled through it on their own. Livia found it all interesting, from the uneven ground to the giant head marking the grave of Karl Marx. They all paused for a moment by the grave of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

"I forget," Tom mused. "Did he get buried with some of his unpublished work?"

"Yes, but it was later recovered. Nothing would remain of any papers there now, even if they had left any of it behind. Those who dug up the grave did not miss anything, I believe."

"I wonder how he would have felt about that," Tom considered.

"If only they had a photocopier, they could have left him with them and published them, too," Livia replied. "That might have been best for everyone."

Dickens also drew special attention, though the grave did not seem particularly impressive.

"I like a lot of what he wrote, but I cannot say I personally have a great affinity for him," Livia revealed. "Except that he liked cats quite a lot."

"That lack of affinity does not surprise me," Tom stated. "A lot of Victorian men did not make great husbands or fathers."

"That might be the reason I want to see George Elliot's grave," Livia said.

"I have wondered why she hid behind that name. Didn't Jane Austen publish as herself?"

"I know Mary Shelley issued her book anonymously at first and the Brontës had pseudonyms," Livia replied. "Not sure about Austen. I think most female authors, and this might include Austen, too, held the idea that they wanted the work judged on its own merit, without any bias for or against them based on gender. Just 'I like it' or 'I hate it' not 'good for a woman writer' or some such backhanded statement like that. Sometimes, reasons remain like that to make an author evade identifying gender, though this happens much less now. Perhaps this will change more as figures like David Bowie explore ambiguous images."

"How did you find all this out?" Tom asked.

"Some of the books you sent with stuff I got from staff who knew I liked challenging myself as a reader," Livia answered. "Books and music, along with Sarah, were my main friends with me at Colindale. I spent most of my time with these. I did not talk to many girls."

"What about my letters and our picture?" Tom asked.

"Well, the letters and the owls bringing them were like guest appearances, special but not daily. That had to be as it was, so I cannot complain and am not complaining. Sometimes I sang to your image, though, like you could hear me, but you did not, obviously."

"Will you think it odd if I ask you to attend a church service with me tomorrow – perhaps the 'Actor's Church'?" Tom queried. "I want to take some comfort there before I let go of you."

"I have no objection. The churchyard is very pretty."

Livia spent most of the late morning service staring at the actress Ellen Terry's urn, which was behind a grate but inset into the wall. The container probably had six sides – hexagonal – with a domed lid topped by a figure she couldn't quite decipher. It appeared to be silver and the grate the same or copper, dulled by age. Something seemed amiss with the dating on Terry's life.

After the service, Tom asked Livia why she had been so quiet.

"I was thinking about Ellen Terry," Livia stated. "She had such an interesting life, but I do not think she got enough credit for the things she did."

"She is here, though," Tom offered.

"Indeed," Livia affirmed. "She was made a Dame, too. Yet I think her 'colorful past' kept her out of Westminster Abbey, where they put her longtime acting partner, Sir Henry Irving."

"Maybe because of the obvious cremation?" Tom suggested.

"No," Livia answered. "Irving, I think, was cremated, also, and he died more than 20 years before her."

"Did she talk to you or something?" Tom asked.

"Not really," Livia replied. "She's at peace with her place here and much else. So long as she is here, those interested in acting and the theatre will remember her."

They met up with John and Perita at Trafalgar Square and took in a few sites and ate before heading back to their hotel. Tom grew quiet, recognizing tomorrow he would part ways with Livia for some length of time – again. He thought he would not feel the same way he did when Livia went to Colindale but much of it seemed precisely the same.

"Tell me again this is the right thing for you, or I will just take you back to Durham," he finally told her. "I don't want to mess this up."

"I think it is the right thing," Livia reassured him. "It seems the school has a good grasp of my abilities and will challenge me. Right now, I shouldn't tell you everything the headmaster said to me. I will tell you when the time is right and I can show you better. I also need to maintain some secrecy, and I know it seems wrong that I do this when you have given me no reason not to confide in you fully. When I finally tell you, you will understand why I – as well as the headmaster – have withheld some information from you. This is a bit of a burden on me to be this, well, cautious, but he basically asked it of me and for now I will do this because I think he is right. I sure do not wish to be on his bad side so quickly, either."

Monday morning came round too soon for Tom. Livia could not say why she slept so well. She knew Tom had bought something to help him sleep. They checked out and quietly and very early ate their breakfast at a café area within King's Cross. Tom seemed to eat the whole meal one-handed because he held Livia's hand with the other, compelling Livia also to eat with one hand. Sarah, now fully visible, was given some water and some food from Livia's plate, along with things she held in one of her sweater pockets. Tom seemed to stare at his plate a lot, or perhaps he was looking fondly at Sarah, wondering when he would see her again. Tom finally looked up. "Do you have your ticket and everything else you need?" he asked. "The money is safe?"

"Yes, I think so. I am not sure where someone will meet me, though."

"Hmm – you could ask an owl," Tom suggested. "A message might serve you well."

"Good point," Livia replied. "Where there is an owl or a crow, I have options."

Livia said goodbye to Tom on his platform as he headed back to Durham on the first train out, still quite early in the day. He seemed quite emotional in parting from her, which he did not typically show. He asked all sorts of mundane questions about items she packed, if she could push a cart to her platform, if she needed anything they could buy there. She assured him again. He hugged her tightly and took his stuff and boarded, getting a window seat near where she stood so he could keep waving. He did so till he could no longer see her. He let out a heavy sigh and sobbed. He could only hope he would hear from her very quickly, even though he knew he had his own affairs to arrange and forced himself to write a list of things to do once he got back. This guardian stuff was draining, he told himself.

Livia followed the headmaster's instructions – which included a few she kept to herself. She put all her items into a checked storage area and went up towards the station's entrance. Just then she spotted an owl that swooped off the rafters and dropped something right in front of her. It had her name on it. The note instructed her that she would be meeting a very large bearded man who would help her acquire additional things for her trip. She should call him Hagrid.

Almost immediately they saw and greeted each other. "The headmaster asked me to take you to withdraw some money, get you a wand and other supplies you will need. We need to act quickly, even though your train leaves later in the morning than you or your brother had thought."

They traveled outside the station and in a short time entered a world that seemed odd but thrilling. The bank itself proved a little strange given its layout and lighting, but Livia had little experience ever being inside a bank to appreciate all its peculiarities. Livia signed her name – in fact it was the first time she was asked to sign "Olivia Woodcock," and she inquired if she could change this, given no one ever called her that name. A very undersized man, a goblin she learned, furrowed his brow and exhaled somewhat loudly. "What do you want it to be?" the teller asked.

"Everyone has called me Livia – I am just asking if you can drop one letter. Is that hard for you to do?"

The teller sighed in relief. "No. I will make a note as an 'a.k.a.' and put 'Livia Woodcock'," he said. "Sign this document here as your given name and here as the name you wish to use."

Given the nature of how Livia gained money via Hogwarts, she received money set aside that the teller had waiting for her. "Will you be establishing your own account with its own vault?" the teller asked.

Livia looked at Hagrid. "I am supposed to do this, right?"

Hagrid told her that yes, she should set one up, even if it remained empty for a time. "You may get opportunities in the future to make deposits, so you should do this. And if the school allocates money to you, then it has a home, rather than just being brought out front for you."

Hagrid had her acquire some notebooks, parchment, writing utensils – all of which seemed rather quaint. "You mean I cannot use my own pens?" Livia asked.

"You have muggle pens?" Hagrid countered.

"I have muggle everything. Muggle music, muggle paper, muggle clothes. What don't I have that did not come from there?"

"Well, we do things differently. How do you have muggle music?" he asked.

"Guess you do not know what a Walkman is, I suppose," she responded.

"Not a clue."

"Well," Livia began, "it is a portable player of music with headphones and an area to insert these small tapes of them that are called cassettes. It runs on a power provided by small batteries. I have these things in my suitcase at King's Cross."

"Hmm," he said. "I think I might like to see this sometime."

"I have a question, Hagrid," Livia began, "I know these two Barn Owls that I will attempt to summon to the school because they have been loyal to me and have carried letters for me. They are not pets, though. I have given them names – Sydney and Mel. I do not know what to do with them once they arrive, since I do not wish to cage them or limit who they are. I do not know how I will be able to feed them or keep watch over them as a student."

"I see you recognize that I am the keeper of the grounds at Hogwarts," he said.

"I sensed you are very fond of animals – that's not magic. One animal lover just knows when they meet another."

"I will build them a small owl box when we all get to Hogwarts. I will see that they live long enough to carry many letters for you."

"I am most grateful. I guess that means I will be visiting you quite often."

"You are most welcome – and welcome to visit. We must hurry and get you a wand here because the wand master is here and not at his shop in Scotland typically."

So, it was time to visit Ollivander's Wand Shop and, as he put it, have a wand choose Livia. Mr. Ollivander, a spry man much like the headmaster, tried a number of woods and cores, so he said, and never quite thought he had found a perfect match. He then thought he would try one like that made for a great former teacher at Hogwarts. Livia's was about a half an inch longer but in wood and core it matched former professor Horace Slughorn in being made of Cedar with a dragon-heartstring core, he said. Hagrid quickly returned Livia to the station, helped her get her things, placing the recently-purchased items and remaining money in them before getting her onto the train platform. He seemed to depart just after the elevator opened on the platform, so Livia gathered her bags in a nearby cart. How could he just vanish, Livia wondered.

Just then, another school-aged girl, a petite girl of about 12 with medium-length curly medium-dark brown hair approached her. "Hi. My name is Shelley Silver. Did I just see Hagrid?"

"Hi, I'm Livia Woodcock – yes, he was there and then gone. You know him?"

"Of course," Shelley answered. "Everyone at Hogwarts does. Who sent him to help you?"

"The headmaster," Livia responded. "Hagrid helped me buy things. I have never done this before and both Hagrid and the headmaster gave me information about getting to the right place."

"Blimey," she said. "Professor Dumbledore has taken an interest in you already – nice!"

"It might be because, as you can see, I have no family here," Livia stated. "I recently left my adopted brother on another platform. I have no idea who my parents are or why I belong here."

"The headmaster knows," Shelley asserted. "That will do just fine. I strayed from people I know to find a rubbish bin. Follow me and we can get to our platform together."

Livia could hardly believe what had just taken place. Having joined others penetrate a wall seemed impossible. She stared at it. At least she had some clue as to why Tom could not join her.

An old-fashioned steam locomotive awaited them and a bunch of newly-arrived pupils as well as those already boarding. Shelley made some introductions, but Livia did not catch all she said. Livia followed Shelley onto the train. Shelley inquired about her carrier, being a bit odd there.

"It's for my cat," Livia asserted. "Would I really want her out of it if she seems content?"

"No reason to bother her, then," Shelley said. "Some take pets without carriers or cages, unless they have owls."

"I still find this surprising: just who has an owl as a pet?" Livia asked.

"Many students do. Did you not see them sold at Diagon Alley? You never had one?"

"No, I have used wild owls, typically fed with mice Sairy kills," Livia said. "I have a pair in particular I have relied on, if more the female, but neither has ever been a pet."

"They listen to you – wild creatures?" Shelley asked.

"Oh yes. I can talk to this cat without making a sound."

"I guess some here can do that, but I have not seen it myself," Shelley stated.

"I take it you have been here before?" Livia asked.

"Yes, this is my second year. You must be extra tall to be a first year student."

"No, I am just older," Livia revealed. "I hope I can catch up to my age group, if possible."

"There is a lot to learn," Shelley said. "I do not envy the task you set for yourself. Perhaps this is why Professor Dumbledore finds you interesting."

Before Livia fully realized it, the train had begun moving and her new life truly had begun.


	6. A New Beginning at Hogwarts

Shelley introduced Livia to several of her school friends, a few of which settled in their car. Most of them were also second-year students, like Reggie, a youngster of African-Caribbean descent who was quite quick-witted, jovial and seemed rather kind. He had spent several years in a tough neighborhood in Brixton, London, and his inner toughness made him unafraid to be generous to those friendly to him. An olive-skinned, dark haired girl named Clara also took a seat in the car. She asked Livia if she wanted to know anything in particular about her studies or the professors or the headmaster. Livia declined, which struck everyone as a bit odd, given she admitted almost total ignorance about these things. "I prefer to make up my own mind, rather than anyone sway me one way or another," she explained. "I am sure I may ask some of you later about things I may need help doing, but I trust myself regarding what I observe or feel. I like making decisions from first impressions. Do you know what I mean?"

"You may change your mind after you meet a few people," Reggie said before Clara could.

Shelley then told both of them that Livia hoped to skip a grade to catch up with those about her age, a feat Shelley thought extremely difficult.

"You mean you would be on the third level when we are?" Clara asked.

"Yes, I hope I can join you," Livia answered. "I know I am starting late, and I think some disagreed with the headmaster's offer of admission. If I can show enough skill and determination to at least join you next year as you begin level three, I will have proven him correct."

"Can anyone think Professor Dumbledore is ever wrong?" Shelley asked.

"Good question," Reggie replied. "But I should think the entire faculty would have to approve that and who knows how that will go." Clara, Reggie and Shelley all gave a knowing look to each other. Livia realized they thought someone in particular would pose the biggest obstacle. Yet if she gained that person's approval, she thought she certainly would succeed. She did not wish to know more about their thoughts and closed off herself to knowing anything beyond the suggestion behind that knowing gaze. She would figure out it all in due time. She wanted to assess it all on her own, without any outside influences. She felt the need for her own judgement to outweigh anything else, though she realized that she had great difficulty in gauging the headmaster and figured the faculty whilst teaching would be at least as difficult to evaluate as individuals.

"I see you have a cat," Clara stated to Livia. "Why a cat and not, say, an owl?"

"My cat at one point provided mice to owls. I never had the opportunity to have an owl. I only think of them as wild creatures, not pets. I am hoping two I befriended can come to school and resettle there somehow."

"Really?" Reggie asked. "How do you do that? Do have a whistle or something? Are they following the train?"

"The owl I call Sydney told me to call her when I am settled, and she and her partner Mel would join me. I do not know how she will make the trip, but somehow she got letters to the headmaster, so I must believe she can do it."

"You must introduce us all to them, then," Shelley asserted. "They must be very special."

There was some ruckus on the train in general and the exchange of food or drink, but the trip passed pleasantly enough until they reached their destination.

The terminal where they all left the train seemed small, serving as more of a place to transfer to another mode of transportation. Various people waiting there helped students with their belongings, marking them and taking them so the owners could later claim them. These traveled somewhat separately from the students. Shelley told Livia that all the luggage would go to their respective house quarters or, if a new student, to a waiting area until the new ones were "sorted."

"Sorted?" Livia asked.

"Hogwarts has four houses, each bearing the name of one of the school's founders," Shelley replied. "Only when you are sorted will they know where to put your belongings."

"I see," Livia said.

"We all get to see the school from this amazing perspective and, since we first must go to the Great Hall first, we do not need our belongings immediately." Hogwarts looked like a number of the castles she had seen, such as those in Framlingham and Durham, though the exterior seemed even more sturdy, tall and impressive. That reminded her of the thick walls of the late 11th century-built Durham Cathedral and its impressive central tower. Hogwarts, however had various parts with multiple stories and height that many structures akin to this lacked. Livia could not imagine an equivalent, but her travels had not been extensive enough in her youth to think of one. Perhaps Leeds Castle in Kent offered a reasonable parallel yet even that did not measure up.

Livia soon found herself separated from any of the experienced students who already took their places inside. She and other new students remained behind and found no one interested in talking to her. Everyone seemed on edge. Livia remained merely curious because she had no expectations, whereas other students had knowledge of the school from family or older siblings or friends. A veteran, older female instructor welcomed them and introduced herself just before opening the doors to the hall.

When the doors opened Livia found herself awed by the number of students seated at various long tables and a high table stood at the far end reserved for the faculty. The room's only light came from flame, either candles or larger embedded caldrons equally spaced out on walls in the long room. She again beheld the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, now dressed in a much more colorful and, well, enchanting garb. He sat at the head of the high table not far from at a podium surrounded by gilded owls and candles. The podium was somewhat displaced to one side. An empty stool and conical brown hat that seemed sliced midway down its peak took center stage.

Professor McGonagall, an imposing but perhaps kindly figure, Livia thought, had brought them inside. Livia realized an inherent realism and stern fairness in her, meaning she could not be the one the students seemed to think would challenge her the most, though Livia recognized the instructor possessed strong teaching skills as well as being personally formidable, making it essential to impress her, nonetheless. As the new students crowded around the front of the room, she announced that each student would step forward as called, sit in the empty stool in the center area in front of the high table and allow the "sorting hat" to be placed on each to determine the student's house. Fortunately, she called "Livia Woodcock" rather than "Olivia Woodcock," which Livia figured the headmaster had done by listing her name as such on the handwritten list.

Livia stepped forward, making it obvious that she stood a head taller than the second tallest student and older than the rest, who were 11. She could hear murmuring about this, even at the high table. Some wondered who she was, how old she was, why she was there – she heard it all because no other background noise drowned this out. The only consistent answers mentioned that she was Professor Dumbledore's own project – said on the high table – or that the headmaster personally must have approved of her attendance – the assertion of other students. She could not make out who seemed most critical or cynical regarding her attendance – she only knew it came from somewhere on the high table. She had fixed her gaze on the stool and the hat instead, so she only figured that whoever had questioned her attendance the most coldly must be the person the group on the train had tried to discuss with her. The whispers made attempting to decipher gender exceedingly difficult, so she could not guess more at the time than the general direction of the source. Still, she became aware that someone judged her before knowing her.

She sat down and the hat placed on her. The hat spoke, which gave the slit a function, if a very strange one she took in stride by betraying no emotion. The hat muttered at first. It started to point out a number of Livia's qualities and suggested she would perform well in any house. Then the hat mentioned a legacy. Everyone really seemed to take special notice of that because no one there had ever heard of any former student named Woodcock. It mentioned her father being an alumni of the school and asked her if she wanted that fact to determine her sorting. It seemed that comment drew in every ear, as did her response.

"No," Livia responded. The assembled group almost seemed to gasp – or at least a few people did. "I know nothing about my father. He does not even know I exist. I only know that he was not named Woodcock. I received this name from the man who adopted me. Judge me on me alone, my potential here and what I want to accomplish. My fate should be mine alone."

The hat consented, adding that Livia's academic aptitude, skills and motivation made the choice easy. "Ravenclaw," it announced. The table where those students sat all applauded and welcomed her heartily, a reception she had only began to receive after her release from Colindale, one that gave her a slightly visible smile. She felt gratitude, if not fully showing it.

Livia went to join that table and found Shelley Silver already there, congratulating her. She explained that the two other students Livia had met earlier belonged to another house, Hufflepuff. "It makes sense you should be here," Shelley stated. "We are all hard-working as well as gifted students. This school will determine if that translates well into also being good witches or wizards, since the two are not necessarily the same thing. Some of us are very talented in that respect whilst others work hard to obtain better skills, though never among the best here."

"Yes, I got that impression," Livia acknowledged. Now that Livia essentially had a home and Hagrid would build one for Sydney and Mel, she reached out to them, hoping they could follow her thoughts of them like a beacon. She conjured it in her mind, one that would give them a path to her. She told them of a home that an older, large man, the school's groundskeeper, would make for them. He also would look after them. She further told them that some students kept owls as pets and she did not wish to curb their freedom and innate nature but instead wanted them to be safe and healthy. After a few minutes, she faintly heard Sydney reply, "We hear you, we see your signal and we are coming. We know something of the man you mention. You can expect us in a few days. You may want to send a note to your brother through a friend of ours we will contact as we set off. We would imagine that your brother is already anxious to hear from you."

Shelley helped Livia settle into a Ravenclaw girls's dormitory for younger students and introduced her to a few people there. First, she met Selene Landers, a pale, dark red-haired girl with glasses who seemed even more withdrawn than Livia ever acted. She was painfully shy and unsure of herself but smart and in possession of more talent than she believed that she had. She had to grow out of her sense of her own awkwardness. She left the room to speak to Ted Tolleson, a tall, medium brown-haired boy who seemed much more comfortable and confident. He maximized a slightly lesser talent because he had the willingness to stretch himself and not take setbacks seriously. Another house friend of Shelley's, the short-haired, tiny blonde Athena Anthony, felt a lot of pressure to live up to her both her names, as members of her family all had attended this school before her whilst she had been named for the goddess of wisdom.

First year Ravenclaw students who also filed in joined the discussion so they could establish some connection with their new housemates and each other. For some reason, they tended to avoid directly addressing Livia. At first, she thought it was a snub, but then she got a different impression. It felt more like they found her intimidating. Livia asked about it as they retreated into their own little group. "I think they have some idea that you will not be among them as a classmate for very long," Shelley asserted. "I must admit that you betray so little about yourself other than that comment to the sorting hat as to make you mysterious, and that likely unsettles a novice student. Those of us who have spent even a year here have a different attitude, being exposed to so many people with skills difficult to understand or personalities that seem hidden. We take it more in stride. They may also, in time – especially if you remain friendly to them."

"Oh," Livia said. "I am so accustomed to being on guard owing to events in my past that I have cultivated this, I suppose. So if you find me unfathomable, just ask, because I might either have a reason, or I just fall back into that habit as an instinct to protect myself."

"What were you protecting yourself from, might I ask?" Shelley inquired.

"Oh, one supposed sister, her friends, bullies at a detention hall where this 'sister' got me sent and people in general to whom I felt I had to keep what I knew or could do a secret."

"Quite a list," Shelley admitted. "Sounds like building a fortress around yourself was your main means of survival."

"Indeed," Livia agreed. "It became quite solid, too. But I might have gone off the rails had not my brother maintained his faith in me, along with his closest friends."

After the introductions, the head of Ravenclaw, a small, distinguished looking mustached man, Professor Filius Flitwick, with his student leaders, showed the first year students their common room for studying and gave them the code to enter it as well as their own quarters. Fittingly, the professor of charms was rather charming all on his own, though he also gave enough of a biographical description to indicate that he more than held his own as a wizard. He also distributed hand-written class schedules to each student, which included times and location information. Classes, he said, would begin tomorrow shortly after breakfast. He further gave them basic instructions on how to find various classrooms and how to reach the areas where the various faculty had offices. He gave a rather animated tour, with historical information as well as giving a sense of the building's own quirks. He finally showed them the room location where Professor Dumbledore himself offered tutoring assistance every Friday to anyone who came seeking his help. Professor Flitwick highly recommended this, even though he himself welcomed them to seek his help with any issue. He further noted that Ravenclaw had plenty of tutors, student leaders and books, all of which could assist them quite well, often from the comforts of their common room. Some experienced tutors had progressed to having their own office spaces and lounge, as they generally resided at the school most of the year. The headmaster himself, Professor Flitwick said, may be the best resource for some things versus others. "As you proceed as students, you will get a sense of who to see about any particular issue. Or just ask me who to see, if unsure."

Just before he left, he called Livia to step forward. He told her that the headmaster wished to see her at her earliest convenience. "Is anything wrong?" she asked.

"I do not believe so," he answered. "I have great confidence that you will do well here. The headmaster would not have invited you here, or to his office, if he did not believe it himself. I do have a question: he told us the muggles rated your IQ as in the 160s or 170s. Which is it?"

"My older brother did the first test and got 165. A teacher at my first school doubted him and did another test and came up with 172."

"Interesting," he said. "Very unusual here, also, as well as there. On that point alone, the sorting hat got it right."

Livia decided to write her note to Tom after she visited Professor Dumbledore's office, especially if he said anything she could repeat to Tom. She carefully followed Professor Flitwick's directions, which she found so important, given how complicated negotiating the school could be, especially given the limited amount of light available at that point.

She knocked at Professor Dumbledore's office softly, and he quickly responded, "Please enter, Livia."

Livia noticed that the headmaster had just removed his face from a disk-like bowl that seemed to contain a liquid but his face showed no trace of moisture. "Do you mind if I ask what that is?" she inquired.

"Oh, it is one of my perks, I guess," he said. "It's called a pensieve and I can access the memories of others by using it."

"How so, sir?" Livia could not resist further questions.

"There are several ways it can serve useful, but typically a person's tears give away their most private or intense memories. Sometimes recent ones also appear. I can witness everything."

"Oh," she said. "Well, I presume that is not what you want of me, is it?"

"No," he answered. "I wanted to congratulate you on your sorting and settling into Ravenclaw. You will learn much from Professor Flitwick and, if you can skip a level, he would be the one who could provide the most material to get you there. His slight stature may fool people, but they would make a fatal mistake in underestimating him. He was a champion duelist."

"He seems a very gentle, emotive person, so I would not have guessed that," Livia observed. "I might be the former, but I try to hide the latter in all but the most private of moments. Much of my life required me to present a mask of some kind, and since you know I am an empath, as outsiders or muggles would say, that has been no easy task."

"Oh, I know," he agreed. "You may have been born in late August, but you are much like a crustacean, or the sign of Cancer, the crab – tough outer shell that keeps most from finding the softness underneath. Your young classmates will be quite unprepared and uncertain as to how to deal with you."

"How about the faculty?" she asked.

"That will vary," Professor Dumbledore replied. "Some will not notice because they focus solely on the material at hand. A few that do notice may not care, because they will not see it as part of their position to know you on a personal level. But that may not be universal, and you will have to judge how to deal with that situation."

"You know something you are not telling me," Livia stated. "And I bet it has to do with whomever questioned why you chose to admit me the most. I heard all those murmurings from the students and the faculty. I have very good hearing, but I was not looking at the person who seemed the most dismissive of me being here. I expect it was the same person some of the second year students tried to warn me about before I shut them down, saying I did not want to know."

"Why did you do that?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "I would think you would want to know everything before you walked into a classroom."

"That's just the thing," Livia responded. "I pick it up as I go. I want to judge people as I encounter them. I do not like receiving information before. I trust myself – I have had to trust myself to recognize, understand and react. That's how I know."

"You are especially good doing this with me, but not everyone here will be as open as I am and, as you know, I am not exactly open that much, especially with students," he stated. "Are you sure you are ready to walk into any and all classes this way?"

"I already know that Professors Flitwick and McGonagall will be fair with me. Given where I had just come from before I met you I think I can handle whatever comes my way."

"Are you still determined to move from level one to level three next year?" he asked.

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "Definitely. I want to prove myself and demonstrated that your trust in me was not misplaced."

"Well, I suggest you do a lot of reading ahead and see me or Professor Flitwick privately as often as you can," he asserted. "Tutors will help, also. You will take your first year exams at the end of the year, but you must take the second year exams before school resumes in the fall. They must be graded and the entire faculty has to approve this. I cannot overrule them. You must earn it. In doing so, it likely means you will spent a lot of time here – like breaks and summer."

"I understand," Livia agreed. "I will not let you down, sir."

"One other thing," the headmaster said. "Your desire to visit your brother. Underage students are not supposed to do anything in the muggle world involving magic. I will endeavor to get a limited exception for you regarding any trip you make, but you must observe extreme caution about this and not perform any 'tricks' – as they might call them – as long as you remain a juvenile. I cannot stress this enough. This issue is taken most seriously."

"Yes, sir," Livia affirmed. "As I said, I will not disappoint you."

With that, both the headmaster and she bid each other a good night. And Livia made her way back to her dormitory. She found a table near her bed and jotted a quick letter in muggle ink and paper to Tom, as she would write all her letters to him:

 _Dear Tom,_

 _I am settled into a dormitory where other students are of similar mindset and generally amiable. I am safe. I have summoned Sydney and Mel to join me, but Sydney indicated I should use another owl they know to carry this, because they have not arrived yet. When they do, the school's groundskeeper said he will look after them, since Sairy is more of a sleeper than a mouser right now. Those owls likely need assistance to continue living well. I just met with the headmaster who says my attempt to bypass the second level is entirely out of his hands – and that I must earn it unanimously from the faculty. I will likely be spending a lot of time here in order to succeed, especially over the summer, since I will take the second level exams shortly before fall term next year begins._

 _I have met a few faculty members who I believe will treat me fairly and give me this chance. I keep getting hints thrown my way that one professor will pose the biggest challenge. I have not figured out who that is yet, in part because I want to make my own judgements regarding the motivations and approach of whoever it is. I hate when I have been judged unfairly through a jaundiced, narrow view (say about my birth circumstances), so I have to see for myself. Apparently, that person has judged me critically without meeting me, but I won't fall into that trap._

 _Classes start tomorrow. Hope you and all your friends are well and starting off your term on a good note. My best to all of you there – as well as your friends Adam and John._

 _Your loving sister,_  
 _Livia_

With that, Livia silently opened a nearby window and summoned Sydney and Mel's friend, another Barn Owl. Within about two minutes, he appeared at the window and entered the room. He told her to call him Sevy. Okay, Livia agreed. She gave him a treat and told him the recipient was a muggle used to getting such notes, but his flatmates had never seen this. She gave him helpful details to find the recipient, too. She then turned over the letter, clasped her hands together and bowed to him. He took the letter addressed to Tom in Durham and flew off into the night. Livia then prepared to sleep in the bed adjacent to her belongings and soon drifted off peacefully and without trepidations like she previously had at Colindale.

She awoke the next morning to find a puffy-shaped letter addressed to her dropped on the same desk where she wrote hers. Some students were amazed she had received it without having her own owl. Shelley said she saw a male Barn Owl pecking at the window early in the morning and let him in and closed the window after he left.

"It's a local owl on the grounds that seems related to or acquainted with the owls I knew in London," Livia revealed. "You mean you cannot speak to your own animals, even?"

"I cannot," Shelley said. "I do not believe this is a common trait. We have a relationship and most of us understand behaviors and gestures, but this does not involve actual conversations."

"What a shame," Livia asserted. "They are great creatures to know." As students got busy to be ready for the morning meal, Livia told anyone listening that she would speak to any of the students's pets if they want to know anything. She later told one student what food his pet preferred and another that her pet hated the nickname "Chucky" and preferred "Charlie" or just "Cha."

After Livia was ready to leave the room, she got warned to take her notebooks, writing materials, books and wand with her because she might not have enough time to fetch them after the meal. Still, she gave herself five minutes to read Tom's response before leaving. It included a cassette tape with a sheet of paper wrapped around it.

 _Dear Livia,_

 _I_ _am so happy to get your letter. Things are going well here, though your Barn Owl friend startled Alice as well as Audrey a little. We warned them! Now they believe. I think they also realized how beautiful a Barn Owl is up close. I presume that owl with his mostly white chest and face was male. Wonderful example of the species._

 _Anyway, to make this brief, John sent me two copies of this new album by the Scottish group Simple Minds. It gets released to the public next month. He knew you would love it and probably at least some of my friends would find it great as well. I did not include a case, to lighten the burden of what the owl would carry._

 _Write back when you can. I know these first few weeks are hectic._

 _Your loving brother,_  
 _Tom_

Livia found the letter great and she could not wait to hear the tape, though it would have to wait till the end of the day.

Livia made her way to breakfast and found a seat by Shelley, Ted, Selene and Athena. Selene, perhaps aware as to how unthreatening Livia was, bravely asked about the letter left to her.

"My brother sent it," Livia explained. "He also sent me a music cassette of a new album coming out next month. He has a friend whose father has ties to the music industry."

"You mean muggle music?" Ted asked.

"Yes," Livia answered. "I survived a lot owing to my ability to bury myself in music. My brother sent me a radio and sometimes these cassettes, also. You might think it odd for students here, but it was a way to release my burdens and it sustained me when little else other than books could give me an outlet. Maybe I read too fast, though I am not a speed reader exactly."

"Indeed," Shelley stated. "Some of us with ties to the muggle world can enjoy such things, but no one here flaunts this interest. Others take a dim view of anything muggle-related."

"That's too bad," Livia asserted. "For me, it kept me going, and I will never dismiss it for that reason alone. Other than that, some of it is just brilliant."

"Your brother is a muggle?" Athena inquired, puzzled.

"He's my adopted brother, and yes, he is," Livia answered.

"So you do not share either parent?" Athena queried again, just to be sure she understood.

"That is correct," Livia confirmed.

"Then what was the sorting hat talking about?" Ted asked. "He referred to a legacy."

"The hat knows something I do not," Livia asserted. "My mother abandoned me as a baby, and I do not believe she ever informed the father about me. She did not tell her own parents. She just left the country and returned to her home in the United States."

"Do you think she was a witch?" Ted inquired.

"I have no confirmation. Some friend of hers left me in the front of a parish church with a note. I have the note. It is possible, but the sorting hat did not refer to her as any legacy."

"So do you have any idea from the note about your father?" Shelley asked.

"I still have the letter pinned to my baby blanket and, it describes the young man having a crested school gown," Livia replied. "But I wonder if I should speculate about this, not knowing anything about this person."

"Really?" Athena asked, quite surprised. "Maybe you will figure it out when it is meant to become known. Too bad the hat did not say more."

The morning classes seemed to go well, such as History of Magic, Charms and Transfigurations. The syllabi, often presently orally more than in writing, all made sense, and she started to think of how to make the most of them by reading as much as she could to get ahead of the material presented. She felt grateful that she read fast, and her brother had given her a few tips about retention and the use of making notations in books and finding a topic sentence in every paragraph. She seemed serene at lunch whereas some of her new friends seemed a little disturbed about something. Livia realized it involved their studies and schedule, so she decided to leave it alone and not try to comprehend it.

Her first afternoon class spelled out everything. Livia knew it the second he walked into the basement classroom. Yet she thought the professor seemed a little young to be the cause of such angst. She guessed he was about 25. Everything he wore from his academic robe to his high-necked buttoned jacket and trousers was black. Only a small hint of a white ruffled shirt sleeve peaked out from his jacket and fell well beyond his wrist. His hair was of medium length, if long for a man; it also fell fairly straight and was also black. His eyes seemed just as dark. She tried to look as closely at them as she could from the last row of seats. They seemed piercing and completely endless and unfathomable. He showed enthusiasm for his subject but not with childish antics. Despite his youth, his formidable qualities struck Livia hard. Could she tread lightly around him? No, if he pushed her, she would push back. She knew he intimidated almost everyone – except her. She realized if he ever recognized this, he would become quite infuriated. Given the fact that she also innately sensed how much he could teach her, she sought to focus on the subtleties of potion making and little else.

For whatever reason, that first day he picked her out, despite being in back of the classroom. "Miss Woodcock, I see you. You do realize that even back there you cannot hide from me?"

"I am not trying to hide, Professor Snape," Livia answered. "I can learn very well from being unobtrusive and observing all around me. I cannot follow everything from the front."

"So noted," he observed. "And yet I can only ask: whatever possessed the headmaster to admit you given your advanced age?"

"I cannot say, sir," Livia responded.

"Are you so obtuse to not know what a rhetorical question is?" he countered.

"Do you actually think the headmaster had no justification whatsoever?" Livia could not help herself. If he was going to dish this out, she would stand up for herself.

"Touché, Miss Woodcock," Professor Snape said. "I hope you make potions as well to back up the audacity you show me right now."

Silently, she looked right at him and sent him a message: _Bring it on. I will not crumble. The last person who attacked me needed over 20 stiches from an Eagle Owl landing on her head._

He seemed to stare back at her – at least incredibly slightly so to everyone else. If he was surprised, no one there but Livia saw even a hint of it. Livia knew that he heard her as if she had said it aloud. As he subtly glared at her, she ran her hand across her mouth as if she had zippered it shut and then threw away the means to unzip it. With that, he resumed his lesson, outlined his plans for the term and his high standards and expectations, even though he asserted that only a select few ever performed to his satisfaction. Livia took this as a direct challenge to her, though she knew he had directed it at the entire class.

Whilst she was engaged in much talk afterward with the four other Ravenclaw students who had warmed up to her, she spent much time reading in the common room, except for brief periods before or after supper (depending on the weather) outside. Part of this habit involved visiting Hagrid, especially after Sydney and Mel had arrived. Perched outside the owl box Hagrid had constructed, they allowed her to lightly stroke their feathers. She inquired about their health and if they liked their diet. On one particularly fine warm fall day, Sarah went with her, but as soon as she arrived at Hagrid's home and saw the owls, Sarah ran into the nearby woods. Hagrid seemed concerned the cat would not return.

"Just watch," Livia said. "I have an idea of exactly what Sairy wants to do."

Less than five minutes later, Sarah returned with a decent-sized mouse and laid it near the owl box. Sarah then repeated this, so both Sydney and Mel had a rodent to eat. As the two owls flew down to strip off a part then swallow their meals head first, Sarah wrapped her tail around both and rubbed her face against both in turn after Sydney and Mel had consumed their food.

"That was impressive," Hagrid stated. "Whilst these are not supposed to be thought of as magical creatures, I wonder if that assessment needs re-thinking."

"They all have a relationship," Livia asserted. "It's not that great a mystery. They share a fondness for eating rodents, and they all like me, though I would probably rank myself as second to the mice."

"I will try to get more gophers or mice for them," he offered.

"Mind you, they did not complain about you or your food, they just missed this," Livia said. "It was a treat Sairy could provide. She is getting old and cannot do this so much anymore."

"So noted."

On another day, she went with Shelley, who seemed quite impressed with the whole thing. More typically, Livia went out on the grounds alone away from the school with her wand, some birdseed and her Walkman. Sometimes, she tried to get her wand to gain insight and feel loyalty to her by using is like a baton and directed local crows and songbirds – and even with Sydney, Mel and Sevy – in performing some kind of collective tune. The clacking noise of a barn owl could act like percussion, even. Livia conducted her choir like Professor Flitwick might do with singers. They even could act like Livia's backup band for singing, if she wanted. She tried to do this far enough away from the school to escape notice, but at least one faculty member saw it. They largely dismissed it as cute, though the fact that Livia held sway over these wild birds presented itself as an oddly powerful activity. Its resemblance to her head of house made it seem quite benign, though.

She did something else that raised more attention and some alarm. It involved her Walkman, which she had been happy to show Hagrid when he expressed interest in seeing it. She had become quite attached to the (apparently) muggle album _Once Upon A Time_ by Simple Minds and would twirl in the grass and spread her birdseed among those gathered around her. She would sing to them as a perfect recitation of the lyrics and the lead singer's voice. The girl who often said little in class said and sang plenty to this audience. It just so happened the window with the best vantage point to seeing her performance belonged to Professor Snape, and the wind somehow brought some of the sound to his partially-open window. He looked out, puzzled, and amplified what he could see and hear. There she was, crooning as if a male tenor; he could faintly hear the music, too, to a song called "I Wish You Were Here." The lyrics made him shake his head. She has no idea, he thought – how could she? Still, he made himself listen to the entire song, though it was not because the song made him happy. He did not flinch, either. He endeavored to remain perfectly still and unaffected – and yet he could not stop watching. She fully voiced the emotion invoked by the lyrics and music and worse to him she actually felt it keenly. How could she mimic that emotion, he asked himself. How could that come from in a 13-year-old girl? Everything else seemed perfectly playful and unaffected. He finally pushed himself back into his chair and back to his work, though this would not be the last time he observed her out in the field dancing and singing with a strange contraption in her hand and headphones on her ears. Ultimately, he realized that Livia used those moments to entertain the birds, but also to exorcise her own emotions or any near her that she wanted to release. This was a therapeutic performance, not the mere play of a sentimental child. He then would again have to remind himself that she was only 13-years-old.

Later that day, after students had retired from supper to their study lounges, the faculty held a meeting where Livia's odd behavior was brought up to the headmaster and Professor Flitwick. The latter seemed quite amused hearing about her "choir practice" among the birds. "I guess she emulates me a little, whether she knows it or not," he said, then laughed. "If I don't mind, why should any of you?" Professor Dumbledore found himself in total agreement with this assessment.

But Professor Bertrand Bends, the current Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, went further. He tersely noted that Miss Woodcock used some strange thing to play and sing music. Given that he suspected that she carried a muggle device of some kind, he recommended it be confiscated or at least examined closely. "Her behavior does not seem appropriate for Hogwarts, does it?" he asked. "She was some yards from the school, but Severus, you had to have the best view of what took place. Don't you agree something is amiss here?"

"Bertrand," he began, "we teach children, remember? I really don't pay attention or care about what these students do on their own time. If they do their work and perform reasonably well in my class, why should this be my concern?"

"You HAD to see this. Perhaps if you did, you would take an interest in it."

"Well, I did not," Professor Snape said. "I have work to do. I think we all should be concerned about this student's performance. Other than the first day, she has said nothing in my class, though all of her assignments and potion performances show promise in sensibility and practicality towards my subject. I don't say that easily. The only thing I can complain about is the lack of anything substantive to complain about, in her potion making or her papers. I think, frankly, she knows that she knows too much and lets the others try to learn as best they can. I am glad that I did not take that bet with you about her prospects here, Albus. What do the rest of you think?"

"Her papers are among the best I have ever read from any student at any level," Professor Flitwick said. "I cannot take credit for this, except to say that I am proud that she is a member of my house. If we had any kind of writing competition, she easily would beat all the first year students and give even the most senior students serious competition. Her clarity of prose, the impeccable structure to her papers, her clear theses, her command of vocabulary beyond her years and her perception or analysis of any topic are all top drawer. I suspect these will continue to improve, too, though I cannot imagine what her ceiling is. I dare anyone to challenge me on this."

"I certainly will not," Professor McGonagall said. "She does excellent work for me, also. I think she would be a credit to Gryffindor if she were my student. I think the Muggle Studies professor should ask to see whatever muggle belongings she has. They may be useful for a better understanding of that world, but otherwise, I agree with Severus – she is a child enjoying herself as such, and it really should not concern us unless it adversely affected her work or caused problems at Hogwarts itself."

The Muggle Students instructor, Professor Quirrell, thought this a reasonable request to look at her muggle belongings. "She-she is not my student, so I-I think Filius should bring her to me so-so to make the in-introductions, and I-I can see if this f-fuss has any m-merit. It seems muggles are-are inventing lots of interesting things of l-late, so I-I may as well examine this device. I-I am sure it is harmless if all-all it does is play m-music. Indeed, a number of musicians are-are witches or wizards. Often, those-those musicians who st-stay in that world are-are not pureblood."

Finally, the headmaster summed things up. "I also agree with Severus. If any of you have a complaint about a student – Miss Woodcock or anyone else – it should involve that pupil's studies, not their extracurricular activities, unless those somehow affect this school or another student. That clearly is not the case here. As for any muggle item this student has, it would be to Professor Quirrell's benefit to examine it and nothing else. He need not keep it to understand it, though he may want to borrow it if he wants to show it to his own students. I doubt it is terribly complicated and requires that Miss Woodcock herself show them how to use it."

Whilst Livia concentrated on accelerating her reading in the Ravenclaw common room, Professor Flitwick entered and asked her to speak to him in the hallway. Livia sensed he had something pressing to discuss with her.

"Miss Woodcock," he began, "I have just come from a faculty meeting where your possession of some muggle items raised some issue with a few people."

"Really?" she asked. "What is the problem?"

"We don't as a rule have many of these things around the school. Some people here take a very dim view of such items whereas others do not feel terribly concerned."

"Which side are you on?" Livia inquired.

"Yours, I hope," he answered. "I did agree, though, to bring you and whatever device you have to Professor Quirrell, who teaches Muggle Studies, as some thought he should look at it."

"I'm not going to lose it, am I?" she inquired. "My brother gave it to me. It may be only things he can give me that I will ever have here, since he is not a wizard and can never be here."

"Your attachment makes sense, and you are correct – he likely will never set foot here."

"Fetch it and meet me back here," Professor Flitwick stated.

"That is not necessary," Livia said. "Just give me a second." She closed to eyes, held out her hands and said the word _here_ to herself. The item thus appeared in her hands, with the Simple Minds tape still inside the cassette holder.

"This is what you wanted to see, yes?"

"Who taught you how to do that?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"No one," Livia answered. "One day I forgot to bring something to school, and I made it materialize from my desk at home into a folder I had. No one ever knew it had not been inside that folder the entire time. My desire to have it, so I would not miss a school activity, made me want to retrieve it, so I discovered I could do this without saying a word. The key is knowing where it is when I want something to come to me. If I don't remember, I cannot produce it."

"Impressive," he observed. "Before we go, show me how this thing works."

Livia opened the cover so she could show the professor the cassette, which had recorded music tape within it. She uncovered the slot for batteries that powered its ability to operate. She showed him the labels for play, fast forward, reverse and stop. The she asked him to put the earphones over his ears and adjusted them so they directly lay correctly on his head. Then she hit the play button.

As the music came through the headphones, she showed him the dial to turn the sound volume up or down. He turned it up some and hummed a little as the tape began with a Simple Minds song called "Once Upon A Time." He removed the headphones and turned the player off. "Very interesting," Professor Flitwick told her. "Not sure if I care for the music itself, but the voice of that man is very, very good. I would put him in a choir of mine in a heartbeat."

"Yes," Livia agreed. "I absolutely adore his voice. He's from Glasgow, Scotland, according to what I have read about him. I think he has a bit of an Irish lilt in his singing, also."

"The two have similarities from what I understand," Professor Flitwick asserted. "Let us go visit Professor Quirrell. He once lived as a Ravenclaw student here. He said he would be at his office to meet us both. He wanted me to introduce you to him."

Livia did not know what to make of Professor Quirrell as she entered. His prematurely balding head made her wonder if his brain chased away his hair, but, from what she heard, he taught his subject fairly objectively, if quaintly, for someone not really ever a participant in that world, whereas Livia knew only of it for all but the most recent part of her life. He had a very theoretical understanding of things versus a participatory one. Livia understood because she had turns at doing both. He also possessed a bit of a stammer.

She nodded to him. Professor Flitwick did a lot of the initial talking and told him that Livia showed him how the device worked. He handed it to Professor Quirrell who examined it, opened various parts, removed and reset the batteries and almost seemed to peer inside its core circuitry beneath the plastic. "I-I am satisfied there is-is nothing h-harmful about it. Sh-show me it-it working," he said, looking at Livia directly.

She handed him the headphone after demonstrating how to wear them. He put them over his head, with the ear pieces rightly positioned. She rewound the tape so she played the exact thing to him as she had Professor Flitwick hear.

"Oh, I-I see," he said. "Interesting. Muggles really like music and are-are ever finding new w-ways to make it available. Do you l-like this, M-miss Woodcock?"

"I do," Livia answered. "My adopted brother bought me this device and sent me the tape very recently. I find this man's voice very strong and captivating."

"Sent you the-the tape?" he asked.

"From Durham, yes – we have communicated through Barn Owls for some time now." Livia answered.

"Where is the-the s-singer from?" Professor Quirrell asked.

"I think he lives in Glasgow, Scotland, but has some Irish background," Livia replied.

"What is-is your view, F-filius?"

"The music is passable," he said. "I agree totally about the singer. I would put him in a choir immediately if he were here."

"Some with talents in music can-can have wizardry skills," Professor Quirrell told Livia. "I think it is among the-the chosen pr-professions of our kind."

"It is," Professor Flitwick agreed, looking at her.

"Do you have any-any other t-tapes?" Professor Quirrell asked Livia.

"Yes. I think I can locate one," she answered. "Give me a few seconds." Again, she closed her eyes and put out her hand. Another cassette – this one in a case – appeared in her hand.

"Filius, did you know M-miss Woodcock could do-do that?" Professor Quirrell asked.

"She just showed me," he admitted. "I did not teach her this. Apparently, she developed this ability all on her own."

"That c-could explain the headmaster's interest," Professor Quirrell suggested. "That is-is not a c-common thing novices do. Older students, maybe. What is-is this tape, Miss Woodcock?"

"The album is called _The Unforgettable Fire_ by the Irish band U2," Livia said. "I can sing the lyrics if you want to know what they are. I know this song completely. I have played it a lot in the short time since its release. In any case, some also consider me a good mimic – at least my brother's friends thought so."

"No, just-just play it," he said. "I am-am c-curious as to what f-fascinates you."

"Oh," Livia said. "That will be obvious. I saw this band at a great concert called Live Aid earlier this year. This group has a great following among muggles like my brother. It will be so hard for me NOT to sing with it." She hit play and after an instrumental introduction, an Irish tenor void filled the headphones with song. He understood – a talented, elegant and strong male voice, with that lilt detectable, too. Professor Flitwick wanted to hear it, too, so one professor passed the headphones to the other as the song continued. He shut it off after about half a minute. Well, he is better than the last one, Professor Flitwick thought.

"What is this song about, Livia?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"The inspiration had to do with nuclear war and the devastation muggle weapons of destruction can cause to their own kind," Livia revealed. "If they blew up the world, would we get destroyed with it?"

"Probably not," Professor Flitwick replied. "But that is a very good question. I am not certain I have the definitive answer. You should ask the headmaster if we are immune to such destruction."

"I consider this-this d-device innocuous in itself," Professor Quirrell concluded. "But some may disagree b-because, with your interest, you-you put yourself in their world, not ours, even if some f-famous musicians have-have powers like ours."

"I was raised there, and until recently, it was all I knew – and it is my main source of connection to the brother I do not see. For a time, he was all I had as any tie to any world outside a miserable detention center for children."

"How did-did you get your p-powers, then, M-miss Woodcock?" Professor Quirrell asked. "Whilst y-you are not-not my student, I have heard your work praised and-and just producing this tape s-so easily sh-shows me you-you have significant gifts that merit your place h-here."

"I have no idea precisely," Livia answered. "I do not know the identity of either parent. The only clues I have concern what the sorting hat said and something in a letter written about me after I was born. My guess, if I had to guess, is that my father attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin."

"H-have you told Professor Snape this – it-it is his house?" Professor Quirrell inquired.

"No," she said. "I don't really speak in his class. He likes pushing the buttons of his students, especially the new ones. I stay out of his way and learn as much as he makes available to me. My impression is that many, if not most, non-Slytherin students are too intimidated to learn well, which is a shame because he really knows his craft."

"Craft?" Professor Flitwick asked. "Really?"

"There is both precision and artistry in what he does," she replied. "He really knows what he's doing, and his demeanor sometimes makes students turn away when they should be focused on the minutiae of what he says or does. What would be a better term for it?"

"I think only a Ravenclaw c-could think that w-way," Professor Quirrell concluded. "Well done, M-miss Woodcock. Very intellectualized assessment, even with-with that s-sensibility added. If y-you shared that-that view with him, he probably would get rather t-testy with you. I-I think y-you are right to keep quiet. We sh-should al-also keep quiet, for-for your s-sake."

"The sorting hat did not err here, I think," Professor Flitwick said. "I am glad, too."

"I m-may ask to borrow s-something from-from you, Miss Woodcock, if I-I can find where it f-fits into my lessons," Professor Quirrell asserted. "Do y-you have any is-issue with that?"

"None at all, so long as I get it back any item I lend you, since, as I said, it's my main tie to my brother, and I don't know where I would be without him."

"I have heard of that-that Live Aid event, so p-perhaps an eyewitness account of-of it would be useful at-at some p-point, too," Professor Quirrell suggested.

"Honestly, sir," Livia responded. "That was the highlight of my life thus far, which is why I am attached to anything that reminds me of it and my brother. I went with him and two of his best friends, who basically treat me like their own sister – at least when I see them."

"Does your brother knows what you actually are?" Professor Flitwick inquired.

"He knows about some things, magical or not. He thinks of me as a talented empath – a type of muggle with powers to do things like speak to animals and understand the feeling of others. As I said before, whilst he was working on getting me out of that prison, we bypassed the potential for anyone to read our letters by communicating though some wild Barn Owls that chose to help me because my cat fed them plenty of mice whilst I was stuck there."

"You started this when?" Professor Flitwick queried.

"Age 11. I used to talk to crows and they were the ones who helped me find this Barn Owl pair that now lives in an owl box Hagrid built for them."

"Not-not pets?" Professor Quirrell asked, appearing puzzled.

"No," Livia answered. "I never had a pet owl, though I see enough students with them. To me, they belong in the wild, but Sydney and Mel – what I call this pair – as they age will need some human caretaking to stay healthy. Hagrid volunteered to do it."

"Y-yes, he likes all s-sorts of animals – p-probably some you never have s-seen before," Professor Quirrell asserted. "Sounds like a-a nice s-setup for them, Hagrid and-and you."

Professor Quirrell left the encounter with the idea he would send a note when he needed something and bid her a good night. Professor Flitwick did not say much on the way back except to remark about how much he enjoyed the second thing he heard. "You have a good ear for a fine human voice," he said.

"It grounds me in a way and keeps me levelheaded during the school day," Livia remarked.

"I get that," he said. "I feel like that about my choir ambitions sometimes. To direct one gets my mind off of things and when I return to them, I have a better focus on how to deal with whatever I need to do. What is your own singing voice like?"

"I almost don't remember," Livia answered. "I mimic so often. I believe muggles would call it contralto."

"That makes sense because it gives you access to what a male voice can produce."

Livia returned to the common room, finished her reading and retired for the night. She later heard from Professor Flitwick that Professor Quirrell had told the rest of the faculty that he saw nothing untoward in her activities, so long as they remained chiefly her own activities and that they did not adversely affect her studies. He suggested they might help her work, since he learned this Walkman was a gift from her brother, who as a muggle, could never set foot on the grounds. A girl with a taste for music, even muggle music, was better than a homesick child who could not pay attention or attend to her assignments. He also reported that she had some outside experiences that he might want to tap into at some point when his lessons made them relevant.

Shelley and the other Ravenclaw girls she knew noticed the added attention she had gotten by Professor Flitwick, and they sought to know why he had sought her out. "My Walkman seemed to have caught the attention of a few people, and Professor Quirrell wanted to examine it."

"Oh," Shelley stated. "That thing with the headphones and tapes. It is a strange contraption, I guess. But isn't it like a toy?"

"Well," Livia began, "it could be viewed as that – or as a technological device. Just that it is a muggle source of muggle music made it seem strange."

"It is true we only rarely hear much of that here – unless the artist is known to have powers like ours – whereas those muggle-born or partly muggle know it better. But why would anyone care about what you do when not in class if your work is at least decent."

"No idea," Livia said. "I guess the Slytherins would particularly not like it, and a few think as they tend to do. Anything from muggles is bad."

"Maybe we should get you more involved in Quidditch," Athena suggested. "Our team has not often been great – because only a few of us are athletic. This is why we do not win often."

"I know nothing about it. Someone will have to sit with me at a match and explain it. I doubt I could play it. I am just getting used to riding a broom."

Before that could happen, Livia picked a Friday to ask Professor Dumbledore a few questions stirred up regarding her work and her muggle-related conversations. He wanted to see this Walkman thing himself and thought it intriguing and rather fun. He still had a playful mindset, she realized. He told her that Professor Snape was the first to shut down the complaints about the device, even though he generally did not like much of anything muggle-related. "How?" she asked.

"He reminded the room that you all are children and so long as any student's work does not suffer and no harm comes to the school, we should let you all be. I have to admit I was surprised to hear him say that. The person who complained told him he would change his mind if he saw whatever you were doing outside with your music and thought he had the best view of it. Still, Professor Snape remained unimpressed and uninterested."

How odd, Livia thought, since he chewed me out on day one and he has not said a word to me since. The explanation makes sense on one level, but that it served to defend the activity as well as her seemed very puzzling. She realized just how complicated he was for a professor as young as he was. She moved on, though, and asked the question that seemed more important.

"Professor Flitwick suggested I pose this to you," Livia stated. "I mentioned a specific song that he and Professor Quirrell heard, and I told them of its inspiration – which involved muggles using what they call nuclear weapons. If they exchanged these weapons on a large scale and destroyed this planet, would we survive here or not?"

"That's an excellent question," the headmaster responded. "We have some inklings of what goes on there, which gives us the potential for preparations. Our defensive capabilities could potentially save us, though much of our environment would experience damage. It is highly possible we could repair this, but it would take time and likely our world would be the only thing left alive. We would need warning to prepare, though. I think we have adequate resources for that, but nothing is foolproof. Given geography, Diagon Alley would be in greater danger than Hogwarts. Only some of us would survive if the warnings were rather late in coming."

"Would I be allowed to save my brother if it happened?" Livia asked.

"That is hard to say. In trying to reach him, you would put yourself in danger, also. Let us hope muggles are not that daft."

With that, Professor Dumbledore made small suggestions with some of her work as she pushed ahead with her readings, assisting her in anticipating lessons to come, and in getting her wand to work for her, seeing how she was so inclined towards wandless magic. "You still need a wand and to work better with it. It will only amplify your abilities. You will not do well in our world without it. Also, I think you got an excellent one. That's cedar, is it not?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "Just under 11 inches long with a dragon-heartstring core."

"Very much like the potions master who taught Professor Snape. I do wonder how he would react to seeing a version of his own Potion Master's wand in the hands of one of his students. Nothing seems to startle him, but that might give him some pause."

"Since I do not use it in his class much, I cannot imagine when he would see it."

"Do some more imitations of Professor Flitwick conducting with your wand near his window. He's bound to see it eventually. I do love sometimes playing jokes on him, like little gag gifts for his birthday. At some point, if he still says that he has not seen your wand, I will tell him myself just to see if he reacts at all. I might even tell him that you will succeed him as Potions Master someday. I will not say that around you because he likely will say something rather unkind, to say the least, about that to you."

He imparted some additional advice on getting ahead in Livia's various classes and then Livia left for dinner. She would not have time to go outside that Friday. She would check in with Hagrid, Sydney and Mel on Saturday and keep working as much as she could.

She did write another letter to Tom, nonetheless:

 _Dear Tom,_

 _I hope this letter finds you and all your friends (in Durham or not) well. Sairy does a lot of sleeping but is content and nonetheless apparently healthy. She did go out to visit Sydney and Mel once and caught each of them a nice mouse. The groundskeeper doesn't typically give them those to eat, so they loved it. They did not complain about his feedings, but he decided to work in more rodents into their diet, since they are so fond of eating them._

 _It seems my written work usually is well received and most of my professors at least satisfied with my progress. I found out who the other students thought would be my biggest obstacle. I only crossed swords with him once and stopped talking in his class. He seems to accept my work without complaint because he finds others more deserving of his ire. I see why a number of students find him intimidating, but they miss the fact that beneath his bark he actually is very smart and shows a lot of subtlety as well as precision in his work. Since no one will read this here, I will confess several observations: 1) he was treated very badly during his childhood and vents the residual bitterness in bullying as some parallel to what he endured himself; and 2) he either never had or lost whoever might have given him a lifeline that would have sent him down a different path, more likely the latter. If I had ever lost you, I could see myself becoming rather spiteful and angry. Thereby, these two insights may be related._

 _T_ _he final insight 3) is that teaching is a performative act. I learned this some years ago but never could express it rightly. I think I first noticed this when the headmaster Mr. Lenihan would talk about needing to wear his academic robe because he could not serve as headmaster without it. For those who teach, the costume is like any actor's clothes for a given part. This instructor has chosen his part. It may be necessary to be so stern owing to his age. It fully separates him from the upper level students. I have seen this with young teachers or assistant teachers trying to cut their teeth at Colindale. If they are not much older than the students, it can skew their expectations (I could do this at that age, so why can't you?), but also they can draw complaints if they cannot control a class. He has a gravitas the average 25-year-old professor only could evoke with great difficulty. He demands respect, probably because he has to do it. I say nothing to him because one faculty vote would sink my attempt to skip a grade, and if he read this, he might be angry enough to deny me simply because he can. As relatively young as he is, he seems very complicated and quite powerful._

 _I_ _work hard, but I enjoy the tapes I have so much, too. I find them useful in venting constructively, leaving myself totally focused and sharp for my studies._

 _G_ _ive my best to everyone at your flat, in Durham and beyond (i.e., Adam and John)._

 _Does Cathy ever visit or write you? Or anyone else named Woodcock?_

 _Y_ _our loving sister,_  
 _Livia_

Livia opened the window and asked for whichever Barn Owl had the strength to take a letter to Tom's Durham flat. Sydney arrived in less than two minutes, said she was ready to go and happy to bring something to Livia's brother again. Livia told Sydney what Tom wrote about two of his flatmates being startled by Sevy, but they should act better this time. Livia bowed to her lovely owl friend and off Sydney flew into the night and Livia settled herself into her bed, leaving that window unlocked and ajar so Sydney could enter the room later if she returned quickly.


	7. An Unusual Friend or What?

Livia awoke on Saturday morning to a letter on her desk in her brother's handwriting. She had only a short time to read it before having to be ready for breakfast. She got ready first, then sat down to go through it:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _I have spoken recently to both Adam and John. They are both doing well and send their regards. John especially sounded pleased that you like the tape he sent._

 _Everyone here is well, also. Audrey and Alice wanted your Barn Owl Sydney to stay for some time. They tried to feed her to entice her, since they did not know how to keep her there. I thought they saw a mouse or something, but they told me they had never seen a prettier owl ever. Sydney's face shadowing and specked chest feathers enchanted them, I found out later. I had to explain that the first owl was a male and Sydney a female, which accounted for this different appearance as well as size – they realized Sydney was a little larger. I think they have been thoroughly converted. If ever we do see mice – possible in this town – we will try to point them out to any owl you send. I never knew how scared young women could be of mice until I lived with these two. Maybe we need you to pick us out a cat._

 _Gary sends his regards with all my flatmates. He would like to thank you for helping him with that Culture Club song. He did wind up entering a contest as "Boy Gary." He got a wig and makeup and totally looked the part. He won, too. He gives you great credit for that._

 _I hear from my family sporadically. Dad is fond of Durham and likes to invent reasons to see those who run the cathedral, as if he wants a position here. Maybe he does. I hear from Cathy now and again. She loves her post, though she wishes she could know when to let animals try to fight something like cancer and when it is time to let them go. She wishes she could ask them. It seems that dilemma is the hardest on pet owners but also on vet techs. Lydia, I hear, will leave school at 16, given that she has almost no discernable academic talent. Cathy had no idea what Lydia will do with herself in terms of work. I obviously do not directly speak to her. I saw my mother once on a trip she made here with Dad. She still does not confront herself regarding her own conduct in regard to what happened to you. She does, though, recognize that Lydia is difficult. She cannot imagine that she played any role with that, either. She just tried to concentrate on reconciling with me as her son, which is doomed because she cannot see its connection to anything else._

 _Until she admits all that happened as well as her own culpability as an adult, I cannot say I will be on great terms with her. Dad knows this. He does try to make amends, and he does inquire about you. Since I am not totally clear about your situation, I am pretty vague with him, too. He suspects there must be something I am not saying whereas we both know it is something you feel the need to keep to yourself. Livia, I respect you too much to question your reasoning and know you will tell me more in your own time. I admit I am mystified, though. It's supposed to be school, not rocket science. Since I get no bills or reports, I am very puzzled._

 _You may or may not be surprised to learn that Jake and Audrey's relationship has blossomed into more than just being friends. They seem very much attached to each other. I think they look particularly cute sometimes. They both have good family backgrounds that make the match seem right from that point of view. I am very fond of Alice West, but I think she only chose to live with us out of consideration for Audrey, rather than a real need to split expenses. Alice's family has ties to several aristocratic families, including the Russells (I think she is a distant cousin to Bertrand Russell), and some lineage from the original Bloomsbury Group._

 _My work marches on, but it is going well, and I will likely have summer employment here with a local practice, who may sponsor me to become a permanent part of this practice if the summer goes well, and I make progress in sitting for an exam known as the BCAT. I like this little city very much, so the idea of settling here appeals to me. The sponsor may want me to train more elsewhere at some point, perhaps even at some college of Lincoln's Inn. If I became a barrister, it would be a help to them and obviously to my own success. I would think I could really wrangle that apology out of Framlingham then, too. You would have to appear with me, probably._

 _Write again soon. Hope to have another tape by then._

 _Your loving brother,_  
 _Tom_

All sounded well. Livia smiled and left the room. She told Shelley, Selene, Athena and Ted the good news. Of course, Tom's position could make her ability to tell him about herself a little complicated and asked what they thought about it.

Athena responded first: "Your caution is appropriate. It's an odd situation. I would ask the headmaster or Professor Flitwick what you should tell him – ever."

Shelley tended to agree. "At least wait until you are at least 17 if not done here. Then you will have to judge how quiet he can be, despite whatever responsibilities he has at that point."

Ted staked his view on Livia's relationship with her brother. "If he truly has defended you and stayed true to you, you should be able to figure out how much you can say and when. But we are not supposed to practice magic in the muggle world until we are 17, and he might not believe you unless you showed him. On that point, waiting until you're an adult seems like a good idea."

Selene only quietly added that everything the others said made sense, but she would especially seek out the advice of the headmaster or the head of Ravenclaw about it. "If he loves you, telling him should not be a mistake but HOW you tell him probably matters."

Livia decided the issue could wait until the following week versus bothering faculty on their down time, even if they rarely left the castle-like school. She and the other four all visited Hagrid later that day and saw his animals and, of course, met Sydney and Mel. Livia asked Hagrid how the owls acted and he saw nothing wrong, a point both confirmed, a great relief to her. She told them about what Tom wrote and the potential to find mice in Durham, which both liked.

Much of the rest of Livia's weekend was spent reading, practicing her wand work and writing out various assignments she had, with Sarah happily sitting nearby. She bumped into Professor Flitwick in the corridor of Ravenclaw and asked him a quick question about a charm she wanted to understand a little better. The question seemed simple enough to her, yet it showed to him a great deal of thought in wanting to clarify a subtle point regarding the charm's purpose and how one's technique impacted its efficacy. "You never cease to amaze me," he said. "Your questions show great thought and foresight. At some point, I have to tell the headmaster you need to not only be promoted, you should become a prefect, a tutor and eventually a professor in your right. You demonstrate the curiosity and the thoroughness needed. You only lack the experience of doing the advanced work you will ultimately master, I am sure. Your wand skills should improve with time, especially if you focus enough attention on this."

Because Livia had devoted her time to other things and had not spent that much time out of doors, especially alone, as the weather grew cooler and wetter, she made a highly unusual gaffe the following Monday afternoon. Professor Snape, in fine form (if you can call it that), had started ripping into another student's work and the class in general when Livia voice was heard for the first time in that room in at least a month.

She laughed. Though she tried to put her hand over her mouth, the sound was audible, and it did not escape notice, either from the other students, or Professor Snape himself. A few jaws dropped and eyebrows went up upon hearing it.

"Miss Woodcock, what is so funny?" he demanded to know. "Are you so superior in your own mind as to have entertained the ridiculous notion that we are here to amuse you?"

"I deeply apologize, professor," Livia said. "If I have offended anyone, it was not my intent or desire. I am sorry I have disrupted your class, sir."

"Well, we are waiting for an explanation of this insolent outburst," he said. "How long should we wait for it?" Professor Snape walked over to her and his eyes bore straight into her.

"Please, I would rather you just punished me than take up more time for a pointless explanation," she said. Livia did not flinch. Silently, she sent him a message. _Rip into me all you want, deduct points, give me detention, but ask me to explain this to you in private. If I give you an honest answer, you may not like it at all._

"Now Miss Woodcock wants to be quiet again," he began. "She expects us to tolerate her silly and insulting interruption as if it did not happen. You know you have crossed a big line with me, and I do not tolerate such foolish impudence from a supposed know-it-all who comes from nothing. Ten points off Ravenclaw house, two weeks of detention and you will come to my office promptly at four o'clock to explain yourself. I will deduct an extra point and give you an extra day's detention for every minute you keep me waiting. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Livia said. Silently, she added: _Thank you, Professor Snape. I promise I will tell you everything you want to know and maybe even stuff you rather I did not say, especially here._

The rest of the afternoon proceeded normally, though Shelley heard of her run-in with Professor Snape and asked if she was okay.

"Yes," Livia said. "I will be fine. I will do as he asked or as he will ask when I get there."

"How are you so calm?" Shelley asked. "Most students would be shaking about seeing him in private. Some say that if he stares at anything, it dies. And you got the full glare."

"I know what I am in for," Livia explained. "Few would have laughed in his class, as I did, so I can take this. You forget what I have been through."

Livia showed up outside his door at 15:55. He was not there. Professor Snape actually arrived at 16:01. Livia could not help herself. "Who do I get to take a point from for you being a minute late?" she asked, smiling politely.

"Inside. Now," he replied. _I cannot remember a young girl ever being that feisty with me._

He closed the door and sat behind his desk, and Livia noticed his window seemed ajar. He had many shelves of books and bundles of papers inside his office. His desk seemed rather large and dominated the space. She realized many a student crumbled whilst being in this situation. The residue of their fear remained, but she ignored it by defying it. Professor Snape would not scare her in the least. They were idiots, she thought.

"Where would you like me to begin, sir?" Livia asked. "I usually have better control over myself, but since I was unable to spend much time alone outside, I lost some of it today. That is one thing I would not wish to confess to your class. Only a few people know I am what muggles call an empath. It takes great discipline by me to release emotions carefully in order to retain full governance over myself. I can tell you many a student has been in this room shaking in fear over what you would say to him or her. You know that perfectly well, I'm sure. I am not one of those students, however."

Professor Snape studied her carefully. No, she was not fearful at all. _Quite unusual._

"Yes," he affirmed. "I realize that, and that you don't want it widely known, either. Why?"

"It is part of what prompted me to laugh, honestly, sir," she answered. "I consider you excellent in how you perform your duties. And I mean perform. It is a performance and many students would not recognize that ever. Teaching anything requires skill in a performative capacity, and you take on a commanding persona. You own the room, and if I said any of this, it could undermine you. Frankly, I find your performance epic, and I am not trying to flatter you. You know this as well as I do. If you did not do this, some might question why a man still as young as you has this responsibility. No one asks that now. I wonder if anyone ever did, actually."

"You completely puzzle me, Miss Woodcock," he confessed while narrowing his eyes. "Where is this coming from exactly? These are very odd statements for a young girl to make."

"Well, I'm not the average young girl or even young witch," she admitted. "How many students have you had who tested with an IQ that muggles rated as high as 172?"

"Very few, I would guess," he replied. "What does that have to do with your skills that make you call yourself an empath?"

"I am not sure," Livia responded. "They do not seem to correlate well in my mind. But I can understand things about people and animals like few or no one I have ever met. I know you are greatly feared by students younger and older than I am. But I told you already why I do not fear you. You cannot really hurt me. Those who tried failed and got a lot dished back at them for bothering me. I actually feel safe here. You can't take that from me."

"And how is it that you understand me?" Professor Snape inquired, still somewhat hostile.

"That is a good question, because I have to say you are the most difficult person I have ever come across as far as that goes, which makes you very intriguing to me. I find you an incredible challenge academically and personally. I did tell my brother a few things without naming you or revealing anything about my studies here – he is a muggle and I know better."

"Are you are trying to penetrate my mind?" Professor Snape snapped back at her. "That is pretty outlandish if not insolent."

"I apologize, sir – I started doing it by default," she answered. "I don't consciously try. Nevertheless, I think I recognize a few things about you that are similar to me. I may not be mature enough to completely fathom all of it, but some things come to me because of this recognition."

"It seems, then, you have me at a disadvantage, because I do not study my own students that closely. Typically, they bore me because they whine and are selfish or silly," he said.

"If you want to remedy that disadvantage, you can either ask me anything you wish, or I will give you the means of seeing whatever there is to see."

"What do you mean, Miss Woodcock?"

"I have seen the headmaster's pensieve in his office," she asserted. "I will allow you to go through everything in my past if you desire it. I don't exactly have anything to hide."

"Why would you trust me with that when you know I could use any of it against you?" he asked. "You take a very big risk here – you know that, don't you?"

"You will also see what has toughened me up and who has protected me," Livia answered. "I already told you about that Eagle Owl, did I not?"

"You did," Professor Snape affirmed. "I easily heard you, which was rather impressive in itself, particularly for a first-year student."

"I told you things I thought best not to share. And given the fact that I have some insight into you – which you will see if you can read a letter I wrote to my brother – I doubt you would risk sparring with me in a classroom beyond what preserves your reputation, if not mine. I only think it fair that I basically level the field."

"Since you are here," he began, "I may as well ask about the comment the sorting hat made to you. A few faculty members have speculated about its meaning, yet they seem to not share their full assessments with me. Your head of house says nothing, and I believe he hides something."

"Let me show you something that will shed light on this," Livia asserted. She remembered what the headmaster said about her wand so she used it to retrieve the letter that came with her baby basket, even though she really did not need it. She pulled it out and pointed it at her open hand and thought _here_ and the letter almost instantly appeared.

"First, tell me about that wand," he said.

"Cedar, just under 11 inches long, with a dragon-heartstring core," Livia described.

"About the same as Professor Slughorn's, my own teacher," he revealed. He went inscrutably blank, but he was thinking about it, realizing the girl who sat before him should become quite formidable sooner or later.

"Yes, the wand maker said that, but read the letter," Livia directed.

He did. The description of the school gown made him realize what Livia meant to convey. "If I read this and what the hat said rightly, you have surmised that your father was a Slytherin?"

"Yes, that seems the only logical conclusion," Livia affirmed. "You agree, I presume."

"And it says you were born 28 August 1972, premature yet quite healthy," Professor Snape stated. "That means your father likely met your mother on winter break, maybe in his last year?"

"That's what I think," Livia agreed. "Do you have an idea about who he was?"

"Not offhand," he replied. "I do think I must have met this student because I was a first year student here in 1971. Some male students left school early for London before break, too. I may or may not have known him then, depending on who exactly he is. The letter to me suggests the motive of your mother, though. My guess is that she was a witch tutored by family, and she took the opportunity to become involved with this student to be able to study whatever potion or potions he used on her, taking her to be a muggle. She wanted to duplicate them and later use them for her own benefit. She may have wanted some rich muggle to take care of her – or a number of them, depending on her inclinations."

"Makes sense – I can believe that, also," Livia assented. "I do not think very kindly of her, except for the fact that I consider it a positive that I probably will never meet her. What you describe makes her sound like a parasite to me. Nonetheless, I believe your account sounds credible, which justifies my lack of interest in her. Her friend, though, was not clearly not a witch."

"Since we both agree that you are probably a Slytherin legacy, you have become more interesting to me," he stated. "I am curious as to what the pensieve will show, given your unusual background. You know how it works, I gather."

"Yes," Livia confirmed. "It's probably easiest if you make me cry. Tell me something horrible about my brother, Tom. That is the surest way to do it."

"Your brother was a talentless fool who allowed himself to get killed yesterday because he thought he had to protect you from a knife-wielding thief."

It worked. The thought of Tom being dead immediately broke her down, and she started to cry. She quietly sobbed and tears freely flowed, allowing Professor Snape to grab a small empty bottle and capture them as they trailed down her face. Just as he finished there was a solid tapping at his window. It was a crow that attended Livia's music sessions outside.

"Open the window fully, please," Livia suggested, still in the process of regaining her senses. The crow had landed on the exterior window ledge, then hopped to the interior side through the opened window. "Alastair wants to know if I am all right."

"What?" he asked, rather startled.

"Let me talk to him for a minute." Livia silently explained her crying was not because Professor Snape had hurt her. It had a different, intentional purpose. She would be fine and he need not stay. She clasped her hands together and bowed to him from her chair, thanking him for his kindly concern. She took out her wand and materialized some food for the crow on the ledge. With that, Alastair left the room and started pecking at the birdseed.

"I don't think I have ever seen that before," Professor Snape observed.

"Well, I told you, didn't I?" Livia asked.

"Hearing and seeing are different things," he stated, after a short pause.

"For your benefit and mine, I think I am going to demand something more from you tomorrow," Professor Snape asserted. "I am going to ask you to demonstrate making a potion that first-year students typically all have to make to pass my class. Basically, I am going to tell you that I will extend or reduce your detention time based on your performance. Read up on the Forgetfulness Potion. Be ready for a curve thrown at you. If you even act a little out of sorts, it will go well, no matter how the potion turns out. Or if I find a reason to insult you about it."

"Okay," Livia agreed. "Something has just occurred to me. You _have_ seen me outside with the birds and my Walkman, haven't you?"

"Can you tell if I lie to you or tell you the truth?" Professor Snape asked.

"I am not sure," she answered. "Try me."

"I told Professor Bends I did not see you," he stated. "I have not."

Livia pondered for a moment. "Very challenging answer," she asserted, pausing for at least ten seconds. "Part of it is true, part of it is not. I am not sure which part is which yet."

"So far, you are correct," he replied. "Which is which?

"My best guess…hmm…you did say that to him, but you did see me. In fact, you actually listened. What did you hear?"

"The first song I heard was called 'I Wish You Were Here'," Professor Snape admitted. "Was that about your brother?"

"Somewhat," Livia replied. "I am overloaded sometimes with emotions from other people. Such a large collection of them bombards me sometimes with way too much and I can only dismiss them for so long. I have to let them go from time to time before they affect me and my peace of mind. I do not know who those lyrics fit more than me, be it you or anyone else."

"That is way beyond what faculty should discuss with a student, so I will not comment," he said. Saying that, though, and watching him, made her suspect it resonated with him more than he would ever say. Livia let it go. She had no right to ask or to know.

"I understand," Livia concluded. "I will take my leave so I am prepared for all the things required of me tomorrow. You have a good evening, sir."

After she left, Professor Snape thought he had said too much. Since he had the means to know exactly who she was and what she knew, he headed to the headmaster's office.

He knocked and Professor Dumbledore welcomed him inside. "What do you need, Severus?" he asked.

"I just had the most intriguing if bizarre conversation with your 'project' student, Miss Woodcock," Professor Snape answered. "She showed me a letter that came with her as a baby. Did you know her father was a Slytherin?"

"I did not, Severus," he replied. "It makes sense, given what the sorting hat said, how she replied and how she was sorted. Do you suspect someone in particular? Would her father have been still a student when you first became one?"

"Likely yes, but I don't know who yet," he stated. "There are at least several possibilities. If I recall rightly, a number of young men in their final year left campus early to enjoy London during much of that winter break. Whoever it was could have disguised himself in some way, too. The letter provided no name but did give specific information about the academic gown's crest and tie. With the sorting hat's comment, Miss Woodcock came to the same conclusion – that her father was sorted into Slytherin and ultimately graduated from here as one."

"Is that why you came?" Professor Dumbledore inquired.

"Actually, no," he responded. "I want to use your pensieve."

"For what?"

"Miss Woodcock consented to me doing this." He produced the small bottle he had.

"Tell me what you find out, for I am excessively curious," Professor Dumbledore responded. "Some things I know about but not in detail like you will see. She seems fearless at times, and I cannot fathom a young girl being that, nor why the sorting hat did not choose Gryffindor owing to it. Perhaps this will explain why regarding all of that."

"I will do my best to address this curiosity of yours. She already told me of the muggle estimate of her IQ stands as high as 172. Given her desire to skip a year, the sorting hat chose what would help her best achieve that immediate goal, don't you think?"

"True enough," he acknowledged. "I recall that. I told Filius that. Yet the hat, along with the rest of Hogwarts, has to know that you would judge her the most harshly. I tried to tell her that. In fact, other students tried to tell her that, but she did not wish to know."

"Why?" Professor Snape asked. "Where is there reason in that?"

"I guess you will discover one when you see what you have there," he responded. "She only told me she prefers her own judgements without the influence of other people. That contributes to why I called her fearless, though some might think it foolish. I do not she is foolish, though. I think she has great faith in herself. Has she shown you her wand yet?"

"Yes, I saw it," Professor Snape replied. "A little longer than Horace Slughorn's and a bit less ornate but its composition is identical. There is somewhat of a resemblance, too."

"But what did you think?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"She is going to be most powerful someday. I will concede that now. You were right."

"I already said to her that I would tell you that I saw her as your successor someday."

"Nice one, headmaster," he replied with a biting sarcasm. "You do love to toy with me. Tomorrow, I will get to see if she has the innate skills necessary to teach. I will let you know – honestly – how she does. I do not know if I will tell the class the same thing, since they expect me to be highly critical of her."

"Yes, I heard you ripped into her today because she laughed in your class," Professor Dumbledore revealed. "She apparently did not seem fazed by your comments or glaring directly at her from a rather short distance – most unusual. You seem unable to scare or unnerve her."

"I want to know why. She did not look even remotely uncomfortable, except when apologizing for disrupting the class."

The headmaster excused himself and let Professor Snape have the pensieve to himself. Soon after he emptied the contents into it, he began to see her past. He saw her family, especially moments she spent with her brother, Tom, and his friends, including laying in the grass near the Framlingham Mere. He saw Cathy's gift to her, then he saw Lydia be abusive to her and saw her parents. He saw Farah and the crows Livia used to protect her. He saw her interview at Framlingham College and saw her foretell the incident that sent her to Colindale. He viewed the incident itself and the hearing that determined her fate, despite the petitioning of several people to gain custody of her. _Two of the judges believed the legitimate child and the minimally supportive sister over an illegitimate, adopted one – no wonder why she hates prejudiced statements versus her own assessments._ He then saw all the presumptions about her upon her entry at Colindale, which only solidified her feelings about biased conclusions. He saw Megan, Rachel and Patsy attack her in their bathroom, their dorm room, outside in the courtyard and in her own little room. He saw her use wandless spells to minimize the harm they did but had to admit they really tried to hurt her badly. Most muggle girls would have been hospitalized at least once.

He had to laugh when that crow sent his own poop right in Megan's face and how an Eagle Owl inflicted damage by grabbing onto her head and ear. He saw her extensively singing to her cat and Tom's picture after she soundproofed her room. He saw her perfect mimicry, her intense, independent reading all kinds of books – some of which sounded vaguely familiar – and sending letters through Barn Owls who befriended her. He saw how she directed the cat where to leave its mice and saw Sydney ask her to write a letter ultimately brought to Professor Dumbledore. He replayed her release, her attendance at Live Aid and her encounters with the headmaster and her birthday party in Durham, featuring her newfound favorite type of cake. After saying goodbye to Tom, he got to revisit her sorting, her friends there and finally, he read her letter to Tom about himself. She remembered it all and seemed to catalog it all. She forgot nothing. Yet he also realized she already knew way more than she should, even if she did not know the details.

She was right about how he would normally react to a student making those observations. He told himself he needed to brush up on his own skills so no one could ever write something like that about him again. If she could sense those things, he might jeopardize himself if anyone else could do that. Of course, he realized that she possessed uncommon skills, in part because she recognized that aspects of her own childhood related to his. He had to hope she would not figure out any more than that and no one else would even get that far into seeing him as he had been or how he now was. He realized how important her brother was to her, and that the lack of that kind of bond did lead him down a vastly different path than hers. Yet she did not judge him harshly for it. She made a very mature observation about herself, instead: without Tom's loyalty, she would have become much more like him. Again, he had to remind himself that she remained 13-years-old. Her wisdom, her spirit and even generosity went well beyond that number, nonetheless. Maybe that 172 actually had underrated her, he pondered.

When the headmaster returned, he told him about how being illegitimate made some people automatically suspect her credibility, and her sense of the injustice done to her motivated her to judge people based only on her own perception. He told the headmaster why she loved muggle music and books so much, given they with her cat were her only constant companions at that horrible place where she lived in London for nearly two years. Moreover, music formed a central part of the happiest memory in her life thus far. He also explained the source of her fearlessness. First, she had used a form of wandless magic to minimize the physical damage inflicted by those who assaulted her – and those attacks would have caused great harm had she not done this. Second, she found protection from various animals she could call silently to her aid. He even confessed that when he made her cry for this sample, a crow had tapped at his window to see if she was hurt or not. He also mentioned that seeing an Eagle Owl land on a young female bully amused him, since that girl got more than a taste of the damage she had tried to cause.

"Livia was on the floor with footprints from kicking and stomping her, but this owl almost shredded that one girl's head. The latter image will amuse me forever," Professor Snape said.

"We should all be so lucky as to have such loyalty from wild creatures, let alone pets," Professor Dumbledore stated. "My Phoenix, Fawkes, is a great friend and great bird yet he's mine."

"Yes," Professor Snape assented. "That makes her fearless, I think, though she probably needs to know that they will not be around everywhere to help her. She could become reckless."

"Agreed," the headmaster said. "Being too confident can prove fatal. We both know how and why, too. I can imagine Livia putting herself in danger and not even thinking twice about it, say if someone from our world tried to harm her brother. She would risk anything in that instance. We have to keep that in mind should we ever need to protect her."

"We both see it," Professor Snape affirmed. "Does she know anything about our world regarding what has transpired and what likely will come?"

"I doubt it," Professor Dumbledore responded. "I will do what I can to tell her and caution her. What do you have planned for her tomorrow?"

"She is going to demonstrate making the Forgetfulness Potion I usually ask my students to make as a final exam for their first year."

"Severus, we are still only in November. You want to embarrass her?"

"That could happen. I will be allowing her to see the recipe, so it will not be as difficult as I could make it. Still, she could prove that she has what it takes already, if she does it correctly, and she can discuss it as she makes it. As I said, I will let you know."

They bid each other good night and Professor Snape left. Meanwhile, Livia did all she could to memorize the potion. She realized he would be pushing her to the limit. She thought perhaps he would demand that she do it from memory to make it particularly difficult. She took a mental picture of the directions and ingredients in her head. She knew she could recall the image in his class. She hoped that would suffice for whatever mischief he had planned. Finished with the rest of her work and feeling confident she could make the potion, she retired for the night.

The next day at breakfast, the other students were all aflutter and aghast about what Professor Snape might do to her later that day. She exuded quiet confidence. "I believe that I will be ready when the time comes." Shelley, Selene, Athena and Ted all looked at each other in astonishment. They found it impossible to decipher her calm. But they had their own issues, so they let the matter drop and said very little about it at lunchtime, other than to wish her good luck.

She arrived in the basement classroom a few minutes early and Professor Snape immediately motioned for her to come forward next to him. Soon after the mischief began. "As you all know, yesterday, Miss Woodcock seemed to find our class funny, and I have decided to see just how much she has learned about potion making. So today Miss Woodcock will demonstrate a potion that in the past I have asked students to make from memory for their final exam. It is called the Forgetfulness Potion. I have left the instructions and the materials in front for her, this time. Miss Woodcock, your ability to complete this potion properly AND to discuss it as you make it will determine if I increase or decrease your detention time. You may begin."

Livia immediately cast her things aside except for her wand, which she used to conjure an academic robe for herself and then placed the wand on the demonstration table. She surveyed the ingredients and spotted the trouble. Two ingredients were missing. She pondered how to deal with this and decided to ask, "Professor Snape, is that a basement window?" she asked, pointing to a covered glass area near her and above her. He nodded.

"Professor Snape has played a joke on me to see if I would notice and I have," Livia announced in a clear voice, whilst waving the window open with her wand. "Two ingredients are not here and I will remedy this, shortly," she stated whilst calling silently to her avian friends, "but first I want to stress to all of you the importance of having everything assembled beforehand. If ingredients are not added in good time and in the right order, you get a weak, if not ineffectual, potion and your effort will waste your resources as well as your time, at the very least."

First, one crow then another entered the room and she silently asked each for two mistletoe berries. They paused, however.

"Are local mistletoe berries sufficient for this potion, Professor Snape?" Livia asked.

"Yes, especially if fresh," he answered. "How did you come up with that question?"

"I didn't," Livia answered. "The crow who entered first, Alastair, asked me, so he and Benedict, the other crow, know what I want exactly."

"I see," he said, dryly. "Still, you know you are being the quite the show-off, between conjuring an academic robe and using these crows."

Livia told the crows fresh and local would suffice, she bowed and they left. Then a Barn Owl carefully fit through the window, and she told Sevy to get two Valerian sprigs from the garden that Hagrid keeps.

"What was that for?" Professor Snape asked.

"We also need two sprigs of Valerian, and I told Sevy to get them from Hagrid's garden."

Some of the students snickered, which puzzled Livia.

"What did you call that owl?" Professor Snape asked, quite disconcerted.

"I called him what he told me he liked being called, Sevy. He chose his name. I do not understand why this is funny."

"Again, four o'clock, my office. You are not the instructor yet, so you are quite out of your depth to think you can get away with being so cheeky," Professor Snape said. Silently, he told her: _Clearly, you do not know my first name and the Slytherin students here do, among others_. _They think you called him that intentionally, as I must as well._

Within a few minutes, the crows and owl brought the ingredients into the room, Livia bowed to them and waved her wand, to reward them with food outside the window. They left and she continued with the potion. She artfully talked through everything she did, from cleaning her hands every time she handled a new ingredient, to how she broke up and added them and the temperature she had set during the entire process. She encouraged questions at any point, but no one said a word until she had completed the potion.

At that point, students began asking things. She asked Professor Snape if she should try answering first, or if she should simply defer to him. He allowed her to attempt to address them all first. She did. He only would augment her statements to ensure they understood her comments or enhanced the subtle aspects she had only hinted upon. He never contradicted her answers.

"Now, for the moment of truth," Professor Snape said, walking forward and producing a litmus tape he said would measure the efficacy of her potion. "The color the litmus produces will tell us how well Miss Woodcock has made her potion. The lighter the color, the more effective it is. Anyone want to guess what color it will be?"

One student jokingly said blue, another green, another said pale lavender.

"Miss Woodcock, your assessment?" he asked.

"I do not know what light color it is supposed to be," Livia said. "Pale sunlight, maybe?"

Professor Snape put the litmus into the copper caldron. It turned entirely white.

"Is that good?" Livia asked.

"It is," Professor Snape said. "I will keep my word and subtract one week of detention. You still get a week – since I do not believe you regarding what you called that owl. You will explain that arrogant impudence to me later today, same as before. Do not keep me waiting, or I will restore the second week in its entirety. Any other questions? Anyone?"

No one spoke thus Professor Snape dismissed the class.

Shelley ran into Livia again before Livia headed to Professor Snape's office. She said she heard of her potion-making success, but that she had run afoul of him again. "Why did you call in an owl you named Sevy?"

"He showed up," she stated. "He told me to use that name. What is going on here?"

"You don't know?" Shelley asked. When she saw Livia blank stare, she said: "His first name is Severus. Do you get it now?"

"Oh," Livia said. "I didn't know. I am going to have to ask that owl about that, I guess."

Again, Livia arrived a few minutes early, though this time, Professor Snape showed up exactly on time. He looked very annoyed.

They went inside and he began by asking about the owl, "What is the meaning of you calling that owl Sevy? Was that meant to be an opportunity for me to snap at you?"

"No," Livia answered. "I honestly did not know until Shelley Silver told me just minutes ago. Should I call this owl and inquire? Honestly, the owl must have a reason for his name. I do not know what it is."

"Okay," Professor Snape agreed. "Let me open the window first." After he did, he told her: "Call him now."

Within a minute or so, the Barn Owl Sevy was at the window and entered the room. Livia told him that she was confused about his name and that some students thought she was poking fun at Professor Snape by using his name. The owl had a different explanation.

"The owl likes you, sir," Livia asserted. Just then the owl went onto Professor Snape's desk and approached him, making a friendly sort of sound. "He says you would make a very successful Barn Owl because you are tough and being they are not the largest owl, they have very rough lives and need to be very savvy and courageous to survive. He also says he likes how you fly. I don't get that latter comment, sir."

"I can fly without a broom," Professor Snape revealed. "That's a long story and not all of it is good for me to relay to you. Nonetheless, you made the potion perfectly, and this owl gave me the ideal opportunity to rip into you, even if you did not deserve it. The others believe you did this intentionally, so that basically served both of us. Tell him he did well today, and I thank him for his compliments and service to you."

Livia relayed the message and bowed to him. The owl flew up to Professor Snape's left shoulder, carefully keeping his claws from gripping too tightly and extended his right wing around the professor's neck then took his leave out the window.

"Well, that was unprecedented," Professor Snape observed.

"I hope you take it as a great compliment, sir," Livia stated. "I would."

"Just do not say a word about it, Miss Woodcock. As you say, I have a persona to maintain."

"Of course, I won't."

"I did use the pensieve," he revealed. "Those girls sure got what was coming to them. That was at least one good laugh. How much did they hurt you?"

"It looked worse than it was, as you may have guessed," Livia replied. "I protected my body but allowed the school to see damage, usually to my face, so they could feel like they hurt me and that the school could have evidence as to whom the aggressors were."

"They could have killed you or put you in the hospital," he asserted. "At least, I never had that kind of abuse inflicted upon me. Still, you must be more careful. I discussed this with the headmaster. Your belief in their abilities to aid you could make you overconfident and a truly powerful witch or wizard could take great advantage of you right now. You could make a fatal mistake, because taking on a foe here is not the same as protecting yourself from muggles."

"Thank you for your concern and the headmaster's concern. I will remember."

"You must ask the headmaster to explain this concern in detail. There is a fairly recent history that lay behind it. Since you are only in the early stages of your education, you remain vulnerable should the darker forces in this world find reason to assault you. Much more experienced witches and wizards have been killed or driven insane by them. And they will return at some point. You must prepare for greater tests than even I can mete out here."

"I understand – should I report for detention now?" Livia asked.

"Yes, that is a good idea. I will alert the monitor of how long you will require it."

"Good evening to you, sir," Livia said, taking her leave.

Professor Snape watched her as she headed down the corridor. He felt something he had not experienced in some five years. He found himself oddly worried about her. He wondered if she would heed the warnings well enough. _She has to keep her head down and learn this before the Dark Lord returns. Skipping at least one grade might save her life, especially if Filius can teach her dueling skills that she will need, to build a better rapport with her wand. She probably can defend herself well for a time, but that likely will not matter enough._

Livia reported to detention. Soon after she sat down a note came to the monitor. He came over to her. "Professor Snape first informed me you would be coming here for a full week. He has relented. He will release you from me after today, provided neither you nor I tell anyone about this. I suggest you make yourself scarce at this time for the next week, so no one knows." Livia nodded and when the time ended, she collected her things and headed to the Great Hall for supper.

Quite a buzz seemed to exist around the various tables for that meal and Livia quickly realized she had become the topic. It seemed her ability to make the potion correctly did not rate as significant versus the fact that she used two crows and an owl to fetch missing items. Still, the biggest aspect spoken about concerned the fact that Livia called the owl Sevy. The students barely even appreciated the role of any of the three birds compared to that. The name of the owl seemed to greatly shock many, especially that a first-year student had said such a thing in front of Professor Snape. "What was she thinking?" became a prominent refrain. Some could not account for how Livia wound up with only a week's detention over that kind of disrespect. "Maybe he likes Barn Owls," one student asserted. Another suggested: "Well, she did make the potion correctly, and had already given her two weeks, so he would have broken his word if he had not cut her at least some slack." That idea drew a simple retort: "When has Professor Snape ever been fair to any non-Slytherin student?" Another had an idea: "Remember what the sorting hat said? What if her father had been a Slytherin, and Professor Snape actually knows who he is?"

Ted overheard that assertion, and he directly asked Livia: "Livia, do you think your father was a Slytherin?"

"It is very possible," Livia answered. "Who exactly I have no idea."

"That could explain why Professor Snape did not become more exceedingly harsh with you," Athena suggested. "An owl named Sevy? He HAD to be fuming over that."

"It seems so," Livia responded. "He showed his annoyance, to be sure, but his fury seems so controlled – he contains it. Have any of you ever heard him yell?"

"No," Shelley answered. "I think that's why so many of us find him scary. He does not have to yell to intimidate or belittle. You almost wonder what he is capable of doing if he ever got to that point, and no one wants to find out."

The fact that Livia called two crows and a Barn Owl to retrieve ingredients got almost totally lost somehow, even as the owl's name kept coming up. It became a kind of cognitive dissonance that struck Livia as strange, but since it ultimately kept a decent lid on her being a "show-off," she found it a good thing.

Just before the term ended, some of the students participated in a grand event called the Winter Ball. First year students typically did not get invited or spend much time there, but Livia found in it a very useful activity. She found an area where some students and minor staff observed it. She started making wagers on who would have a row at the event, who would leave the floor in tears, what new couples might emerge. She made a number of wagers with people willing to bet her – none from Ravenclaw, of course – thinking they knew the students better than she did. Livia won every bet, having an inside advantage they did not realize that she had. The "double or nothing" types became a staple of her building money that as a penniless unknown she never would have had. By staying in the shadows, she amassed quite a bit of money and found a way to deposit it before the term ended. Since she came from nothing, her skills at reading teenagers became a financial bonanza. Even when it later became possible for her to participate more, she still could have her "sideline business" of taking money from unsuspecting students, if desired. Every year, she could find a fresh supply to pilfer – either first-year students or overconfident Slytherins who thought they should be more cunning than she. They never succeeded, however. Hearing that Livia had taken money from his own students, Professor Snape opted to ignore it and suggested to those students that it was a valuable lesson in terms of underestimating the abilities of others there. He told them that overconfidence against an opponent in a far more important setting could be fatal, reminding them that Professor Flitwick, in his prime, was the best duelist around, in terms of professional competitions. Rivals constantly underestimated him. Losing some money counted for nothing in the long run versus losing your life, he said. They had to admit that he was right.

Professor Dumbledore took notice and told her he had seen it but would not step in to stop her, given the adage about separating fools from their money. He realized she had nothing of her own and having some money would help her, especially if the school ever stopped fully funding her education. He had suggested that, after she graduated, she might be able to reimburse the school by being a tutor or proctor. He informed her that he received a full report on her teaching lesson from Professor Snape: he rated the potion making and the teaching aspects as very promising, especially for a first-year student. Livia liked the idea of staying at the school and agreed to the concept of contributing to the education of others in situations like hers. She told the headmaster she would be honored by an opportunity to give back to the school that had given her a great deal already. She just hoped that whatever duties she received she could discharge capably.

The break saw almost all the students leave. Livia really had nowhere to go even had she wanted to do so. Her brother had gone home and also would visit friends. She knew she had to take whatever extra time she had and dedicate it towards reading ahead and getting some grasp of what Shelley and the others confronted during their first term of year two. Fortunately, for Livia, she found ample information left behind and the few skeletal staff members made sure neither she nor Sarah starved or lacked for anything. Hagrid was there to visit as were the owls and crows and her music kept her company. She had missed the two prior Christmases, so she felt no great pain in missing another. She found a taste for Dire Strait's _Brothers in Arms_ , which Tom had sent along with an album by an American artist he liked, _Born in the U.S.A._ She sometimes visited the staff to make it easier for them to feed her, though she could conjure her own snacks when necessary. The headmaster returned early in January 1986 and sent her a note to come see him.

Professor Dumbledone essentially wanted an update on her progress but also wanted to warn her, as Professor Snape had, about the dark aspects of the world around Hogwarts. He gave a full account of a wizarding war and his belief that the chief force behind it would return because he had not been wholly destroyed. For the first time, she heard the term "Death Eater" and that a young boy survived an attempt by this Dark Wizard to kill him along with his parents. The mother somehow put herself in between him and the baby, ensuring the child's survival but the act led to her own death. He reinforced that he did not merely impart a history lesson because "the boy who lived" ultimately would attend the school. Livia considered that a great responsibility sat on a young boy's shoulders. She wondered what he knew and if expecting so much of him was fair. "To what end – do you know how this ends?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he replied. "Except that there will come a time when one will defeat the other. Beyond that, I cannot say with certainty. If Hogwarts will have a future, it will depend on not only who wins but who is left to continue it. I see a bright future for you if the boy defeats him and the school remains. That is, you may well be at least part of the future here, which is why I want you to become as powerful as you can be and want you to be extremely cautious so that you do survive whatever comes. Should the Death Eaters win, Hogwarts will need you to fight, though I will endeavor to ensure that by the time this boy grows up he will find a way to triumph. Regardless of who wins, there will be a great toll on many as there was the first time. Still, I think it is imperative that someone such as yourself survives."

"You want me to sit on the sidelines and do nothing?"

"No," the headmaster responded. "Do nothing that makes you vulnerable or draws attention to yourself. I think that your academic ambition keeping you here and only somewhat noticed actually will serve us the best in the long run. I know you will be powerful someday, but I saw great witches and wizards killed – the parents of the boy both died and they were members of an Order I created to fight these Death Eaters. Another boy – born at the same time – lost his parents, also members of the Order, because Death Eaters tortured them to the point of insanity. You might think in this world you have nothing to lose fighting for a cause or this school."

"That is true, headmaster," Livia admitted. "Only a few muggles really would ever mourn my loss, such as my brother."

"Make your cause to leave no trace of yourself that draws attention – for this reason I will never invite you to join that Order if the time comes for me to recreate it," he revealed. "I do not mean this as an insult. I want to intentionally hold you back. For now, work hard and become proficient in all facets of defense. Have you ever done any fighting – that is, dueling?"

"Mostly wordlessly and defensively," she answered. "Not dueling, I think."

"Since you know so little, Professor Flitwick will have to address this before you graduate," Professor Dumbledore asserted. "I may have to play a role in this, too. One more thing…"

"Yes?" Livia asked.

"You have shown an admirable degree of restraint and discretion. Your family dynamics made that aspect a problem in terms of disclosure. I also know you kept your word, and no one suspected that Professor Snape only gave you one day versus one week of detention. You must continue to remain quiet regarding anything unusual about Professor Snape. I cannot impress this upon you enough. Never attempt to defend him or anything he does to anyone, so long as you reside here. If you know anything different, keep whatever you learn to yourself."

"Does this have to do with –" Livia started.

"Do not ask, you should never ask anything about this," he demanded.

"Is this an issue that I am too young to understand?" Livia asked.

"Not quite," the headmaster answered. "This goes way beyond the issue of maturity. I must leave it at that. The time may come when you do know more, but you also may understand why I need you to vow that you will remain silent. For now, you must say nothing and ask nothing. This is most important, Livia."

"I swear it," Livia affirmed. "If it serves a greater good."

"It should, so long as you do as I say. If you want to impishly tease Professor Snape, just wish him a Happy Birthday if he is here around the 9th of January. I do something for it every year." That comment made Livia smile just a bit.

They exchanged their farewells and Livia returned to her studies at the Ravenclaw common room. Reviewing what the headmaster said to her, briefly, she knew he sincerely meant everything he said, even if she did not find her constant silence attractive. It seemed to her she had kept secrets her whole life and hoped that at some point she would become unburdened of them – even lessening the number that seemed just to grow would be nice. She put it out of her mind and took up her own notebook to put down the things she could not write in books that she did not own. She considered trying to purchase them so she could pass the second year final exams before her second year began. The headmaster eventually found her a means to acquire her own copies later.

Livia felt fortunate to get a note from Tom, back in Framlingham briefly around 5 January saying he would return to Durham that Saturday, the eleventh. Sydney had developed a good rapport with him. Realizing her own situation, Livia only could spend a few days with him, given his own schedule as well as hers. She had to figure out how to get there and how to ensure Sarah's wellbeing. Moreover, though she could ride a broom, what would she do with it once she got there? She figured she had to ask the first faculty member she spotted. On 8 January, she spotted Professor Snape walking around a courtyard corridor.

"Hello there, sir," Livia said.

He eyed her strangely. Her politeness, if not friendliness, seemed to baffle, if not annoy, him. "Miss Woodcock, why are you here? Why are you not with your brother?"

"I never left. I have much to learn, you know. And Tom visited family and friends. I might try to see him in Durham, but I am unsure how I should attempt to get there."

"Try flying," he suggested.

"But what do I do with the broom once I find a secluded place to land? Is it possible to hide or what other options do I have?"

"I see," he acknowledged. "Do you have a soft bag long enough to conceal it with whatever else you bring there?"

"I doubt it, sir," Livia answered. "I have not attempted to put one in the bag I have. Would I damage the broom if I tried to put in something barely long enough for it?"

"Probably, unless you could shrink it," he replied. "I know you can produce things for yourself, but can you send the broom somewhere, then retrieve it when you need it?"

"I could practice sending and receiving or shrinking it since he will not return until Saturday," Livia replied.

"Ask the headmaster which is easier, since I am not certain."

"Okay, sir," Livia confirmed. "Oh, and by the way, Happy Birthday tomorrow, professor, if I do not see you."

"Who told you that?" Professor Snape demanded.

"The headmaster," Livia stated. "Hope he gives you something nice."

"Why do you think he would bother?"

"For the same reason he told me – he remembers."

"He should not have said anything," Professor Snape asserted.

"Well, he did," she said simply. "Good day now – and then."

Livia walked away. He watched her walk away, puzzled and with a wry expression that betrayed very little.

Livia practiced and found shrinking the broom was less risky. She found she could transport objects, but if anyone moved one even slightly, she would have great difficulty recalling the broom in good time. Her skills demanded a precise fix on the location of anything she wanted to bring to her. If a student came back or the house staff or her brother – anyone – even moved it slightly, she found retrieval frustrating and sometimes impossible.

After securing the aid of a staff member in watching Sarah, she arrived in Durham on Saturday evening 11 January, just dark enough to not be seen when she landed by the Wear. Livia then shrank the broom and put both it and her wand in a zippered pocked inside a backpack she used as a weekend bag. From there, she found the stone bridge near the cathedral and entered the town, making her way to Tom's residence close to the cathedral. She found only Tom and Alice there. They had been sitting on the couch, drinking some cocoa and watching a movie on something called a VCR, which Alice received for Christmas and made a gift to the household. Tom immediately had to get a copy of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," his favorite film. At some point during Livia's stay, he made sure they watched all of it together, too, as the two sometimes viewed the troupe's BBC programme in Framlingham.

Livia greeted both warmly and they reciprocated. She asked where Jake and Audrey were, and Tom told her that the two were taking a holiday together. Tom also informed her that he believed Jake intended to propose during the trip because he had seen a ring Jake had bought in town. "How nice," Livia said. "She will say 'yes,' right?"

Both agreed that she would.

"How shall we make the arrangements here?" Livia inquired.

"I do not understand your question," Tom answered.

"I think Alice knows what I am asking," Livia stated.

Alice blushed. She had developed feelings for Tom, in part owing to how gently he treated and how consistently he defended Livia. She thought Cathy okay, she had little use for Lydia, but she saw what Tom did in Livia, which justified his unwavering support.

"Your sister thinks the two of us are now a couple," Alice said.

"Are we, Alice?" Tom asked. "I have never been sure if you harbored any significant feelings towards me at all. You also come from a quite different background. Your family surely would not approve of us, would they?"

"Thomas James Woodcock, you underestimate yourself," Alice cried out. "You have excellent prospects should you qualify to train as a barrister. My family would have no objection, even if your father is a church rector and not an earl or knight or something posh. They will care more about who their sons marry – still. Me? Not nearly as much."

"Well, you can understand my concern," Tom said. "I could easily be a college fling."

"You aren't," Alice reassured. "Livia, just take my room. Who knows? You might rub off some good luck into it. I do all right here but I wish for a little better."

Thus, no one but Livia would touch her own things for the few days she spent there. They went very pleasantly. It did seem that Tom felt freer to express warmth towards Alice in general, where he had guarded himself before. At one point, Alice confessed to Livia that his diligence regarding her and his loyalty opened her eyes and really melted her heart. As she put it, she knew then what a great father as well as great man he would become.

Livia briefly saw Jake and Audrey just before she left. All had gone as predicted and Audrey wore her engagement ring proudly. They all enjoyed a brief celebratory cake with their local friends, including Gary, before Livia announced that she had to leave.

"But it's getting dark, Livia – why not wait until the morning?" Tom asked.

"It has to be this way and I cannot really explain why presently. I will send an owl to you when I get back to where I presently belong. My classes begin a little sooner than yours, for one."

They all embraced and Livia departed, making her way back down to the Wear below the stone bridge separating the medieval part of Durham from the rest of the town. She waited there a short time until the night fully set in. Only then did she enlarge her broom and set off for Hogwarts.

Tom found a letter from her as soon as he woke up the next morning. She had safely returned and wished everyone well – including those she had not seen during her brief stay, such as Adam and John. She told him that she had much to accomplish in the time left to be ready for what lay ahead. He sent back a quick note through Mel, expressing an understanding of that concept, given the path he had set for himself. It would demand a lot of effort, especially now that his "prospects" possessed a newfound purpose – that of securing the approval of Alice's family, if the two of them would remain a couple.


	8. Livia Pushes Forward

Livia began the second term more prepared than the first – and even ready for the rest of the year as well as the beginning of level two, which she would formally bypass if the faculty accepted her work when they reassembled for the fall. Her class schedule did not change at all – it essentially represented an extension or deepening in complexity of the things covered.

Her written assignments continued to draw raves, enough so that Professor Flitwick no longer had to initiate discussing it. Livia's moneymaking behavior drew some attention as well, with the headmaster specifically asking Professor Snape about it, since Livia seemed to do very well in taking money from his students.

"Oh, I saw it and some of them complained about it, as if I was going to get them their money back," he said. "It seems Miss Woodcock is sly in her own way, and they believed that only they possessed such a trait. Since Miss Woodcock has no income source and no known family here, I told them they were lucky that they did not underestimate another student with much more dire consequences than losing some money."

"Quite a statement for you not to champion your own students, Severus," the headmaster responded. "I cannot remember you ever doing that before."

"Everyone here knows I admire cunning, and I cannot stand students whining, though I admit I have indulged my own students on this at times. Miss Woodcock found a way to use an advantage of hers to be able to accrue funds to buy something for herself here, maybe books or whatever. Children sometimes have to learn lessons they do not like and accept the consequences of their own behavior. As some of you have wondered, but never told me, rumors have gone around suggesting Miss Woodcock's father was a Slytherin student."

"Was he really?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"From what I know, I believe she is a Slytherin legacy, so I will not touch her ability to take their money," Professor Snape revealed. "It's the first time she's shown a skill Slytherins should respect, even if they lose money to her because of it."

"Do you know who her father is?" Professor Flitwick inquired.

"I do not," Professor Snape answered. "It is probable that I met or know whoever fathered her, but I do not have the means or time at present to figure this out. Still, I am going to respect this legacy, at least somewhat – until she crosses me."

"We all know she has done that already," Professor Flitwick stated. "I had no idea, Severus, that she called an owl 'Sevy'."

"Would you believe me if I told you the owl named himself that?"

"What?" several called out at the same time.

"Neither did the students," he recounted. "Do not attempt to persuade them otherwise. Miss Woodcock actually told me the truth, from how that owl behaved. I saw this myself. It was strange, though impressive, which I doubt any of you have ever heard me say – ever – even of a Slytherin student. Her ability to communicate with animals is almost unprecedented, I think. You can do this, though, Albus, right?"

"Yes," the headmaster affirmed. "Usually with pets, like Fawkes, my Phoenix. Still, I can manage a good rapport with other animals like owls, including those that followed Miss Woodcock here. Others have similar talents, but I think I underestimated the complexity of her discussions with local wildlife as well as other students's pets. From what you and Filius have told me, it seems to me she speaks to them as easily as she speaks to any of us – all without making a sound."

"I told you about the other students's pets," Professor Flitwick clarified. "Frankly, I wonder if she prefers them on the whole to people."

"I do not think that," the headmaster asserted. "She is following my recommendation after that incident to keep a low profile. That's what I think you see. I am thinking about her future – and that of this school. Her relative obscurity actually is part of this, though it may also be part of her grounding in this world. She has kept quiet and held many secrets already in her life. Still, there is one person that she puts above everyone else – her brother."

"Isn't he a muggle?" Professor Bends queried. "That seems strange."

"His family adopted her as a baby, and none of them know the extent of her abilities," the headmaster revealed. "Her brother knows the most, and she has kept him in the dark even about where she is exactly and what she learns here. All he knows is that she sends him messages in muggle ink on muggle paper by some Barn Owls they know, and he writes her back the same way, with them usually staying by him until he replies. She likely will tell him at some point when she can show him what she can do."

"That-that sounds a lit-tle d-dangerous," Professor Quirrell argued.

"Which I think has prompted her to wait," the headmaster responded. "She believes she can trust him. Since she knows him better than any of us do, we should probably let her decide when and how she tells him. I doubt she will tell anyone else, unless it happens to be whoever the brother ultimately marries."

They then turned to other students and their issues and retired for the evening. Each had their own way to prepare for the resumption of the school year, be it reviewing their notes or plans, reviewing the schedule or class rosters or just relaxing themselves with some tea and some sort of finger sandwiches, giving "High Tea" a whole host of implications for the demands of day-to-day teaching. One way or another, each became "on" his or her own high level of alert, intelligence and knowledge of their subjects and in the skills needed to convey those to their students. Teaching a bunch of budding witches and wizards required more attention than teaching unruly muggles, especially when it comes across as effortless. Because of this intense aptitude, calling a professor a master had more than one meaning – he or she had to master the material and master handling the most challenging group of students imaginable. Some had natural teaching abilities, but those only took an instructor so far. Without a command of a subject and command of a classroom, being good solely at teaching did not count for that much here.

Livia continued to do as the headmaster urged and kept to herself in class, silently annotating things she had read with any further insights given through various lectures or demonstrations. Professor Snape almost completely ignored her, except on occasion when asking students to make a particular potion. Since he never had any real biting criticism of her, he might make a comment about furthering the subtlety of doing a certain potion, in order to enhance its potency. He rarely let anyone else hear what he said to her, though, and even at times he would tell her silently, knowing she could hear him direct thoughts to her. He had other students who required him to be as stern and as ruthlessly demanding as possible, at least according to him.

Other than the conversations she had at meal time with Shelley, Athena, Selene and Ted, she had little to say, other than when she went out to visit Hagrid or play with the birds via her Walkman. The four did convince her to watch a Quidditch match, where she continually asked questions about strategy and specific moves the players made and if the players had set plays to put into motion for certain situations. They had little expertise, though Selene knew the most. None of them ever tried out for the team; Ted had considered it, since he knew a few players. Selene's cousin was a standout already in his second year, but she knew no one else. Ted suggested Livia ask Professor Flitwick about how the Ravenclaw team operated and if strategy was used in specific situations. He thought that if anyone thought of the sport tactically, it would be a Ravenclaw.

More importantly, Livia asked Professor Flitwick about dueling in terms of the potential she would need to fight someone who wished her harm. He seemed somewhat surprised that she asked so soon, though the idea had crossed his mind briefly. She told him that the headmaster seemed to think it necessary at some point, so she inquired as to the right time to start. She told him she had skills in defending herself, though without her wand. Professor Dumbledore seemed to think she needed to learn how to use her wand in battle. Professor Flitwick told her that if she made the successful leap to join the other level three students the following fall, he would fit something into her schedule to get her to learn the basics of using the wand for defense and offense.

"I have never really attacked anyone – ever," Livia revealed.

"That will not suffice here, and I think that is why the headmaster wants me to help you," Professor Flitwick responded. "He must think you are vulnerable and he wants to protect you."

"He told me about the wizarding war some years ago and those behind it would reassemble," Livia stated.

"I should ask him who he expects you to fight," he asserted. "He might know already."

"Actually, he gave me the impression that he rather I did not have to do so, but I would be very vulnerable here so long I lacked these skills, given what may happen in the future."

"Yes," he assented. "We are all vulnerable on that account – some of us more than others. He must have some plan in mind should events not go as he hopes they will. That would mean you and whoever is left would have to defend the school – our whole world even – against some very powerful dark forces and very dark days."

"You mean from Death Eaters?" Livia asked.

"So he filled in some details – yes, them," he replied. "Some are in a fortified prison, some probably escaped punishment, either by claiming undue influence or by turning in others. Still, just concentrate on skipping a grade. You need not worry about the Death Eaters yet. You will eventually but not now."

The winter months were often wet and curtailed Livia's outside activities. She heard of a quiet room sometimes occupied by a ghost thought to be a former Ravenclaw student. One day, Livia found that location to be quiet and entered it to empty her emotional baggage when this diaphanous figure appeared and stopped just short of approaching her.

Livia, startled to not be alone in the room, looked and clearly saw her, despite the fact that she no longer lived. "I think I know who you are," Livia said. "Helena Ravenclaw?"

The figure somewhat backed up, but she soon realized Livia was alone and meant no harm or disrespect. "Yes, that was my name," she admitted. "How did you know?"

"I have heard some things, but in seeing you, I just knew," Livia said.

"Why are you here?" Helena asked.

"I had no intention of disturbing you," Livia explained. "I actually needed a place to be alone. I pick up on feelings of students, especially, who have no skill at hiding their emotions. At times, I find what they think or feel unsettling and need time to unburden myself."

"Sometimes, they can be cruel to each other and other times they find life cruel to them," Helena observed.

"You have experienced much of the latter, I would think," Livia theorized.

"What do you know about that?" Helena demanded.

"Not much, really," Livia answered. "I feel a sadness about you here. I think you and I both have missed out perhaps on some measure of kindness. That parallel makes sense to me."

"Oh," Helena replied. "You are not trying to get anything from me, then?"

"No," Livia responded. "Why should I?"

"Others have tried and on at least one occasion I said too much to the wrong person. Someday I hope to rectify that."

"Can I try to shake your hand?" Livia asked.

"No one has done anything like that in a very long time," Helena said. "How can you? You still live."

"I would like to try because I might be able to do it. If I can feel your presence, I may have some tactile sensitivity, also."

Livia extended her hand and Helena reached out. The two did not initially connect until Livia brought in her second hand and both found a way to sense the field that held the spirit of Helena Ravenclaw as a physical-appearing entity. Ultimately, it worked and Livia held her hand within both of her own. It seemed a fairly weak connection but Livia had connected.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Ravenclaw," Livia stated.

"I do not know what to say because I am quite taken aback. I should leave –"

"Please don't go," Livia begged, releasing her hand, sensing the contact created her panic.

"Thank you for letting go," Helena revealed. "I admit it scared me after all this time."

"I am sorry if I have bothered you," Livia maintained. "If you want to go, fine, but come back and perhaps we can speak again, if nothing else."

Helena Ravenclaw seemed to slightly bow then disappear. Livia resumed with emptying her thoughts, then briefly checked on Sarah, who seemed somewhat fine, yet getting more tired or old and less energetic than she was even a few weeks beforehand. Livia asked Sarah if she needed help; Sarah weakly said yes. Just before returning to the common room, Livia decided to take a chance and wrote a quick note to Professor Snape and called Sevy to take it to him:

 _Dear Professor Snape,_

 _My cat Sarah seems especially tired tonight and I think her age is catching up to her. Is there a potion that might extend her life or give her better health for whatever time she has left? I know she would not want to die before saying goodbye to Sydney and Mel, at least (the Barn Owls Hagrid watches for me that followed me from London, if you recall). I do not wish to have to carry her there. They may take it badly, if not as much as me. Let me know if I can do anything for her._

 _Thank you, sir._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Livia Woodcock_

The note reached Professor Snape in his quarters, as he heard a tapping at what constituted his living room window. He recognized Sevy from a distinct color pattern on one wing and tan color around his neck. He presumed who had sent the note, though he found it rather strange that Miss Woodcock would bother him in the evening until he read the note. He paused to consider if or how to respond. Sevy made no move to leave, obviously expecting a reply. Professor Snape realized that Sevy would never go until he wrote back, which made his own decision rather straightforward.

He wrote her back a quick note:

 _Dear Miss Woodcock,_

 _This is an odd request, but I understand your distress. We may be able to help her some. Bring her to my potion-making room at four o'clock tomorrow and we will see if something can help her._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Professor Snape_

Livia destroyed the note, carefully, to ensure no one could ever know it existed. She dutifully showed up at four holding Sarah, who seemed to enjoy the trip through the castle, given she had not done much travel through it herself, particularly over the last few months.

"Miss Woodcock," Professor Snape began, "I see you have brought your cat. This is a strange thing, but I know your animals mean a lot to you, and Sevy would not leave me alone until I replied, so I figured I would get a chance to see what you can do through this exercise. Helping your cat will mean much to you, though from my vantage point, it is only a bonus to seeing how well you respond to me guiding you through some challenging work."

Sarah jumped out of Livia's arms and went up and rubbed Professor Snape's leg. "Why do you talk to animals that like me?" he inquired. "Nobody really likes me, and I have gotten to the point that I am fine with that."

"I guess Sairy knows that you mean well by her, for one," Livia explained. "Or she sees you differently. Maybe both, sir."

"Ask her if she is in pain or feels weak or what her physical or emotional problems are," Professor Snape requested.

After a moment, Livia had an answer. "She feels weak. The food I give her does not have the same effect on her. It is like she is fading away. It is not any particular disease."

"I have never tried this on a cat, but I can walk you through two potions, one of which may give her some relief – at least temporarily," he offered. "The first is a strength potion, the other is an invigoration potion. They may be over your head, but I will walk you through each. I want you to do them yourself, so that if you find either useful, you can make them yourself in the future."

He was direct, exact and provided everything Livia needed for both. He lacked any of the harshness his students would expect from him, the cutting remarks that often made a student nervous. He had nothing to gain from this and knew he would not rattle her if he tried, anyway. She was content-focused and, to her, he seemed emotionless, just thinking and watching and directing. He wanted to see how well Livia followed directions and how skillful she was in doing something no one would expect such a young student to accomplish. She did both well, processing the information with ability and feeling. He realized her motivation for doing well had led her to stretch her capabilities beyond even what a third-year student could do. Livia loved her cat very much and the cat's loyalty to Livia meant Livia would try anything to help Sarah.

Professor Snape hardly needed to test either, since his observations confirmed that she had listened carefully and assiduously performed all that he asked of her. Nevertheless, he tested both and found each potent and well executed. "Try a small amount of the invigoration one first," he suggested. "I cannot tell you how a cat will respond. This is new territory for me, frankly."

Livia took an eyedropper, put it in a small amount of water and placed it down for Sarah and asked Sarah to drink the water. Sarah complied. Livia asked the professor how long before she could know if it worked.

"Actually, not long, if it does affect her positively," he stated.

Sarah did perk up and jumped in Livia's arms first and purred quite happily. She then jumped down and rubbed Professor Snape again, still purring loudly. "I think she knew she should not try to do to you what she did to me," Livia asserted.

"Yes, that would not have been a good move," he agreed. "No one would call me a 'cat person' – ever."

"Does this mean the other potion would work in the same fashion?" Livia asked.

"I cannot be certain," he replied. "You can try it when the other runs out and, if it is not successful, you can reserve the lab to yourself to make more of the first again."

"I am not sure if I can make it without you walking me through it," Livia maintained. "Is there a written source that I can mentally capture in my mind?"

"You take mental photographs of things?" he queried.

"Yes," Livia assented. "I was prepared to make the Forgetfulness Potion from memory. I thought that was what you were going to require of me."

"I will write it out for you," he said. "Put it somewhere safe and do not show it to anyone or, if discovered, do not tell how you got it."

"I know," Livia admitted. "If I was not a Slytherin legacy, you might have dismissed my request. I will not compromise your indulgence of me because Sairy's life – or at least the quality of it – has depended on you making quite an exception for me. I will never betray you, sir. Professor Dumbledore has made me vow to it, already."

"Has he?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yes," she answered. "He asked I never attempt to defend you no matter what happens, what is said about you or what I think or feel about anything. I gave him my word, even though he never informed me as to why this matters so much, or how long I should keep quiet. That was hard to do but I sensed his intense feeling that I do so."

"The less you know, the better," he observed. "That is all that needs saying at present."

Livia took the vials, wished Professor Snape a good evening and she and Sarah walked back to their Ravenclaw dorm room before Livia joined everyone for dinner.

Shelley was the first to tell her that she was late and to inquire about where she was.

"Sarah has been under the weather, and I was asking Hagrid about how I could help her," Livia explained. No one questioned that explanation. No one knew more about animals – any animals, in fact – than Hagrid, they all agreed. "It worked. Sairy feels better – at least for now."

Meantime, Professor Snape had informed the headmaster of what had transpired and that his assistance of Miss Woodcock would remain unnoticed. She had taken her vow to him seriously and would never attempt to defend him regarding any issue or accusation. He also told the headmaster what he had asked her to prepare in her hope that it helped her cat. It worked, too.

"Those are very good exercises, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said. "She is proving herself, no doubt, to be talented and sensible. Now you know why I want to protect her."

"She is not part of the prophecy, though," he stated. "So I do not entirely understand."

"True, she is not, but we cannot guarantee outcomes," the headmaster explained. "And many have sacrificed already and many more will. If there will be a future for this school beyond what we know is coming, training someone like Miss Woodcock has a great deal of value for the future of Hogwarts. Neither I, nor Professor McGonagall nor Professor Flitwick – nor even you – can live forever, though some of us live a very long time."

"I will ensure she can perform whatever you may hope from her," Professor Snape asserted.

"Just keep it quiet, since this benefits both of you," the headmaster maintained. "I want her to survive whatever comes and not have to fight hard to do it. I have no idea if she will become prepared sufficiently to kill even those who would threaten her. She would fight to the death for her brother, we already recognize. I do not know if she values her own life nearly as much."

"Yes," Professor Snape agreed. "Self-preservation is supposed to be a very basic instinct, but it does not seem as powerful in her as the desire to protect others."

"That is why muggles would call her an empath," the headmaster asserted. "We might call her a child or might call her incredibly brave. Nonetheless, she does not sense her own worth. I am not sure if it is an issue of self-esteem or based on the fact that she knows more about others's feelings than her own, since hers were stunted by many factors in her past."

"I am the wrong person to figure this out," Professor Snape maintained. "I think my feelings ceased to evolve some years ago. They stopped when my sole purpose became clear."

"Perhaps," the headmaster said. "But one can change quite unexpectedly. You already did once, even if not entirely surprisingly. You may find you still can feel, even if you do not wish it to be so. As long as we live, we make choices that affect such things, even if we do not understand or desire how our choices affect us or change us. And we can still find solace somewhere if we are open to it. Miss Woodcock has done this in several ways already because her life depended upon it. If she can, why should you think yourself incapable of it?"

"She is younger and more capable of growth. My path is fixed in this life, as you know, and being solitary provides both peace and solace," he observed.

"You are not old, Severus, though. I have seen many more decades than you. Just remember what I said," Professor Dumbledore stated. The two bid each other good night and parted ways.

Livia walked out to visit Hagrid with Sarah trailing soon after to give Sydney and Mel a good visit, though she conveyed to them that Sarah's life might not last much longer. She was supporting Sarah the best she could, but Sarah could not live indefinitely. That is, it may or may not be her last visit to them. They seemed happy together, playful and tightly bonded. Hagrid seemed transfixed by the interaction, telling Livia he believed that it possessed a magic all its own. "You are making me think Sydney and Mel came here to see Sairy, not me," Livia said, though she acknowledged that was unlikely to be true.

Livia also realized she needed to give Tom and his flatmates another opportunity to see her and she arranged to spend part of her spring break in Durham with Sarah. It just so happened to overlap with trips Adam (from Norwich) and John (from London) had planned, also. It seemed that an encampment would take place in Durham. Adam and John actually brought sleeping bags, too. Of course, Sarah already had a bed. Livia made sure she packed what remained of her invigoration potion, which seemed to last quite a while, given Sarah had only a few drops a day. She had also modified her bag so Sarah could travel with her comfortably and safely.

The Friday evening she landed, shrank her broom and made her way to Tom's flat gave Livia much anticipation of a good trip. Livia was delighted to see them all again and they said the same. Adam and John really fussed over her and both tried, in their own ways, to weasel out of her exactly where she was and what things she studied. Livia hated to lie to them, so she tried an artful dodge. She said she studied some botany, training and handling wildlife and assorted related tasks that a sanctuary or zoo would appreciate. "Will you become a doctor of veterinary medicine?" Adam asked.

"Not quite, but I am helping Sairy," Livia answered. She tried to make it clear to all that Sarah had entered the twilight of her life, and she was administering some supportive supplementation to her water to keep her quality of life good as her body wound down.

"So this is a form of alternative medicine?" John inquired.

"Yes, though it is nutritional in nature," Livia replied.

John and Adam were joined by Alice, Audrey, Jake and Gary in asking about an actual physical address that they could use to contact her. Tom eyed her quizzically. He did not dare ask her this, but he sure wanted to hear her answer. Livia had thought of an answer if cornered on this issue, but did not know if it would go over well with a group. She wished to herself she had some of that Forgetfulness Potion so she could tell them then erase it all.

"The school is in a very secluded, rural part of Scotland," she began, "and since we deal with unusual plants and animals, it has to be so. The drawback is that the mail is exceedingly slow and thus using owls have become almost a tradition there – when they are obliging, as they often are. I'm not even sure how often we get Royal Mail."

"That somewhat makes sense, but I have never heard of this before," John asserted.

Alice was going to say something but stalled. Finally, she said: "I have family in various parts of Scotland. The mail service has gained this reputation in some parts, particularly, though I do not know that they have ever used owls for letters. Carrier pigeons are very old school."

"It is not common, but since you see its utility and we work with animals, it became a natural outgrowth of our activities," Livia stated. "Some even have pet owls, but I really cannot bring myself to try to domesticate them. It is an extension of falconry, to be sure, which is a perfectly respectable relationship to establish with any raptor, but I prefer to think of owls as free creatures that I reward for helping me. So I am a little unusual there for feeling this way."

Livia found it interesting that Alice essentially helped her find a way to make a credible case for her situation and use of owls. She wondered if anyone in Alice's family had inexplicable powers, trained or not. She made a note to ask the headmaster if any aristocratic Scottish or English families or their less-renown relations, like the Wests, had ever attended Hogwarts. If so, perhaps a continued relationship between Alice and Tom could help her in telling Tom about the school.

Alice and Audrey offered to take Sarah to a local vet, but Livia decided against it. "I do not think a vet could do anything more than I am right now," Livia maintained. "She is tired and I give her aid in boosting her energy level. It helps her quality of life, but I do not think they can stop the inevitable. She does not have a disease they can treat. Her dental health and bodily functions are fine for her age, but she can only live so long."

"I am so sorry," Audrey said. "I think we both wish we could help you."

"I wish I could help her more, too. But some things in life we are bound to accept, for we have no choice. I wish I could fight for her, but I have no idea of who or what to fight. She certainly doesn't know. Feline father time?"

"I feel you are way too young to have to shoulder this burden alone," Alice asserted. "Perhaps you should leave her with us, anyway. Even if we cannot stop the inevitable, it might spare you some to not have to witness this."

"I am not entirely alone, there, but it is perhaps true that my friendships are not quite as strong as those here have become in such a short time," Livia stated. "I am sure the headmaster or my head of house will help me deal with this – if not the groundskeeper who put up an owl box for Sydney and Mel. I just wanted to ensure you had the chance to see her again, given I am unsure of how long she has left. Could be weeks or months – I am not certain. I think Sairy will let me know when I should stop trying to improve her wellbeing and just let her go."

The trip was not entirely downtrodden, despite Sarah's situation. They had plenty of time for frivolous trips around the county and high tea at the Durham almshouse as well as a little shopping, since Audrey and Alice felt Livia needed some new clothes and shoes. Alice insisted on paying for everything, given that her father would never figure out if they were for her or not. "I get a generous stipend and I cannot think of a better way to spend some of it," Alice said.

Adam and John left about a day before Livia did. The remaining people around the household, including Gary, had a nice dinner at a local Indian restaurant, but again, Livia insisted on leaving towards dusk, which Tom vigorously protested.

"Livia, you did this last time without incident – but why do this with Sarah?" he asked. "Wouldn't early morning be better for her?"

"Someday I will tell you why, but I cannot at present. I doubt you would believe me. I still think you did not entirely digest the things my headmaster said to you months ago."

"Guilty as charged," Tom agreed. "Is the explanation worth waiting for?"

"I am not sure if I would phrase it that way," Livia answered. "By then, it will make perfect sense, and you should be able to accept it. I need to get back and press ahead, anyway. One of my obliging owls will get a note to you fairly soon, so you need not worry there."

At least this time, Livia had an uneventful return trip to campus. This time, Mel quickly got Tom the confirmation he relied upon that Livia arrived safely and had resumed her studies.


	9. Helping a Friend and Herself

Spring compared to winter or fall academically seemed a breeze to Livia, given she was well into her readings and wand work to be ready for taking finals for her second year exams. She also got to resume going outside, whether it be a weekly trip to see Hagrid with Sarah accompanying her, or to resume her musical activities with her "band" of crows, songbirds and owls (they all liked her food, so the group grew since her fall forays away from the school). She still continued to do her own performances near Professor Snape's window, sometimes conducting with her wand, other times dancing and singing. The man who never liked much from the muggle world found her performances had piqued his curiosity. Sometimes, he just allowed himself to hear her whilst he worked. Other times he made himself watch, depending on the song or artist.

The main issue for Livia that spring actually revolved around one of her friends, the shy Selene. Livia did not know what initially set off the older girl – Selene's reddish hair or perhaps merely her vulnerability. A fourth-year student, 15-year-old Charlotte Stickler, overweight and freckled, reminded Livia both of the bully Megan and friend Patsy. Yet Charlotte's ruse came from "accidents" like knocking over an inkwell all over a parchment Selene started using for an assignment. She tripped Selene, once shut a door on her robe and broke her glasses, among other incidents, which had accelerated to being unmistakable. Livia knew Charlotte intended to do all of it, but she had friends, including a fifth-year prefect named Stephanie Wayne and her younger sister, 14-year-old third-year student Rhonda. Athena and Shelley agreed that the situation had already begun escalating, yet they didn't know how to address it when a prefect vouched for Charlotte. Given Livia's own past, she researched how she could take on the bullies herself.

After some intense reading, Livia got an idea. She needed help, however. Knowing the student leadership and thus head of house would not assist her, Livia found information on some advanced potions, particularly the Polyjuice Potion. She approached Professor Snape about the potential of giving her lab time, and she offered to pay for what she needed. Feeling it a matter of time before Charlotte and some friend(s) actually tried worse on Selene whilst most of the young girls slept, she wanted to impersonate her, along with a few other girls, likely Shelley and Athena. Livia already had begun work on impersonating Selene's voice, if needed, since the potion sometimes did not facilitate an exact replication of that, though Livia presumed a strong potion should transfer that quality. Nonetheless, she wanted more time to ensure that she got it right, one way or another, when the potion she had in mind would mature.

Professor Snape did not want to participate, until Livia offered to pay for the materials that she used. He saw an advantage in seeing if she actually could correctly brew this potion, given its advanced stature. He also felt a little sorry for the shy girl with glasses, the red-haired Selene, despite himself – or perhaps because of himself. Livia proved herself again, when motivated for a cause, to capably perform. She and her friends would have their potion.

About a month later, after each girl acquired identical bedclothes, they went to a bathroom together and imbibed the potion with an added hair from Selene. Livia knew it was the right night. They had agreed that Livia would take Selene's bed, Athena would take Livia's, Shelley would take Athena's and Selene would take Shelley's. The geography of everyone's bed positions put Shelley's bed the furthest from Selene's, which everyone thought would allow her the best – and safest – viewing spot. They also had found Livia's vocal performance as Selene to be spot on perfect, if required. Whether Charlotte had noted the other three Selenes did not seem wholly clear, but Rhonda had left the door unsecured and, with two other friends, they roused Livia from Selene's bed shortly after the girls all turned in.

Charlotte first doused Livia (as Selene) with a glass of water, then tried to blame "Selene" for this accident and started to push her around. Sarah possessed enough vigor to bite Charlotte hard, though Livia's voice had convinced Charlotte and Rhonda that they had the right girl to torment. Charlotte's piercing cry on being bitten woke everyone. They all saw Livia (as Selene) punch her in the face, grab Charlotte's wand then sit on her. By then, she also had stupefied Rhonda, causing other girls to run for a student leader. Rhonda ran out as soon as she could get up, too. Shelley, Athena and the real Selene threw water in Charlotte's face, whilst it dawned on Charlotte that Livia actually sat on her. Livia was not that much younger and somewhat tall for 13, anyway.

Livia hissed in her ear: "If you ever bother Selene again, I will have a murder of crows drop excrement on you every day for the rest of the year. You know they will – and that's just the beginning. Sarah's bite is child's play in terms of what I can do to you. The last girl who messed with me needed over 20 stiches to close her head wounds from an Eagle Owl. You got me, or do you want to try me?"

Of course, Livia had to explain this to Professor Flitwick, including her potion use and Sarah's bite. She did, too, quite unapologetically, by listing all the "accidents" that Charlotte intentionally inflicted, including being roused as Selene with a glass of water to the face, which she saw coming, as did Selene, Athena and Shelley. Charlotte got detention for the rest of the year. Stephanie Wayne had to either recant or face the same murder of crows and possibly resign. She took the easy way out and recanted. Rhonda Wayne earned time in detention, too. She filed away this incident in case she could strike against these girls later for humiliating her, her friend and her sister. When he heard about it, Selene's cousin, the emerging second-year star on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, insisted that Selene get rehoused somehow so he could take charge of her wellbeing, quite an unusual request. Livia only spoke to this cousin, Don Stevens, a few times, but she liked how Selene's relatives had closed ranks to protect her. Livia, Shelley and Athena would do the same, if he needed them somehow. Their guardians all consented to protecting Selene, too.

Livia felt quite proud that she had outmaneuvered some Ravenclaw bullies. She informed Professor Snape that she had succeeded, but she would not tell Professor Flitwick that he played any role in the incident. He thanked her for her circumspection, though he had to admit he liked having a role, however unbecoming for him it was to participate. He also found himself strangely interested when Livia celebrated that and the year's end with something fun, a silly song (to him, anyway) called "Walk Like An Egyptian." The professor oddly smiled at the odd lyrics. She was more than ready for her exams, despite any diversionary issue. He also was glad she had not forced him to contemplate anything he rather remained buried in some deep cavern inside of him.

Livia did find an odd moment to ask the headmaster if anyone named West had graduated from Hogwarts. He thought it possible but admitted not being certain. He did inquire about why she posed this question.

"When I was last in Durham, several people inquired about me giving them my mailing address," Livia said. "I told them that our remote location made regular mail unreliable and, since we worked with owls, it had become a tradition to use them for mail delivery."

"Credible attempt to dodge the issue," he asserted.

"There's more," she stated. "My brother's girlfriend, named Alice West, has some very impressive aristocratic ancestors and they are, how they say, above my brother's station. She did not seem concerned about that, though, perhaps owing to my brother's prospects. In any case, she gave credence to what I said and it made me wonder –"

"If her family has any witches or wizards in it who attended this school?"

"Exactly, sir," Livia affirmed. "If she has any understanding owing to a relative, this would make my ability to tell my brother easier, if they do stay together."

"I will look into this for you," the headmaster offered. "Any other relatives I should know about specifically, given West is not a unique name, really?"

"Well," Livia answered, "it seems she is a distant cousin to Bertrand Russell and thus the Dukes of Bedford. I think there is some tie to at least one member of a group of friends who lived where I first met you – the Bloomsbury Group."

"That is helpful," he responded. "It is likely someone in or around the family's history intertwines with this school. Does she have family in Scotland itself, or are they all English?"

"She said in her answer about the mail that she has family in Scotland. She even mentioned an 'old school' method of using carrier pigeons."

"I will confirm this, but I think your instincts have done you well," he asserted. "This may not eliminate the risk involved, since your brother likely will become a barrister, if I understand correctly, but it could help. I may not get to examine this right away but I will look into it."

Professor Snape's prediction to himself about Livia's exams proved entirely correct. No one could find a single error or issue about anything she wrote or any task she performed. Whilst scoring perfectly did not surprise anyone nor did it constitute a totally unique accomplishment, everyone seemed satisfied that Livia had not let her ambitions to push through level two cloud her ability to master the material expected of students finishing their first year. As students began to disperse for the year, Livia remained behind to figure out when she could travel to Durham. It seemed Jake and Audrey spent some time away and there, owing to various efforts to arrange a wedding they would hold in the greater London area of Kew Gardens, though both hoped to settle closer to Sunderland, home of Jake's favorite team and a town not far from Durham. Alice and Tom remained in Durham, with Tom working for a law firm and Alice preparing to undertake a fourth year at Durham to obtain a graduate degree in history.

Before leaving in July, Livia first bid goodbye to her level two friends Shelley, Selene, Athena and Ted. She promised them she would join them next year and hoped she could be a good resource, if they ever needed it. Still, she frankly told them not to expect her to say much in any of her classes. She informed them that her relative invisibility was intentional and had little to do with her abilities, her preparation or her work ethic. "It's how I learn, for one," she claimed, holding back the headmaster's insistence that she fly under the radar at Hogwarts as much as possible. "I need to listen as much as possible."

Livia also said farewell to Helena Ravenclaw and, after a few other tries, finally got her to accept a handshake that final time without her needing to pull away. Helena actually found some pleasure in it, for once. She had come to trust Livia and told her a little about herself. Livia, in saying goodbye, told her she would see her again in the near future and they could talk more, if Helena felt like doing so. Livia also visited Hagrid, Sydney and Mel with Sarah. Sarah seemed still to be gaining a benefit from the potion she gave the cat, but Livia sensed the end would come sooner rather than later and made sure they all knew it, also. Sydney and Mel showed a great deal of affection to Sarah, and the trip seemed more sweet than bittersweet, perhaps because animals accept their mortality more easily than people do versus their dread of pain from illness or injury. Still, Livia brought both potions with her in her bag – not sure if she would need the strength more than Sarah, if Sarah passed in Durham.

As with spring break, Livia went through the same routine to get to Tom's flat. She found Gary had moved in, given the sporadic use of the space by Jake and Audrey, as well as their intention to ultimately settle near Sunderland, where both were in the process of finding work. Audrey ultimately would teach at a local school for young children, and Jake actually found employment with the football club itself, doing various administrative tasks for the team's executives. Jake actually would become a favorite person of players to go through to speak to upper management and the team would steadily reward him for his knowledge of the game and his ability to establish a strong bond with various players.

The first few days went very pleasantly, as Tom already had begun gaining confidence with his firm and that group also in him. Tom was in such a good mood he did not give much thought to the new housing scheme Livia agreed to join, in order to better protect Selene with her cousin Don, as radical as it seemed for children to do. Given Tom's own situation, he had no huge basis to complain, especially given the fact that Livia never indicated he had to worry. Livia spent much of that first week with either Alice or Gary, either accompanying them on some errand or enjoying some sightseeing, like visiting some of Alice's favorite spots, Crook Hall and Gardens, with its medieval original structure and Georgian additions or Durham's Botanical Gardens. Livia still kept a close eye on Sarah, who initially seemed okay but by week's end told Livia the time had come to stop trying to keep her in good health. Late Sunday night, Tom, Alice, Gary and Livia all had to bid Sarah a final goodbye. Cathy called that day and actually wanted to be there, also, but her own schedule and personal commitments made the trip impossible, especially given the fact that she did not have a car or a driver's license. Tom called Jake and Audrey to talk to Livia in the hope that they might be able to lighten Livia's burden. Sarah peacefully passed at 23:56 on Sunday. Gary asked Livia what she wanted to do with Sarah's remains, given she had options.

"What do you mean?" Livia asked.

"A pet crematorium opened a few years ago in the area," Gary replied. "If you want to keep her beside you in some way, you can. You do not have to bury her. I would be glad to drive you there tomorrow, if you want." Tom offered to pay for whatever Livia wanted to do. Meantime, Livia's premonition of needing the strength potion for herself had become all too real. She could not recall herself ever experiencing such overwhelming feelings before. Still, she was glad she had given chances for various people to see Sarah before her death and considered that maybe Sydney and Mel would want to recognize her passing by seeing a small box containing her cremains.

Gary quickly got a late Monday morning appointment, and he went with Alice and Livia to the pet crematorium. The staff handled it all with professionalism but also caring as they quickly realized who the principal bereaved of the group was. They all deferred to whatever Livia decided, with Alice helping by offering to get a copy of the collage picture of Sarah to put on the small box she chose so she could always have that memory of Sarah. They set up everything, including her return appointment to pick up Sarah's remains. Livia believed nothing could compare to the dread she had of that day, though Gary and Alice did their best to console her, as did Tom. Indeed, Tom decided to ask for some time off to make that follow-up appointment, realizing how immiserating such an event would be. The firm consented, given they recognized that Tom's charge needed everyone around her having to deal with such a loss whilst so young. Some had children and pets, also, and could not imagine a young girl having to cope without the sibling who cared for her the most. They knew something about what she had gone through previously as well.

Livia stayed another week or so to process what had happened, to visit the cathedral to try to draw some extra strength from it and spoke to Cathy on the phone. Cathy walked her through her experiences of people who lose pets for various reasons, stating that there is never a good way or a good age for them to leave. It was probably the most connected Livia felt to Cathy in maybe four years. Alice made another suggestion, though it probably served her as much as Livia. Alice had considered getting a cat for their flat – neither Tom nor Gary objected – but did not know how to choose one. She had heard stories of cats abandoning owners for other people or living outdoors or having behavior or health issues undiscovered until the pet came home. Livia consented to helping Alice pick out the right cat.

They found a no-kill shelter outside the city, a breezeblock structure where cats tended to live cage-free in rooms arranged for various issues related to health, temperament and age. They arrived courtesy of Gary agreeing to take them. Alice profusely expressed her gratitude, acknowledging that this cat did not replace Sarah, but Sarah might take comfort in knowing that Livia helped another of her kind find a home. Livia asked Alice what kind of qualities she wanted in a cat. Did she want a lap cat? A cat that played a lot? A mouser? Was age a factor or more the cat's attachment to her?

Alice said that the ability to catch mice, if needed, would be nice, but she liked a lap cat, especially one that would be loyal and would not have huge health problems – at least not yet. That is, good health mattered more than age. Livia thought a somewhat older cat, one often passed over, might be eager to be the kind of companion Alice as well as Tom would like. She understood that two types of cats often had difficulty being placed and likely had matured because of this – black cats and torties (tortoiseshell-colored cats). Alice found that surprising, since she thought torties were often very pretty. Livia thus zeroed in on the torties they had, noting these cats often appeared stubborn or independent but also possessed a fierce loyalty to the person(s) they loved. Since the house already had everything a cat needed, Livia spoke to all the torties, telling them she wanted to find the right cat for her brother and the young woman with her, Alice. She explained that she had just lost her cat and her task was to help channel her own grief into saving one of them. A few were chosen to go into an adoption room, and Livia told them that it was Alice (and later her brother) they needed to win, not her. She was there to mediate and find the right match. She got health information, age, habits, food preferences, mousing or bug eating potential, lap cat potential and if the cat wanted to be the sole pet – everything Alice needed to know.

One somewhat older cat understood Livia completely and saw a great chance to find a comfortable home. She went right up to Alice and rubbed her leg. She told Livia they could call her Abby. She was five with no health issues, though not as active then as kittens or very young adults. She would be happy to catch any occasional mouse or bug, liked wet food twice a day and liked lounging by people. She would sleep with them, if allowed, but would not disturb them, because she liked the foot of a bed the best, or her own bed on a nightstand. Livia told Alice she thought this was her cat and her name was Abby, regardless of what the shelter called her. Livia repeated everything Abby told her, including that Abby was five, which suggested maturity, her health remained strong and she expected to live a very long life. She also would kill or eat bugs and mice, if needed, and preferred people to other cats. Alice liked everything Livia said.

"How do you do this?" she asked. "I always knew you could, but it totally escapes me as to what it takes to talk to an animal."

"I do not know how to answer that, honestly," Livia responded. "I just found I could do it with all types of animals that I have come across so far. Maybe there is a trust or respect aspect to it, but I think it is a connection hard to describe. I am open to them and they are open to me. I started doing this at a time I lacked a lot of vocabulary to describe this. You can learn to read their body language – for example tail or ear position, the dilation of eye pupils or how Abby crouches or puffs her fur – all of those tell you a great deal. That is, you can know your cat by observing her. I just also happen to know what she thinks, too."

Abby thus found herself on her way to her forever home after Alice completed the paperwork and paid the adoption fee. Gary, who had hung around various parts of the shelter talking to people and checking out all the animals, was glad to see them with Alice holding a cardboard cat carrier with her new pet inside. "I see you got a cat," Gary stated. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Alice said. "I hope you do not mind, Livia, that Tom and I will use things we had set aside for Sarah."

"No," Livia remarked. "Sairy would like that. I have no reason to object, either. I just have to figure out what to do with Sarah's things at my school. Maybe a new student will need them."

"You do not want another cat, Livia?" Gary asked.

"No, not as a student," Livia answered. "I am not sure when I will want that. Perhaps if I had started helping Sairy sooner, she would have lived longer. It might be selfish of me to get another cat especially right now if my studies require so much of my time."

"I doubt you could have done better," Alice stated. "Sarah would have told you she needed help, no?"

"I guess so – if she knew," Livia responded. "Still, I think my studies will demand my time and burying myself in them might be what I should do. I still have to prepare and pass exams to skip a year and, oddly enough, Sairy may have done me a favor – I will not be worrying about her now. I will have to do this for her, instead. I think she would like that."

Livia returned to Hogwarts towards the end of July with a little box replacing her cat. Once again, she left after dark, to Tom's dismay. She sent a note to him immediately upon returning and resumed her studies so that she would be ready to complete the year two finals in August. He sent a quick reply, noting that Abby was settling in nicely and seemed to enjoy being with them all.

Livia made a point of bringing the box out to Hagrid, Sydney and Mel. Hagrid expressed surprise that the remains of her cat lay in it, but Sydney and Mel seemed to know it. Both landed on either side of the box and vocalized as well as seemed to nuzzle it a bit. Livia had to explain the muggle process of cremation to him, since he had only heard of using funeral pyres for such a thing. She told him that technological processes produced a high level of heat – either by gas or electricity whereas it first had come from coal furnaces – that reduced the remains to bones that crumbled into ash. She told him that although she could open the box and show him, she could not bring herself to do it. He understood and let it go.

The house staff noted Livia's return and also inquired about her cat and she also told them Sarah had passed in Durham and what remained of her lay in the box she had. They decided not to ask at all about it. Some faculty came in and out of the school during August and she scheduled her exams with each. The headmaster himself would handle her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, since Professor Bends had taken ill, and he had not formalized fully who would succeed him. He saw her determination but realized something was "off" about her. She told him her cat had died the previous month and she only had a box and her picture by which to remember her. "I am very sorry, Livia," he said gently. "Wrap yourself in your work. Dedicate it to her memory so she will be proud of you."

"Yes, I have thought of doing just that," Livia acknowledged.

Just after the middle of August she ran across Professor Snape, who had come to check on her progress and take inventory of his storage closet to see what might have gone bad or just needed reordering. Whilst she was polite as usual, he did take note that she seemed worn down some. "Don't tell me you are not ready for your exams, yet, Miss Woodcock," he stated.

"No," Livia responded. "Sarah died about a month ago and I have her in a box in my room. I am trying to work hard in her memory, but I confess I was not ready for her to be gone so soon."

"No one expects to lose someone that they love, no matter who or when or how," he maintained, in a rare moment of honesty and sympathy. "It is a harsh blow even if one sees it coming. It is how you respond that marks your character, rather than just how you grieve. What did you do with her body that she's in your room?"

"A muggle company cremated her and gave me a box containing her ashes," Livia replied.

"Oh," he reacted. "That will raise a few eyebrows here. You might want to conceal this."

"Can I help you with your inventory? Sounds like quite a task," Livia offered.

"You probably can. Some items might not be easy to reorder or obtain quickly."

"I can sure help you there – or some of my avian friends can."

That first time, the two spent nearly two hours going over the storage closet. Professor Snape made a list of things he knew he could get easily – whether Hagrid had access to them or an apothecary did – and a list of things he would have trouble getting quickly. The second list he gave to Livia. "See what you can do with these," he recounted. "Domestic will do whilst I wait for reorders of the more distant items to arrive."

Livia called whatever available crows and owls could fetch some herbs for potion-making inventory for her. Several crows, led by Alastair and Benedict and all three Barn Owls entered the window Livia opened. She gave each a task and repeated the directions she had received. Some came back more quickly than others but within about 20 minutes, everything had arrived, placed in the containers Livia directed each to use. Livia bowed to each and made sure plenty of food existed outside the window for them to eat. Professor Snape knew Livia could do this yet the execution still amazed him.

"It would take me days to do what you accomplished in like 20 minutes," he expressed. "Not unexpected but still this is an enviable ability. I guess the headmaster was right in teasing me about you replacing me someday."

"But I have not passed my exam for you yet, sir," Livia stated.

"True," he affirmed. "Do you really fear that?"

"Not really," Livia asserted. "I can't say what I fear beyond not reaching my own expectations."

"Quite a statement. I have to leave again and I will return before the end of the month. Would you be averse to scheduling your exam on the 28th?" He knew he could not return before the night of the 27th and necessity really dictated the date, since the faculty would convene the following day and its meeting would include making a decision on her status.

"That's one way to spend my birthday."

"Oh, right," he said. "I will make you a deal. I will ensure you get a nice treat before the exam from the staff and then we will proceed to the Potions room for the exam. Okay?"

"Wait, you expect I will enjoy this 'treat' by myself?" Livia asked.

"Well, that's what I usually do," he answered. "I guess that is not for everyone. Tell you what, I will come early and take part in some of it with you, okay? We are pressed for time and that is the best day to do it. I would rather not wait until a few hours before the faculty meeting."

"Okay, but don't make me spend the entire time by myself staring at my cat's picture, please," Livia begged.

She cornered him, he thought. She remained fragile, and he actually understood that better than he wanted her or anyone to know. Somewhat begrudgingly, he consented to come early, so she would not be stuck staring at her cat's picture. Maybe he can toughen her up, since she will need to be tough, sooner or later, prophecy or not.

Livia had completed all of her other second year final exams and had received word from Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick that her tests ranged between exceeds expectations and outstanding on those. The rest mostly rated as outstanding, she learned. The final test, however, belonged to Professor Snape, who as promised, returned on the evening of 27 August to assess her performance the following day. He had told her to be ready for any of the potions a second year student would have to create. What he did not tell her was that, if she had performed well, he would push her further, just to see if she possessed the subtlety to use similar ingredients for a different elixir.

As promised, Professor Snape had the staff prepare a high tea that included the typical fare but also a small, special cake for her birthday. She noticed she received only one plate, cup and saucer, though, which made her suspect that he would not present himself terribly early to partake in much of anything, unless he grabbed a finger sandwich as they left. Livia remedied the "oversight" and duplicated each item, added some flatware, and placed a second chair on the small table that appeared in her room. She placed Sarah's box on the chair and the rest of the dishes in front of the second place setting. She took her time making sure it all looked perfectly set and then poured herself the tea. That is, Livia wasted a good deal of time that Professor Snape presumed she would spend consuming the tea and the foods. After he knocked and she opened the door, he found himself rather surprised to see she had consumed so little when he showed up to take her to the Potions room. "I was just sitting here with Sarah, but you see she has not taken anything," Livia stated. Internally, he said to himself: _she sure knows how to make one feel guilty – her father or mother must have taught her that very well._

She picked up Sarah's box, poured him some tea and asked him to sit and drink it. Livia could feel his discomfort, which she oddly relished, since he often meted out at least as much to his students. Livia politely inquired if he enjoyed his time away, and if he found his inventory now suitable. He somewhat stiffly indicated that both were sufficient. Livia found him to be a brick wall when she asked the most innocuous of questions. Did he hate her, or did he just hate thinking of any student as actually being a human being? Maybe it was him and he rather forget he was one? Maybe she had broken some sort of code in fraternizing with a faculty member? Still, Livia got him to eat and have some tea and just let whatever bothered him go.

"This looks like either a large cupcake or a small cake," she observed. "Please split it with me, sir. I cannot eat it entirely." She cut it in half and took half for herself and placed the remainder, still on its dish, on Professor Snape's plate.

He remained stone-faced but said nothing and did in fact eat it. "Okay, you're done," he stated, finally. "Happy Birthday – time to get to work."

Livia followed him to his potion-making room and he gave her his task – a Sleeping Draught. He had placed a bunch of ingredients before her, some needed, some not. She had to decide what she needed and when. She worked very methodically yet not without a sensitivity to how the ingredients meshed to make the final product. He watched her closely, silently. He tried to see if silent thoughts directed towards her had any effect in distracting her. "Oh, now you want to talk to me," Livia said aloud. "How about if I fart in your general direction?" she asked in a distinctly French accent. "Or I shall taunt you a second time."

"What did you say to me?" he inquired, taken quite by surprise.

"Let me guess, you have never seen a Monty Python film," Livia replied. "You missed some good stuff, sir. Next time you enter the muggle world, try to see a film, if you own a video cassette recorder or VCR, called _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_. You might actually laugh – and according to the muggle philosopher Goethe, 'Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at'." Despite talking, Livia remained entirely focused on her task. She finished within the time he allotted, and he gave the potion a few extra minutes to gauge it at its full potency.

Before he even tested it, he knew – it was perfect. He did not tell her that, however. "Since you want to be cheeky with me, or think I should care what some muggle philosopher thinks, let me push you a little harder through this potion, which though similar to a degree, usually gets taught to third year students. See if you can understand the differences, subtle though they are."

"Okay, I will play your game," Livia agreed. "But I will return the favor in my own time."

She had some idea of what the ingredients had to meld into to produce the right effect. She chose the proper ingredients, though reversed two in putting it together and stirred one too many times. The two errors almost, but not fully, cancelled each other out. The potion had the proper qualities but could not reach more than a middling level of efficacy.

"For a first effort, that was credible, though not potent," he summarized. "You gave me something to criticize, if unfairly. I wanted to see what kind of instinctual qualities you have."

"And?" Livia asked.

"You chose the right ingredients but made two errors in putting them together, which weakened the end product. On one hand, you showed good instincts but not on the execution. That you will learn."

"Are we done, or do you have anything more you want to say?" Livia inquired.

"No," he answered. "You can return to your quarters. Good day, Miss Woodcock."

Livia realized he would toy with her and make her wait as to whether or not he would approve her elevation to level three. It was his nature to do so. Yet she thought she could read him just well enough to guess that he found her first potion more than adequate. She thought it was good, and she often criticized herself as well as he could. Still, she had nothing to do but wait until after the faculty met and decided her fate.

The faculty, complete with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, the thin, balding Simon Seward, met on Friday, 29 August at two o'clock. The headmaster introduced him and those assembled all welcomed him – even if Professor Snape felt he could teach the subject better. The group reviewed the various schedule or room changes and other staff appointments, along with the list of the new students. Then, he turned to the subject of Livia Woodcock, saying that, as the person who administered her D.A.D.A exam, he found it borderlining the assessment of outstanding, a grade he would be inclined to give, considering how she had essentially taught herself without faculty guidance over the summer. Professor Seward agreed, based on the information he reviewed, and if it were his vote he would agree to promote her to level three. Each professor in turn gave an assessment and vote. The rest of the ratings merited an Outstanding and every faculty member agreed to promote Livia. Then the headmaster turned to Professor Snape, who had only given her his exam the previous day. "It is now your call, Severus," he said. "Everyone else has spoken in her favor."

"I gave her two tasks yesterday," he began, "the first was actually what she needed to do to pass year two. The second to give me an idea of how she could cope with a third-year potion, just to see how she responded. I did not tell her the actual results."

"And?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"She made the second year potion perfectly," he replied. "My only complaint is not being able to complain about it whatsoever."

The headmaster briefly interrupted him. "Severus, maybe Livia Woodcock is _your_ daughter, and you are not telling us!" He laughed heartily.

"As if I could father a child at age eleven," he said dryly.

"I understand the muggle English poet Lord Byron may have engaged in such acts at a younger age than that, Severus," the headmaster continued.

"Do I look like Lord Byron to you?" he asked in protest. No one dared comment on that, though a few found this exchange very entertaining. A few people had to bite their lips or put a hand over their face to avoid laughing. "In any case, the second task, a third-year potion with similar ingredients, was a credible effort, though somewhat mediocre in potency. Therefore, I have to agree with everyone else in promoting her from year two in favor of three."

Professor Dumbledore smiled. All had validated his faith in her; even Professor Snape could not find a reason not to promote her. That the headmaster got to tease him about her made it even better, since he typically found his impish side when speaking with Professor Snape. One would think their ages were reversed at times.

"I do want to add one thing, though," Professor Snape stated. "Since we have all agreed to promote Miss Woodcock, I think we owe it to her classmates and even to herself not to treat her any differently than any other third-year student. No favors or allowances – she should be able to do exactly as they do, without exception, or we are not being honest with our expectations."

"Agreed," the headmaster concurred. "That is valid. If Miss Woodcock has truly earned this, she should capably perform as well as any other student at her level."

Later that evening, Professor Dumbledore called her into his office and told her to acquire the materials she would need for taking level three coursework, suggesting she ask Hagrid to accompany her to ensure she obtained everything she needed. He also inquired about her electives or extra activities, since she needed to decide on them quickly.

Her first choice surprised him: Muggle Studies. She said it gave her justification for all the things she had that would otherwise raise eyebrows. She especially wanted to have better acceptance of the music she had and thought that, frankly, students should appreciate it, regardless of origin. Her brother had recently exposed her to American forms of music, one older called the Blues and another recent known as Rap, and she found both highly significant and artful, the former if emotion in music mattered, the latter if clever lyrics, rhyme and meaning caught the ear.

"Sounds like you are on a mission to get Professor Quirrell and Professor Flitwick, um, 'hip,' as they say," the headmaster asserted. "Some may object, but more information about the world around us I believe has a beneficial aspect. So you can tell them I do not reject any ideas or activities you might suggest. Frankly, I think you want to teach this course yourself."

"I don't want the responsibility, especially to give assignments or grade students," Livia responded. "I want people to broaden their appreciation and find enjoyment or understanding through it. Yet I wonder if some people here have ever heard even of Bach or Mozart."

"Mozart had to have wizardry skills," the headmaster recounted. "I cannot see a muggle starting at such a young age with such talent. What would your second choice be?"

"As much as I have premonition skills that would benefit from formal instruction through Runes or Divination courses, given the death of my cat, it has to be the Care of Magical Creatures. I want to know if they will talk like supposed ordinary species do with me."

"Fair – and again I am sorry about Sarah. I am interested to know what you discover. I must ask you – I understand you keep her remains with you. How?"

"Muggles have developed a way of cremating bodily remains at a high temperature. Her ashes, that is, her desiccated bones, are what I possess. Muggles in this country now cremate human remains more often than they bury them, owing to facilities like the one I used."

"Is that so?" the headmaster asked, pondering. Then he changed the subject. "I have not forgotten your question about the West family, but I haven't had the right opportunity. I lack a full answer at this time. I need to check with someone to confirm some information. One other thing, though: You must give Professor Flitwick time for you to develop dueling skills – and I don't mean merely polite competition rules. I mean to defend your life or that of others. You need a much better rapport with your wand than you have shown thus far and this should help."

"Yes, sir," Livia agreed. "Seems to me that takes up the spot an elective course might take."

"Indeed, but no one will notice," he said. "Congratulations. I'm sure you will have a good night." Livia smiled and bowed. Then they parted ways.

Livia consulted the staff on Sarah's things, and they agreed to store them in case another student needed them. Before retiring for the night she wrote a short letter to Tom:

 _Dear Tom,_

 _I did it! The faculty approved me to be accelerated to third-year status. I am still perhaps a year behind, though many of these students will turn 14 before I become 15. Since the headmaster wants me to take on some additional tasks (including elective courses), I will not seek to skip another year. Besides, the only students I really talk to are going into their third year with me. Whilst I cannot say we all are extremely close as of yet, we dine together and I have shared living quarters with the girls._

 _My workload will likely not really slow down much. I hope you and all your friends are well. If they really want to write me, they should just send stuff to you, otherwise I would need a parliament of owls to keep up. I doubt I am that popular with the owls. I would have a better chance with crows, but they do not do mail._

 _Your loving sister,_  
 _Livia_

Tom happily shared the news with everyone he knew, even Abby (though she could not understand what he told her, just his excited tone). He wished they would have an opportunity to celebrate, though he knew it would have to wait. He was preparing for exams himself and, if all went well, he would be heading to London for his barrister vocational course the following year. His mentor felt confident that Tom would succeed. Tom wondered about the timing, if he would need to relocate before or after Alice finished her studies. It seemed they could stay together, since those courses typically followed an academic schedule. His firm knew that was his desired schedule. It helped to recognize, also, that Alice did not need to find a job right away, given her family had the means to provide her with a generous amount of support. In fact, because she lived modestly – including the shared flat – she rarely spent anything close to her annual allowance.

Tom sent back a longer letter:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _I am so happy for you – and glad you will keep busy. We must celebrate, though it likely needs to wait till winter break. My work goes well. I should sit for my exams sometime over the next months, depending on when I am deemed ready to do my best on them. Alice and I are hoping that if we need to relocate to London, for an Inns of Court course, we will go together. That I already have a mentor and an employer willing to promote my candidacy gives me an excellent chance of acceptance, if I score well enough. My degree ranking helps me qualify, also._

 _I am hoping John remains in London then, also. I think he is making good use of his father's friends to find work around the music industry. Adam may or may not be nearby. He is looking at work in the arts/graphics field or perhaps doing cover art for a book publisher. He may be more inclined to freelance in such things if it gives him time to pursue his own ideas. Gary seems to have lined up a good job in Durham as a hotel assistant manager and may just take sole possession of this flat (with or without shared expenses) until he decides he can save enough for something more to his liking (as in a place that gives him his own parking space). We are all outgrowing living in an area typically inhabited by students._

 _I will tell Cathy and our father of your success. I still am not fully reconciled with my mother, and I don't see that ever happening with Lydia, from what Cathy says._

 _Write again when you can. In the meantime, let me send you a few extra batteries and this tape from a band I don't think you have heard – R.E.M. I think you will love the song "Cant Get There From Here." I made a compilation via John of songs of theirs I thought you would like. They are for real and think when they put it all together they will be huge. U2 is supposed to be putting out a new album sometime next year. From what insiders say (via John), it will be a masterpiece and will change their place in music history forever. Yes, that grand._

 _Write when you can._

 _Your loving brother,_  
 _Tom_

Livia smiled. She had already thought of an idea to bring to Professor Quirrell or Flitwick – a dance party of some perhaps more informal kind towards the end of the year, but before preparations for finals got serious, featuring muggle music. She would just have to figure out how to get artists/records approved beforehand as well as devise a means of filling the Great Hall with enough sound to make such an event work. If she had to play DJ, she would. Taking money off of smug Slytherins (usually) was humorous and lucrative, and she would still do it when she could at the Winter Ball. Yet money could not replace how music spoke to her for so long. It essentially helped her through the darkest times of her life – still.

* Author's Note

The song "Walk Like An Egyptian" derives from the US pop group The Bangles. They released it first on their 1986 album "Different Light" before it became a successful single. Livia would have access to the album, released in the UK in March, even though the single was released in September there.

The Monty Python troupe, consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, released "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in 1975. The dialogue mostly quoted comes from one of the most well-known scenes of a French guard taunting King Arthur and his knights.


	10. Meeting Bill Weasley

Livia found that she needed to move her belongings to a new room, which she would share with Shelley, Selene, Athena and Ted, as well as three additional male Ravenclaw third year students, Don Stevens, Terence Barrow and Barry Atkinson, all very athletic, tanned young men who played Quidditch for Ravenclaw. She only partly knew them and knew they had little knowledge of her, other than the infamous episode she had with Professor Snape the previous year and her defense of Selene, which prompted the unusual housing situation. The guardians of every resident agreed to it, to help Selene and Don come up with a situation everyone accepted. Some called it a pilot program, though others refused to see it as more than a one-off proposal solely to protect one resident in a fashion that maintained some aspect of discipline. It wound up being the latter, for good or ill. Professor Dumbledore thought it could obscure Livia's talents a bit more and as such was worth doing.

Regardless, both boys and girls involved handled it in a straightforward manner, conscious of its purpose and unwilling to expose Selene to additional problems by misbehaving. The boys would not disappoint star player Don, either. Livia's protection seemed sufficient to many, but Selene's family preferred the certainty that Don looked out for her. Later, it just became habit fueled in part by liking Livia's mimicry and the congeniality of the group.

Hagrid, after ensuring Livia had acquired everything she needed for at least the first term, if not the entire year, made sure she had successfully relocated for the year. He also assured her that Sydney and Mel, as well as their Barn Owl friend (who he found odd to call Sevy), remained healthy and happy. Moreover, he expressed delight when she told him she would be taking an elective in the Care of Magical Creatures, stating how much he loved them all and how he hoped someday to be able to share his love with more students.

"I opted to take this course to see how I would get on with them," Livia said. "I do not know if they can or will want to speak to me. Typically, I can read animal behavior well, but since I am completely unfamiliar with these animals, I have few expectations of their gestures or the significance of them."

"Many are misunderstood and thus feared," he stated. "Perhaps you will find the means to make them less so. I hope you can."

The train from London and transport from the depot prompted brought the students to Hogwarts at their expected time on Monday, 1 September. The returning students met first in a separate area before assembling in the Great Hall. Shelley and the others were happy to see her and, owing to Livia's typical placid demeanor, could not tell if she had succeeded or not. The pixie blonde Athena reached her first and as everyone sat down, she asked Livia how her exams went and if the faculty had approved of her promotion to third year status.

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "I think the headmaster will say so, but he has already told me that the faculty unanimously voted for this."

Ted, hearing Livia's answer, could not help himself, "How did you get by Professor Snape? I was sure he would make your test so difficult that he could find a reason to vote 'no.'"

"I did not give him much choice," Livia replied. "I made the potion he requested and I doubt he could find much wrong with it. I guess I disappointed him in that regard." Livia consciously chose not to mention anything else that happened, since she knew he had a reputation for treating only Slytherin students with even a smidgen of consideration.

"Perhaps that supposed Slytherin tie kept him from trying to undermine your efforts," Shelley suggested.

"Maybe," Livia responded. "Still, he did try to distract me, but he did not disrupt me. Instead, I turned his attempt to break my concentration into a joke. I may not be physically tough or remarkably strong with my wand work as of yet, but he knows he cannot upset me."

"I do not get that at all," Selene added. "He scares me almost daily. How does he not intimidate you in the least?"

"I guess I am just confident in myself and, since I had to deal with mean or unfeeling people who have seriously attempted to harm me, a tongue-lashing does not affect me as much. That does not mean he will not try, but given that I have survived the Snape Gape unscathed and choose not to speak much, he finds little reason to go after me."

"Oh yes," Shelley recalled. "You survived the full stare. That is miraculous." Everyone laughed loudly.

Just then, the new students entered the room, led by Professor McGonagall towards the front where the chair and sorting hat awaited them. The headmaster welcomed them to the school and made several announcements before the sorting, including the introduction of Professor Seward and a few changes in staff and procedures, as well as his common availability on Friday afternoons to help students who sought him out. Lastly, he mentioned that Ravenclaw student Livia Woodcock, who had completed her first year last spring, had successfully passed her second year exams prior to start of the new term and, by unanimous consent from the faculty, would be promoted to level three. Livia's friends at the Ravenclaw table led them in all vigorously applauding her accomplishment, with Shelley prompting her to acknowledge everyone. The other tables applauded some, with Reggie and Clara the most enthusiastic, though the majority merely did so politely. The faculty salute varied, with Professor Flitwick beaming and other faculty applauding. Professor Snape took the more polite route, which Livia totally expected. In fact, she sent him that message that she expected nothing more and asked him when he would screen that Monty Python film her brother loved. He told her he would see it someday, but she should watch her step with him, because she would get no special treatment in his class. She sent him another thought that no one heard them or would know, and she would maintain her vow, but that did not mean she would suppress herself entirely. He let the matter drop, hoping that this commentary constituted her response to what he had done a few days before.

Then the sorting of the new students took place, and everyone assembled enjoyed their first meal before retiring to their respective quarters. Professor Flitwick and student leaders toured with the new Ravenclaw students, introducing them to various students in the rooms. One new girl, the modest, tiny, fragile-looking blonde Phoebe Allens, asked Livia about the headmaster's announcement: did it mean she could help new students when they had problems with their work.

Professor Flitwick heard and decided to answer first: "Yes, Miss Allens, Miss Woodcock completed the equivalent of two years of schoolwork in one calendar year. Besides specific classes, I would suggest to you and any other student having trouble doing written assignments to ask her about them. She writes extremely well. Few students here in any year could do better. If that ever became a subject here, she should teach it."

Livia simply shook the girl's hand and said if she could help she would, though repeated what Professor Flitwick typically said – that Ravenclaw had tutors and many resources available for anyone seeking help, including himself. Still, she reinforced that writing assignments might be the area she could assist with the most and suggested she let the other students know that they could consult her if any had a problem with those.

Before leaving with the first year students, Professor Flitwick gave the older students their schedules, with Livia's including a weekly set time to meet with him for exercises in dueling. She nodded, pleased, though she was a little put out that her Potions class took place early in the day, in that she might not get assistance from sleepy owls and hoped whatever crows she could assemble would prove sufficient, should Professor Snape endeavor to challenge her again. She realized she needed to maintain tight control over herself to avoid repeating last year's incident, for that reason alone. Besides, the headmaster would want her to do so, anyway.

The morning schedule went without incident, though the gauntlet had been laid down by several demanding instructors, including Professors Snape and McGonagall. Livia looked forward to her afternoon schedule more, since she had Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures then. Before she headed to the latter, Professor Quirrell pulled Livia aside to ask about how her cat remained in her room in a box. She explained the muggle use of a technological form of high heat cremation and that the box she had contained what they called her ashes. He also indicated that he wanted to meet with her and Professor Flitwick about her muggle musical knowledge and experiences. He had already agreed to meet the next day at four o'clock, a time Livia found agreeable, also. She wanted to ask both about her idea of a muggle music event, already, which might intrigue them both. She knew there would be challenges – especially in playing the music and given the fact that she should never seek much credit for the event – but thought they both would find value in it. The timing might prove useful to students winding down from the term and beginning to prepare for exams. Organizing such a thing could become an assignment for students to find items they would accept.

First, though, Livia would learn more about what the Care of Magical Creatures course would entail. She felt disappointed they had not gone outside immediately to meet any, though understood why students required preparation before such encounters took place. The range of these creatures seemed quite interesting, since Livia had never heard of the creatures she would soon meet. She also wished Hagrid was leading the class, given his enthusiasm towards animals, which the actual professor did not entirely share. Ultimately, Livia would seek out Hagrid for more information about them than anyone else. Since she got to see Sydney and Mel at the same time, it proved to be a most valuable use of her time. That she could return to the school after she spent maybe an hour with her Walkman outside, thoroughly enjoying the R.E.M. compilation John sent via Tom. Professor Snape, realizing Livia had gotten a new tape, decided to turn it up as he worked. He found "Cant Get There From Here" as catchy as she did, though the lyrics did not seem to him equally enticing. He did not know what exactly to make of them:

 _When the world is a monster bad to swallow you whole_  
 _Kick the clay that holds the teeth in, throw your trolls out the door_  
 _If you're needing inspiration, Philomath is where I go by dawn_  
 _Lawyer Jeff, he knows the lowdown, he's mighty bad to visit home*_

He just let it go and returned to his work. Other songs, of course, drew him in, but he never told anyone he had even heard of David Bowie, U2 or anything she ever played. For the head of Slytherin house, it was a non-starter to ever even admit he heard anything. That a half-blood or pureblood witch liked any of this also would startle many, though he understood the origins and nature of her continued interest, thanks to the pensieve: her brother and her other unusual talents. He had to admit she had decent taste, if a bit childish or silly.

That night, Shelley seemed particularly excited that Livia's schedule entirely matched hers, but finally understood how strange it was that Livia spent her time in class mostly passively and seriously. Shelley wanted to sit next to Livia and at times asked her things. Livia typically wrote something in Shelley's book that both answered a question and kept Shelley in tune with the course material. Livia told her she would answer anything in their room or at the meal table but tried to focus entirely on the class activities, so nothing escaped her notice. She experimented in their room with sending her a message without speaking, simply asking if Shelley could hear her. Shelley did not respond at first, so Livia sent it more forcefully. Finally, Shelley heard her and it startled her. "How did you do that?" Shelley asked.

"I am looking at you and you did not hear me the first time," Livia said, softly. "I have to make the message stronger. For others, I do not need to concentrate as much. The question is: can you do it back to me?"

Shelley tried or she said she did several times. Livia could read her but not hear her. So knowing what Shelley said was entirely because of Livia's acuity, not Shelley's. "I can understand you, but not because I hear you the way that, say, an owl can wordlessly speak to me," Livia said. "I never want to be accused of disrupting a class again so get my attention another way and let me write you an answer. I need to be highly disciplined about this. I am not trying to be rude or unfriendly. So please do not think that." Livia also made a note to herself: never try to do any thought sending to Shelley in Professor Snape's class. He would surely hear it, because Livia had to try so hard to get Shelley to hear her.

The next day, Livia got her chance to meet with Professors Quirrell and Flitwick and see what they wanted from her, as well as how receptive each would be to her idea. Professor Quirrell wanted to see the box that held her cat's remains and she produced it without trouble. She begged him, however, not to open it so she could view the contents. He and Professor Flitwick wanted to open it, so Livia closed her eyes.

"Tell me when it is closed," she pleaded. "I am not ready to see it. I am not sure I ever want to be, frankly." They looked, locked the box, said she could open her eyes and returned it to her. She put it back in her room, which remained out of everyone's sight. "I am guessing you want to know something else."

"Y-yes," Professor Quirrell said. "I am n-not sure if it belongs in my class or in a M-muggle M-music after school club, but I-I think you need to r-recount your attendance at Live Aid. I-I learned a b-bit more about it d-during the summer and it-it seems like a re-remarkable sh-show."

"I can get copies of pictures taken at the event – muggle pictures, obviously," Livia stated. "Would that be useful or is there a way I can project my own memories for the class to see?"

"Do you ever take mental photographs?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"All the time – that's how I memorize things," Livia answered.

"That I think we can get you to project," he said. "There is some advanced skills involved with this, but if you can store your own photographs, you are about half-way there. How about moving pictures, like a memory?"

"Yes, I remember specific aspects of that show," she said. "Though some of are very personal. Others less so. I also have an idea for the two of you to consider, and I think I should ask now as well as note that the headmaster would not necessarily object to my idea – only if I got too much attention from it."

"What do-do you h-have in m-mind?" Professor Quirrell asked.

"Well, you both, to varying degrees, have an interest in my musical tastes, which may serve either of you. My idea for either a class or extra-curricular project would be for a group of students to help put together an end-of-classes event, before studying for finals gets serious, as a dance featuring muggle music. The students could propose or locate items and you could review and consent to who or what can be played."

"How would this work, from a practical standpoint?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Well, it would have to be in the Great Hall," Livia said. "I have seen some form of phonographs and basically we would have to replicate some kind of speaker system to ensure whatever got played carried the room. I could volunteer to play DJ – the person who picks and plays the records – but I think that would be too showy of me. Perhaps an older student or a staff member could do that. As I think both of you know, I treasure much of the music I have listened to over the years, for very particular reasons. I would hope a sense of enjoyment or even frivolity could entice other students to shake off the end of the semester burdens and reinvigorate them to study for their exams."

"You-you know that Sl-slytherins w-would complain h-hugely about th-this," Professor Quirrell said.

"Indeed," Professor Flitwick said. "And I can only imagine how Professor Snape will object. The headmaster will have a problem there."

"Let me take care of that," Livia asserted.

"What!?" they both exclaimed. Professor Flitwick continued: "From what I have gathered, he hates all things muggle-related AND he is not exactly your best friend."

"I know," she admitted. "But he has pushed my buttons enough to know which ones he should never try to push. If you recall, he compelled me to make a potion in class and did not provide all the ingredients. Despite his annoyance towards how I fixed that, the potion was perfect. I guarantee you that, whilst Slytherins will stay away and he will say that he approves of their decision, he will not stop it, either."

"Do you know something we don't?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"I think so, but the headmaster made me vow that I never say anything." Livia opted to use an artful bluff. "Let me ask you: what if I could send a howler letter out to anyone and sound like him? I possibly could replicate his handwriting, too. Then there is the fact he acknowledges me as a Slytherin legacy. As much as students know not to cross him, he won't do it to me, either. I don't know if anyone has ever said that, but I have never feared him – and he knows it very well."

"I had no idea," Professor Flitwick stated. "If you think this can happen, I will be glad for my club to sponsor it and host it, which I presume includes a lot of your students."

"Y-yes," he agreed.

"I will present the idea to the club and put together a group to organize it," Professor Flitwick offered. "You have no objection if older students take the lead?"

"Not at all. I just look forward to helping acquire whatever they want to use and helping in however they wish to proceed. Tell no one this is my idea. Those who know me will realize it. No one else needs to figure it out."

Livia left quite satisfied as to how the meeting went. She satisfyingly anticipated the first meeting of the Muggle Music Club, to see if enough students would like putting a dance together. Later, she told Shelley about the idea, but to not tell anyone it had come from her and not them. "I will help promote your role, should you want one, but I plan to merely support the project, not lead it in any way."

"Why are you so modest about something as innocuous as this?" Shelley asked.

Silently, she forced her thoughts to Shelley: _If I tell you the entire truth, you have to promise NEVER to tell anyone ever about this._ Livia felt Shelley consented. So Livia continued: _the headmaster has made me promise not to draw attention to myself. He has some sort of idea as to what he wants to do with me in the future, but it depends on me being quiet, in case any undesirable dark witch or wizard finds me too formidable and attempts to harm me before Professor Flitwick can prepare me to defend myself better._ Shelley audibly gasped but indicated that she understood and would try to maintain Livia's modest appearance.

Shelley, however, was not perfect and a few days later tried to get Livia to explain something about one of Professor Snape's demonstrations. Livia simply wrote in Shelley's book, "Just ask P.S." Shelley did not want to ask him, given that he often intimidated her, if not quite as much as Selene. She kept trying to draw Livia's attention, and an exasperated Livia made the mistake of forcing herself to say silently _I can't answer you here._

Just then, almost in mid-sentence, Professor Snape stopped and walked towards Shelley and Livia. "Just what is going on here?" he asked. "Miss Silver, I see you keep pestering Miss Woodcock over something. Miss Woodcock, what did you write – it says 'Just ask P.S.' – I presume you meant me?"

"Yes, sir," Livia affirmed.

"That might be the most intelligent thing you have ever written. So, I take it your third year isn't so easy, after all," he asserted. "Perhaps I cast my vote for your promotion incorrectly. And you, Miss Silver, why are you bothering a promoted student in her second year, if at level three, regarding what I am doing?"

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but Livia can explain things to me in a way I understand more readily – perhaps because she knows me better."

"So I take it you think she belongs here?" he asked. "How interesting. Do you think she can teach this class better than I can?"

"I do think she belongs here," Shelley answered very quietly. "She is gifted – you must know that. And to me, maybe she can teach me better because we spend a lot of time together."

"Don't tell me what I should know, Miss Silver," he snapped. "If you cannot learn sufficiently here, that is your issue, not mine. And I had no idea Miss Woodcock has to hold your hand, rather than the other way around. "

Livia sent him her thought: _I gather you heard me try to shut her down. I'm sorry I had to do that_. _She does not hear me as well as you do. Please pick on me more, instead. I can take it better. You know that._

"And I have not forgotten about you, Miss Woodcock. You may have proven yourself last year, but that counts for nothing now. You will get no special allowances from me. I have yet to see a shred of evidence that you belong here beyond your friend's perhaps misguided belief. I will be deducting ten points from Ravenclaw and more if my potion does not turn out well."

Fortunately, it did go well and he seemed satisfied by the time he dismissed the class. Livia silently thanked him for listening to her and that, in the future, she would do her best to keep Shelley in check during his classes. Before he left, Professor Snape sent her a somewhat terse acknowledgement that she had done the right thing and needed to ensure her friend did the same.

At lunch, everyone wanted to know about what happened in Professor Snape's class. Athena, who sat towards the front with Ted and Selene, found it shocking that Shelley wound up getting his ire, though Ted thought it more bizarre that he picked on Livia so much, given that Livia really did nothing wrong.

"He thinks one day he will push the right button with me," Livia observed. "He knew Shelley already dreaded the incident, even if she didn't exactly back down."

"You can say that again," Shelley confirmed. "Why did he pick on you so much?"

"Because he can or he likes to," Livia answered. Silently, she said to Shelley: _He heard me try to direct thoughts to you because I have to try so hard for you to hear them. He can hear everything._ Later that night, Livia walked Shelley through his demonstration to her satisfaction.

Livia also began engaging her new roommates on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team if they ever tried to outthink the opponent with set plays or strategies, say for isolating the snitch for the seeker. They had started to sit by Livia and her friends during meals, so this seemed a good opportunity to get to know them. Don Stevens had taken up the conversation first, though someone could mistake one of the three guys for the other, especially if not looking at their faces. All were tanned, rather tall for third-year students and had medium blond hair. Don asked Livia what she specifically meant.

Livia drew up something on a napkin that just happened to be in their room. Don wondered how she got this idea, telling her it required very capable broom riding skills, given the way the snitch moved.

"I saw a match and was asking about set plays and strategy, since I could not figure out the rationale for player movements," Livia said.

Don grabbed Livia's scribbled diagram and showed it to Terence and Barry. "Did you come up with this?" Barry asked Don.

"No, she did," Don said, pointing at Livia.

"It might work," Terence asserted. "We would need to gain better broom skills, but I like the concept. We have to show this to the coach. Nice job, Livia. Are you sure you never played?"

"I never have," Livia replied. "Perhaps being able to ride a broom adequately is about as athletic as I will ever get. I dance better – I need my feet on the ground, I guess."

Livia's first dueling lesson with Professor Flitwick had its high and low points. She picked up how to disarm fairly well (though she had merely physically grabbed Charlotte's wand before), for a first lesson, but the true knockout blow she lacked entirely. Professor Flitwick tried to motivate her, that disarming alone would not suffice, especially against a determined or sadistic Death Eater, or several. She had to fight as if she was defending someone's life – every time. Whilst they used practice wands and some protective gear, he urged her to find the venomous side of her, to imagine a great hatred for whomever she dueled as if that person had been the bane of her existence. "Can you think of someone you can hate enough for that?"

"I think I can pull that out of myself," Livia responded. "It would be my adopted sister, who bullied me for years and lied in order to get me sent to a juvenile prison for nearly two years."

"Yes," he affirmed. "Imagine you have a chance to lash out like you never could in a muggle environment. Dish out your wrath. Just act it until you can feel it. And do it every time, using all that you remember – be they charms, hexes or whatever. Also, anticipate what your opponent will do to block his or her moves and act steps ahead of him or her."

Livia blocked very well, he thought. She had no problem predicting. He realized she potentially had great skills in penetrating the mind of an opponent. She just could not let up because that would be her downfall. Professor Flitwick duly informed the headmaster of what he found and discovered that Professor Dumbledore had figured this would be exactly how Livia behaved.

"I have discussed this before – though not directly with you," he stated. "She needs what they call a 'killer instinct' – even if not killing anyone – and I hope you can get through to her how vital it is that she have it, or she will not survive in this world for as long as I would like."

"I do not understand who you discussed this with, given that she is my student," Professor Flitwick asserted.

"Keep this to yourself, but I have discussed her abilities over a wide range of things, including this, with Severus," the headmaster revealed. "She allowed him access to her memories through my pensieve as part of what happened last year. That is how he knows why she does not fear him. We both agreed that her fearlessness could be lethal to her someday. I also have suspected she does not value her own life enough versus that of, say, her brother. Use that – that if she attracted an enemy here, if she did not kill or fully disable that person, he or she would kill her brother. She needs that kind of motivation."

"So noted," Professor Flitwick confirmed. "She also proposed a kind of muggle music-based dance at the end of regular classes, before final exams. Both I and Professor Quirrell thought Professor Snape would strongly object. I think I have a sense now as to why she thinks otherwise."

"As long as she does not lead the effort, I have no objection. Severus will probably make noise about it and discourage his students from attending, but I agree with her. You already know this: She is incredibly bright and talented. She just has to see her own value and become aggressive, when necessary. I fear for her if she cannot master that as well as her wand. You know why."

"Unfortunately, I do," Professor Flitwick admitted. "I will do my best. Since you brought him up, I wonder if a younger sparring opponent, especially one like Severus, who has crossed swords figuratively with her, might drive that point home better. She probably could conjure up enough hate then and, as you say, a 'killer instinct,' against him better than with me."

"Maybe," the headmaster mused. "I don't think she hates him, though, but I cannot tell you how she feels about him. She tolerates him better than anyone not a Slytherin, and they do so because he treats them differently. She betrays her emotions very infrequently, like when her cat died. She speaks and behaves very differently than so many of our students typically do."

"I noticed," Professor Flitwick said. "Her self-control is remarkable, especially given her ability to decipher the emotions of others. She is very sensitive and yet so disciplined. And I don't mean 'for a teenager,' either. I mean this is extraordinary for anyone here, let alone a sensitive adult. I could not conduct myself the way she does. I have to find and harness her emotions for her to direct them outwardly and lash out, should she need to do it. I understand the challenge."

"I am glad you see the need and the challenge so well." The two bid each other farewell for the night and Professor Flitwick departed for his quarters.

Soon thereafter, Livia got to meet her first magical creature. She tried connecting to him. At first, she could not tell if the animal was reluctant, difficult or insensitive to her attempts to reach out. But when she saw Alastair fly by and greeted him and heard him return her call, the magical creature eyed her somewhat differently. He asked her if she spoke often to crows.

Livia told him she could speak with crows, owls, various mammals – many creatures she had encountered thus far. What she did not know concerned him, what he liked, what he might want said to him or want to say in return. She wanted to give him her respect and allow him to decide if or how he wished to communicate, whereas her ability to speak to other animals just evolved on its own and seemed very straightforward.

He indicated that he liked straightforward, honest and simple. He did not do tricks, but when treated with respect, if not caring, he responded to people, whether they could speak to him or not. When the instructor asked for a volunteer to greet the creature, Livia stepped forward, smiled, bowed and very carefully, methodically approached him. He said he appreciated her deliberateness as well as her nod and slow blink, and he liked when people made slow gestures or movements, as it kept him calm. She asked if she could gently touch him, just as a civil sort of goodwill gesture. He agreed and she gently patted him a few times, bowed and slowly retreated, moving backward for several feet before turning around to exit the pen.

Several jaws – other than Shelley's, of course – dropped. Even the instructor found this encounter quite unusual. Others tried to echo what Livia had done but with only a limited degree of success. The subsequent students often did not get Livia's speed, subtlety or they did not read the animal's outward behavior well, let alone have any idea what the creature could say. After the last student practically ran away from the creature, no one else dared to enter the pen. To the rest, she asked what they thought Livia had done differently.

Shelley spoke. "Livia was very deliberate in her movements and seemed to gain the animal's trust. She showed great respect and restraint in what she did."

The instructor agreed as did several other students, including those who had less successful meetings. She then turned to Livia and asked if the class had missed anything.

"Not anything they can replicate," Livia offered. "Shelley knows I can speak to domestic and non-magical wild animals of various types. I also, after several attempts, got this creature to talk to me. It was only after the crow I call Alastair flew by, though. He sensed that if a crow felt comfortable doing that, he also could trust me."

"You speak to animals?" a third year Gryffindor asked, quite surprised. Livia did not remember his name. She only realized his hair was a lighter shade than Selene's.

"Quite a lot, actually," Livia answered. "Shelley and other Ravenclaw students know I do not own an owl yet send and receive mail from several Barn Owls routinely. I call for them – the ones outside. I know them by name, two of which joined me from London, and Hagrid takes care of them since I do not want to domesticate them. They have an owl box outside of his home."

"How did you know this creature would speak to you?" another asked.

"I had no idea if it would happen, until it happened," Livia replied.

"Why did you volunteer to go first?" the instructor inquired.

"By then, I got a fair sense of him," Livia revealed. "I think animals also react to fear, and I have none. So I thought even if the creature would not tell me much, I could be slow and gentle enough to gain his trust. If I did that, all goes well."

The instructor asserted that Livia had given a great tip about approaching new animals, in terms of fear, action, intent and sensitivity, both in one's touch and in one's ability to judge how an animal behaves. Whilst she herself could not speak with an animal, that approach works on the whole and, if a rapport gets established, trust would create opportunities for other forms of contact that a creature would not reject.

Soon after, about eighteen students who formed the Muggle Music Club met. Professor Flitwick discussed artists worth listening to and new trends in various styles of music in that world. Then he presented the idea of the group compiling a playlist for some kind of party at the end of the year but well before exams would take place, as a kind of mental break for the students who came. It might lessen their burdens temporarily.

Various older students and those of the same age liked the idea a great deal – as a way to show they could contribute to the school and have an outlet before things got too burdensome for students. Discussions began about content, how to amplify the music to the Great Hall (presumed the best place for a dance) and who would take on what role.

Professor Flitwick said he hoped the older students would take a leadership role in this. Still, he said once the group as a whole decided on content and its variety, they could ask Miss Woodcock for some ideas, since she tended to get new music sent to her from her brother, who had a friend in the muggle music industry. Then they could organize who would obtain what – as in the format and how it would be played.

"Format?" The eldest male in the group asked. He had straight, somewhat long red hair, blue eyes and pale skin. Livia had never noticed him before but now looking at him thought him very handsome, though she usually did not think so of young men with auburn or red hair.

"You better answer that, Livia – you told me, but I'm not sure I can recall all of the details."

"Muggle music is issued in several ways," Livia said. "We often see large records here played on turntables with horn-like amplifiers. Muggles call those vinyl records. They now make tape, smaller items that use something called a cassette. I'll show you." Livia closed her eyes and pointed with her wand. "See this? See the tape inside this plastic item? Now I understand there is another format just starting to become popular. They are disks but smaller than vinyl records but fit at least as much on them. They are made of a different material. They are called compact discs or CDs. I do not have any yet. The recordings on these are supposed to deliver a better sound quality. Though the discs are obtainable, the means to play them are still a bit scarce or expensive. Given our familiarity with vinyl records, I think we should acquire those and just play portions of them, to alter the artist or tempo or mood. Since the other formats may be displacing vinyl, the records may be unusual to get but inexpensive."

"How do you know so much?" This young man asked again.

"My brother's friend works in the muggle music industry, and I have benefited from this by getting a few things before the muggle public could even buy them. Also, when I was confined before I came here, I listened to a great deal of muggle music on a radio. From that, I got a sense about how one organizes content into a program that lasts a few hours."

"Maybe you should be running this," the young man admitted.

"I do not seek the credit, even if you rely on me more than some others. I want the event to be successful. I have no right to overstep your place, and I will not do so, under any circumstances. Make me your worker bee, and I will give you all I know and can do."

"Okay, I will handle organizing, but you must be my assistant overseeing the groups and the details," he said. "We will need groups that will handle how the room will look, we will need those choosing content, which Professor Flitwick will need to approve, and that will include a playlist, right?" Livia nodded. "Then we will need to have a group dedicated to ensuring the sound quality is good and fills the room. Finally, we will need people to promote the event or suggest ways that other students, well, other than Slytherins of course, will want to attend. Did I cover everything?" Livia and the group nodded. "Do we need approval for this, Professor Flitwick?"

"Already being handled by me, so not your concern," the professor replied.

This male student asked to speak to Livia alone while the rest wrestled with belonging to the group they felt best suited to join. "Forgive me, I have forgotten your name," he stated.

"Livia Woodcock, at your service," she pronounced, extending her hand.

"Bill Weasley, nice to meet you," he responded, as they shook hands. "Was this your idea?"

"More or less," Livia replied. "I would rather that not be common knowledge, though – unless you need to blame me for something."

"Why?" he asked.

"Long story, but my mission is to be unnoticed as much as possible," Livia answered.

"You did not do that last year, if I recall correctly. I have to admit, I laughed so much at that incident you had with Professor Snape. How did you survive that?"

"My father, it seems, was a Slytherin – I am not sure of any other reason."

"Do you know who he is?" Bill asked.

"Not a clue. The family who adopted me, especially my brother, got me interested in music. In fact, it was because of him as well as his friends that I got to see the London portion of Live Aid in 1985."

"Oh blimey, I heard of that," he asserted. "Was it good?"

"I consider it the best day of my life, so now you know why this event means a lot to me."

"From what I have heard, I totally get that," he maintained. "What do you think is the most important thing as far as making this successful?"

"Actually, it was everything you covered," she responded. "They all matter. The right songs, a good mix, maybe some ability to take requests, if any of the students know enough to ask for something, the sound coverage and ambiance or room setup, the turnout – if one of those falters, it could be a fiasco. Students could not show, students could dislike what we have or the sound quality or anything else and opt to leave. So each deserves attention."

"We should test the Great Hall when empty to hear how sound travels in it, so we have an idea of what we will need to do to carry the room," he asserted.

"Yes," Livia agreed. "Perhaps before the Winter Ball, the room will be empty and that could be done. You should ask Professor Flitwick to give us a time window to figure that out."

"Agreed," Bill said. "I am very excited about this. More so than being a prefect, actually, but don't tell my mother. I cannot believe you do not want credit for this, if we pull it off well."

Livia wanted to see if she could send thoughts to him. _Bill, can you me hear though I am not verbalizing?_

Startled, he grew wide-eyed. "Are you kidding me?" he asked.

"You try it," Livia suggested.

Bill collected his thoughts, slowly blinked, then looked at Livia. _Livia, I heard you, but can you hear me?_

"Loud and clear," she confirmed. _I have certain talents, but the headmaster does not want them widely known. He has his reasons, though I am not sure I understand them all. Nonetheless, taking any significant credit for this event may violate his request, so I aim to keep my head down and nose to the grindstone. He asked me this after my run-in with Professor Snape last year._

"Okay," he said. "You confiding this in me makes me feel better that I am not stealing something from you."

"Not at all," she stated. "You are doing me a favor. The fact that so many students know you will boost the turnout, also."

Bill and Livia went over to each group, who each chose a committee leader. They each began brainstorming ideas. Shelley wound up heading the content/playlist committee, since she knew about the artists and songs in Livia's collection. The list looked pretty good, especially for just getting started. Livia had one suggestion.

"Shelley, we want this to be a fun dance, right? So I think from what you have done, the first song ought to be David Bowie's 'Let's Dance.' What do you all think?"

At least some did not know it, so Livia materialized her Walkman and a tape with song. Bill and each of the students there gave it a listen. They all thought it set the right tone.

With everything off to a good start – and even Professor Flitwick liked "Let's Dance" – they adjourned, which each committee vowing to talk amongst themselves before the next meeting. Meantime, Bill would find out when he and Livia could check out the acoustics of the Great Hall later in the term. Professor Flitwick said he would give them an answer and ensure the dance would be formally approved. Livia felt satisfied. She had found a way to contribute to the school.

* Author's Note

"Cant Get There From Here" appears on the 1985 R.E.M. album _Fables of the Reconstruction_ as well as a single from the same year. Its authors are all four band members: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.


	11. Off Balance

After the Muggle Music Club met, Livia returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room. By that time, Livia started getting asked many questions there about written assignments – and not just from Phoebe Allens. Livia emphasized structure and making a central point by which all the details would support – but made sure to mention that anything against one's thesis should not be ignored. Ignoring information, rather than finding a rationale to minimize or dismiss its significance in detracting from your central point, will undermine a paper.

Fortunately, the student questions did not take long and Livia found herself within her own reading and writing assignments. When she completed each to her own satisfaction, she retired for the night. She thought about the day she could tell brother about some of the things she had done so far at the school. She hoped he would be proud of her. That drove her more than anyone could ever do or say to her.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Seward, started the next day discussing something he called a boggart, something Livia had only vaguely understood from the readings. She needed the demonstration badly. The instructor had students practice the charm he taught at the time. Livia had no idea what this thing would turn into for her. The only thing she feared was hypothetical – that someone would hurt her brother. She did not fear her cat's ashes – she just dreaded seeing them. She had already held the cat's corpse, if very sadly. She asked if a hypothetical event could be a boggart. Professor Seward did not think he had ever seen that. So when Livia's turn came, she looked at the amusing thing the previous student, Ted, had conjured and waited. He had turned his father into a daisy, which remained. Nothing happened. In fact, the boggart then seemed to vanish or leave. Professor Seward asked Livia what she feared most and she said that, other than her brother being hurt, she could not think of anything. So he passed her over and after class told her not to leave.

"This is most strange," he asserted. "I have never heard of a student witch or wizard that did not have a boggart."

"I don't know what to say," Livia stated. "What should I be afraid of?"

"Well, you saw some examples today, but I could think of others," he asserted. "Werewolves, dementors, dragons, perhaps. I will ask the faculty what I should do, since we are meeting shortly."

"Excuse me, what are dementors?" Livia asked.

"They guard the prison at Azkaban at the moment, but they have been known to roam, usually looking for escapees," he answered.

"If I do not plan on going there, why should I fear them?" Livia inquired.

"First, they are foul, nearly non-sentient beings. They sometimes feed off people, which can include muggles, either from their excitement or their grief or some other strong emotional trauma. And if a person is even near someone they want, they do not care who else they harm in the process. Finally, they steal the souls of people they fully attack and it is supposed to be incredibly terrible to experience or even witness. Wizards and witches can ward them off, though. We will talk more after I am advised what I should do here – because you may not be ready to handle even a boggart dementor."

The faculty assembled as the students dined and they each reported on various issues and the progress of various students, with the new students getting the most initial attention. Each professor had the opportunity to talk about other issues. Professor Seward insisted on immediately speaking, because he had a huge problem he had never seen before.

"What is it?" The headmaster asked.

"Students today got to practice defending against boggarts, but one student could not turn a boggart into anything. She even asked me if a theoretical event could be a boggart, and I did not think so. So I almost think the boggart ran away."

"Let me guess," Professor Dumbledore asserted. "This student – her name is Livia Woodcock. Am I right?"

"How did you know that?" Professor Seward queried.

The headmaster briefly looked at Professor Snape, who seemed expressionless, which suggested to the headmaster that he would have suggested the same thing.

"She seems so utterly fearless at times," he responded. "Honestly, Minerva, this easily could have been your student."

"Except I have never heard of a student without a boggart, either," she revealed. "Even you have one, don't you?"

"Yes, sadly I do," he admitted.

"What do I do with her?" Professor Seward asked. "At the time, I could only suggest things she could fear – like werewolves, dragons. I even mentioned dementors, though the charm I demonstrated clearly does not work there."

"Well, I doubt she would fear dragons," Professor Dumbledore maintained. "Any sentient animal she would try to befriend. Werewolves might work, since they would not respond to her, and she does not know that first hand. Dementors pose a real threat, and I think she is not aware of how much trouble they could create. I see the dilemma. I have no idea if she is ready to face a boggart dementor."

"I think it is worth trying," Professor Snape asserted, which raised eyebrows that he would speak about her. "I have given her challenges over her head to see what she can do. She seems to thrive when pushed. I say you try it. If she will ever understand our world versus the muggle world, she needs to master this sooner or later, don't you think, Filius?"

"I agree with you about pushing her," Professor Flitwick answered. "Many things come to her easily. She now tutors half the first-year Ravenclaw students about their written assignments. A few of the second year students also ask her to read their papers, too. Any of you notice?"

"Your first year students do perform better than other first years regarding this task," Professor McGonagall replied. "I just presumed it came from their own academic skills, not from Miss Woodcock. This makes sense, though. By now, she is likely the best writer among our entire student body. And she seems to keep improving, Filius. Apparently, tutoring does not distract her from her own assignments."

"I wish I could say she has made the same progress in her dueling skills," he admitted. "So far, she is very good at defending herself. She anticipates acts against herself extremely well. She just will not show aggression similarly, even though it is not real. Maybe if she finds something to fear she can bring herself to this, too. For that reason, also, I agree with you, Severus."

"Tutor her, then, on dementors," the headmaster directed at Professor Seward. "If you even set her up to fail once, she would experience the reality of the stakes here. That might help her in a host of ways we will all see."

"You want her to fail at first?" Professor Seward asked.

"It might be the only way to get her attention," he answered. "Short of introducing her to a certain dark wizard none of us really want to see, I think this is the way to go."

Professor Flitwick took this opportunity to discuss the idea of his Muggle Music Club having a dance before finals where students could blow off some steam and regroup for their exams. He said his club had already begun organizing itself to do this, including the practicalities, the content and even promoting the event. He said that the Gryffindor prefect Bill Weasley would be leading the group in putting the event together.

"Bill Weasley?" Professor Snape asked. "Why do I think you dodge naming the actual person who has instigated this?"

"Severus," the headmaster called. "Don't start this. Filius, I think it sounds like a fun and perhaps even eye-opening event. I, for one, look forward to seeing what Mr. Weasley pulls together, and I think we should let our students decide for themselves if they like it."

"If Mr. Weasley is on board organizing this," Professor McGonagall began, "I have no objection. He is a fine student and takes his studies seriously. I am proud that he represents my house, and I will support him, if he seeks my help. He deserves no less."

Professor Snape seemed to mumble or grumble some, but no one could hear exactly what he said. Finally, he relented: "Do you what you want. But don't expect that Slytherin students will attend at all."

"I did not expect that they would," Professor Flitwick revealed. "And it is their loss." To himself, he still wondered a bit how Livia Woodcock knew Professor Snape would make a show of protesting but not enough of one to nix the event. Could it really be about mimicry? Perhaps she knew the headmaster would like the event, instead, and his approval would suffice.

Meantime, after their meal, Livia spent a short time greeting Helena Ravenclaw. She enjoyed those moments. She thought Helena was very misunderstood and once had her own problems being a shadow at Hogwarts versus having her own talents and dignity recognized. Livia understood that, though she fully recognized that Helena had no choice whereas Livia had volunteered to be marginalized, if for her own good, somehow. Still, it sometimes made being a teen a tough thing. She knew no one would ask her to the Winter Ball. She would put on a brave face and stick to making money off the stupidity of Slytherins who wagered against her. Other Slytherins – or Professor Snape himself – could have warned them, but those students usually felt too embarrassed to do so and they preferred to think about enjoying the ball, versus what some girl did in its shadows. Professor Snape preferred the tough love approach and let Livia make some money, since she had no other opportunities to do so.

At least, before the Great Hall was decorated, Livia and Bill Weasley ran some experiments on how sound carried, either by voice (speaking or Livia singing) or by an old phonograph within Hogwarts. Livia even managed to produce and make a radio play, which offered an extra means of testing, since Livia divided its speaker or duplicated them and put them or sound echo dishes at different parts of the room. The testing, witnessed by members of the committee in charge of the logistics of making the music carry the room, took notes on everything and found Bill and Livia had provided all the information they needed. Bill then excused himself (with a handful of other students) to get ready for the ball, since he would attend it with another student his own age. On evenings like this, Livia found herself missing Sarah and thought of writing a long letter to her brother instead of being seen there. Hours of being all-but-invisible around Bill Weasley was no fun. She swallowed hard after he left, trying to avoid feeling anything. She also recognized that she would need the money sooner or later, so she prepared herself to pilfer those who had no idea what she could do. It was the one advantage she had for being so unnoticed, and her teen angst would not stop her, even if most of her own room had gotten invited by fourth-year students to the event. Shelley wondered later if 100 gold coins beat anything they could derive from a Winter Ball date. "I cannot tell you," Livia said. "I have only done one of these things."

Later, Livia spent part of the break in Durham with Tom and Alice, who seemed quite happy together. They enjoyed a promised celebratory meal first. Tom told her that he had met Alice's family, and they seemed content with the relationship. He had worried about that, but Alice had given him ideas of things to discuss with certain people. Ultimately, Tom relaxed more, as he saw that they cared about Alice's happiness and that Tom had good prospects. He told her he would take exams around mid-January, so Livia planned to leave well in time to give him the opportunity to feel fully prepared. For old times's sake, she drilled him some on the exam, and he seemed to have everything well in hand. The skills he had acquired whilst young still served him.

Livia returned the night of Wednesday, 7 January. She was glad, because she had planned to give Professor Snape a little birthday surprise. From what he had said, he spent the day alone, and it seemed to her he did not take much pleasure in it. She decided she would pay him a visit and sing "Happy Birthday," though she preferred to do it in a bunch of voices she could alternate using, either in speaking or singing. She knew he would be annoyed. She would call it "even," which would also irritate him. Somehow, she thought even being cross would perversely please him, because whatever caused him to isolate himself did him no favors. She just knew it.

She realized that she had to be extremely sly to even get access to where he would be. Her inner Slytherin came out again, and she got past the methods faculty employed to keep their own quarters off-limits at times to students. Livia buried her face in her hands to psyche herself up for however he might lash out for such impudence. She found a way to just not care and plowed ahead. She would enjoy this, even if it was just in witnessing his shock when he opened his door.

She did so around noon, figuring he would be awake, alert and dressed. She knocked, confidently, though not harshly.

"Go away, Albus," she heard him say.

She disguised her voice to be unrecognizable, "I am not named Albus." She had no idea whose voice she had taken at first, then she realized that it belonged to Helena Ravenclaw. She figured he would not recognize Helena's voice, but he did. "Helena?" he asked.

He opened the door and was shocked to see this 14-year-old girl standing in front of it.

"How did you get here?" he demanded.

"I told you I would get you back in my own time, so here I am," Livia stated. "Happy Birthday, sir." He tried to shut the door, but her foot was too quick. "Nope, you are not weaseling out of this, not today. Not until we are 'even'." She entered the room and broke into happy birthday greetings and singing from as many voices as she could muster, even those of others at the school. Some of her comments as various faculty members actually were funny.

Professor Snape buried his face, especially his mouth, in one hand. He did not know if he should laugh or scream. _She has got to be insane. But she sure is one talented mimic._

"Okay, you have shown your talents just to get here, let alone to speak or sing all that. What does your own singing voice sound like?"

He found a way to put her on the spot. She almost never used her own voice. "Not as good, but if you want it, you got it. I will call it a gift, lousy though it may be." She proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday" as herself. She was not bad at all, he thought. Her voice was low-pitched for a female, but effective and had its own charm and sincerity. He wondered why she hid it.

"You are way too humble," he observed. "There is nothing wrong with your own voice. It is quite striking, actually. How is it you have hidden it from your own head of house?"

"He does not need me. He is not yet even leading the school's principal choir. So, how angry are you at me right now?" Livia asked.

"I will not answer that, but you know better than to come here and do this," he answered.

"Maybe, but the way you acted on my birthday suggested to me why I should attempt it, anyway. You are way too young, still, sir, to be so alienated from people who have no agenda or ability to do anything harmful to you."

"Miss Woodcock, you forget yourself. This is none of your business."

"No, it is not," she agreed. "But I find my silence and my promises burdensome. Your problems must be vastly greater, and I cannot begin to comprehend them. Yet you should not have them weighing on you every day of your life, sir. Think about them tomorrow, not today, for once." Livia spotted an untouched cake and a bottle of something that looked like a strong liquor. The two did not strike Livia as a good combination, though she did not understand what it meant or why it did not seem right. She would not pity him, though. She knew how much he hated that.

"I do not invite people here in general, nor do I want to see people in particular today," he said. "You should know that and observe it."

"I am sorry that I cannot give you any cheer today," Livia stated. "So I will leave and wish you the best, sir." She withdrew and disappeared from the hallway to return to the students's area.

He had to admit he admired her nerve as well as her sneaky ability to reach his door. Her motive perplexed him. Was she taking glee in him being upset, or did she honestly want him to be happy to see her? Oddly enough, he thought she liked both possibilities and did not care which one she evoked. _What a strange child._

The following week, Professor Snape informed the headmaster of his encounter with Livia Woodcock. "She did THAT!?" the headmaster said with great surprise. "She sure is brave. I would not even disturb you then. Minerva's house lost out on her. How did she get you to open the door?"

"She disguised her voice," he answered. "She sounded like Helena Ravenclaw."

"That is amazing," Professor Dumbledore responded. "I had no idea she had even seen Helena Ravenclaw, let alone had spoken to her enough to mimic her voice. You may hate me for saying this, Severus, but I cannot help but marvel at some of her talents, which have nothing to do with her being here. Why did she go see you?"

"That is a good question," he answered. "Seems to me she told me she would pay me back for the way I handled her final exam on her own birthday, and she opted to do this."

"Reasonable, I guess," the headmaster asserted. "Plucky to be sure but reasonable in itself. How goes her progress making potions?"

"Very well," he replied. "She seems to ensure Shelley Silver can pull her own weight, though one would have assumed a promoted student would have needed the third year student's help. Not in this case. She could have pushed herself to skip another year, if she wanted to do it."

"I don't think she needed to do that to show that she belongs. Besides, the students she seems to know are all third-year students. We have burdened her enough to deprive her of the few friends she has here."

"Agreed," Professor Snape stated. "I have traveled that road."

"But you didn't have a crush on Bill Weasley."

"What?" Professor Snape asked. "How do you know that?"

"I saw how she looked at him whilst they were working on how the Great Hall acoustically carries sound," the headmaster answered. "She has a huge crush on him and he has no idea, which is how she wants it because she has decided he would never notice her. One saying is, I believe, she thinks he is 'out of her league'."

"He is not that much older than her," Professor Snape assessed.

"To a 16-year-old, he is. He may rethink that at a different age. For now, I think that is why he takes no notice of her, not that she is physically unattractive, as she might think."

"I am glad I am not her age," Professor Snape observed. "For a girl, especially."

"And that is the cross I have made her bear, I'm afraid," Professor Dumbledore admitted. "No one notices her, because I have asked her to play down what she can do. The penalty is that no young man will take notice of her, either, and she blames herself entirely for that."

"Some of it might be her fault, though," Professor Snape stated.

"What do you mean?"

"She is so careful in hiding her emotions that she does not connect well with any young man who otherwise might take a fancy to her," Professor Snape observed. "I wonder if she is only able to be an emotional brick wall, meaning she cannot modulate her emotional state enough to allow anyone to think of her as a warm person or a potential date or girlfriend."

"That is very insightful of you, Severus," the headmaster responded. "You surprise me."

"It is not any great skill on my part," he stated. "The pensieve and her subsequent behavior make this a pretty safe bet." Professor Snape did not quite tell the truth. He had found he shared something else in common with Livia, other than the bullying she had endured and remained partly open to receiving, given how she conducted herself. Being "different" had its own price – he knew it very well because he had lived it.

The semester went fairly well, Livia thought. No one found serious fault with her work and she still found some time to help some younger Ravenclaw students. Her written assignments remained the best any faculty member could remember reading, as she more or less topped herself as every month went by. The magical creatures had opened up to her and her instructor carefully documented her talents there, as well as those in every other class she took.

The only troubles she had was dealing with the whole boggart issue and her dueling, though her initial setback in the first ultimately helped her see why she needed to improve in the second. Professor Seward had convinced her regarding the power of dementors. As suggested, he released a dementor boggart without telling her how to ward it off. She tried the taught charm, which had no effect. She could not reason with it or have any other resource to protect herself against it. She passed out and felt ill and dizzy after regaining her senses.

"Now, do you see what they can do?" Professor Seward asked, helping her recover with a glass of water. "And that was a boggart, not the real thing, which would hurt you much worse. No form of self-protection works except a charm I will attempt to teach you."

She listened carefully to his instructions and fixed strongly on her happiest day at Live Aid with Tom and his friends. Releasing the boggart dementor, Livia spoke the charm. A white light emanated from her wand and the dementor was corralled and contained. Professor Steward explained to do execute the charm fully meant creating light to form a shape of a creature. He had her practice time after time without the boggart. It took many attempts but by the end of their session, she conjured a full bodied Patronus. But Professor Seward looked stumped.

"What is that?" he asked. "Is that a lynx?"

"It is a North American bobcat," Livia replied. "I had one as a stuffed animal as a small child. They are spotted and have shorter ear tufts. It is perhaps the only thing native to my birth mother that I care to see. She abandoned me, and I have no desire to even meet her."

Professor Seward duly noted his success in following the headmaster's recommendation and reported Miss Woodcock's ultimate success in producing a Patronus that she said was a North American bobcat, which he had to take at her word, since he had no independent familiarity as to how it differed from the Eurasian Lynx.

"What memory did she use for it?" the headmaster asked.

"She said it had to do with her brother and some event I think she called Live Aid."

Professors Quirrell and Flitwick looked at each other. Neither were surprised. The two quietly spoke to each other about getting her to talk or project her experiences regarding that event for a class or at least the Muggle Music Club. Professor Snape felt no surprise, either, since he alone actually had viewed her memories of being at it. No one said a word to the group about this.

"This does not surprise me at all, though it being rooted in her life as a muggle might not sit well with everyone," the headmaster stated. "That she can perform the charm should be enough. Filius, use this breakthrough, especially concerning the potential for other dangers to reach her brother, to get her wand work in dueling improved. Still, keep this in mind: Only if she ever gets to be as good as I am should you be satisfied. We all know how important this is."

"Albus, I am not sure I understand that last comment," Professor Flitwick admitted. "I thought I needed to get her to work with a wand. Are you training her to replace you someday?"

"You have heard me precisely," he replied. "When she is ready, I think she could run this school very well. I cannot do this forever. That is why I want to hide her talents and make her as powerful as she can be. I do not try to overly draw attention to her, should it attract malevolent interest. Her gifts belong here and would benefit generations of students if we do this right. That is also why I entirely agreed with Severus on being as tough on her as any other student at her level. He may be the toughest on her, but I think she enjoys a challenge."

"That I can affirm," Professor Snape revealed. "The first day in my class, when I started picking on her for sitting in the back, as if hiding from me, she sent me a message."

"She did what!?" Several interrupted, incredulous at hearing of this. "What did she say?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Among other things, she said 'bring it on'," he answered.

"Whoa, blimey" Professor Flitwick responded. "I had no idea she would say that."

"Neither did I," Professor Snape agreed. "I think I knew right then that Albus was right about her. We cannot coddle her, but we can ensure that this school long survives us, if we challenge her enough and ensure that no harm comes to her."

"I will do everything I can to improve her dueling skills," Professor Flitwick stated. "I'm glad you all have given me this additional insight. I will keep after her, though I know she would never grasp the huge ambitions you have for her, Albus – certainly not now. I hardly can myself."

After an exchange of letters via Mel, Livia returned to Durham during the spring recess. She already knew Tom had done well on his exams. He and Alice had begun planning to move to London that summer so Tom could begin concentrating on his coursework the first day. Alice also began cultivating some contacts to find herself something useful to do, so she did not have too much time to distract Tom. She knew that a student with an intense workload and a non-student could clash, if she did not find the right balance for them. She thought the best she could do was find ways to make the rest of his life easy, in terms of food, his wardrobe and keeping his study organized and well stocked. She told Livia she felt her family, whilst accepting Tom, might not feel the same way if he did not succeed, so she wanted to ensure she helped him do that. Keeping herself occupied would benefit them both, in the end. Livia told her she could foresee spending some time there and maybe, if she had some free time, they could do things that would enable Tom to settle in well, though she likely had to return to school before his term began.

Besides ensuring her travel had gone unnoticed nor the means of her travel, she carried with her a list – which she rewrote in muggle fashion – of albums she should acquire, in keeping with the various tasks assigned to the Muggle Music Club. She made sure she got _The Joshua Tree_ , having heard for herself on tape how great everything about it was. Not only did she buy the records, she surveyed some music equipment, particularly speaker systems, so that she could help replicate them at the end of the spring, should the committee looking into doing this not fully figure it out. She even had Gary Reading show her his hotel's ballroom, so that she could survey how sound got distributed there, which had less acoustic capacity than the Great Hall. She took a few mental pictures of various things, shrunk the records she had bought and, again left around dusk.

Spring term proved more of a breeze than the previous one, with her potions, her transfigurations meeting her own standards, except for one thing: she worked on but did not like her cat animagus. She started becoming a Pallas cat, which did not fit in Scotland. Still, she enjoyed her increased dueling practice with Professor Flitwick and the more intense undertakings to make the Muggle Music Dance successful. Before the event, she made a kind of presentation in Professor Quirrell's class showing some of the highlights and a sense of the whole spectacle that was Live Aid. Students found it interesting, though Livia could not edit out her clasp of her brother's hand, nor of the four of them watching several women get rescued from the crush of spectators. The comments they heard explained what they saw, though she knew some had snickered about the stuff they all said. Perhaps the performances that appeared without commentary from anyone went best, like the show-stopping set from the group Queen. The effect of the presentation did provide what Livia wanted – it got students there who did not belong to the Muggle Music Club interested in the event planned to be held prior to the exams.

Posters went up, other students made announcements in most classes (except Professor Snape's, of course), and the decorations committee came up with some ingenious ways to decorate the Hall – such as using a disco ball and putting colored effects into or around various flame caldrons to make for a kind of night club atmosphere. They found a staff member able to work a turntable. With a little help from Livia, he became the night's DJ, with his own podium and labeled storage shelving as well as set playlist cross-referenced with the location of each artist and song. During a sound check, Livia used her own insights into Gary's hotel ballroom to make adjustments to the way the sound would reverberate in the room. Her insight into the equipment also proved useful. By the time Bill Weasley arrived to check everything out, he found it all impeccable. The group also consulted house elves to establish a back table with punch and a few snacks for refreshments, along with some seating and small tables for those sitting something out.

"Livia, everything looks and sounds great," Bill said. "Before the event formally begins, I should probably welcome everyone, right?"

She agreed. If the Gryffindor students came, they did so because he had made sure to insist that everyone he knew come check it out. He guaranteed they would not be disappointed.

"Livia, though my girlfriend is supposed to come, I really think it's more fitting that I have the first dance with you, since you have done so much for this," Bill stated.

He told her as gently as Tom might have done. She could not refuse him, even though she still was not over her crush on him. But "little sister" was how he saw her, and she tried to force herself to accept it as that. She knew that he meant it that way, and she decided he would never think any differently. People started assembling at about 19:45 for an eight o'clock start. Students who had not seen the preparations found the Great Hall looking festive and some took seats waiting for the dance to formally begin. It looked like a good turnout, Livia thought, with at least 150 students assembling and a few curious faculty, along with Professor Flitwick ready to supervise.

Promptly at eight, Bill Weasley's voice clearly broke through the chatter. He thanked everyone for coming and hoped the Music Club would provide a fun night and a good break for everyone to regroup from a long term in anticipation of their exams. He made sure to thank each committee for their work in putting the event together, acknowledging each committee chair to waive to everyone as he singled them out. Then he made special mention of his assistant, Livia Woodcock, who helped make everything possible and said, out of his gratitude for her hard work, she had earned the first dance with him. "With that said, _Let's Dance!_ "

Thus the staff DJ began playing the record and Bill went over to Livia and began spinning her around and thoroughly enjoying the song with her, as various couples or even groups began taking the floor to join in. Of course, the lyrics could have pained Livia if she thought too hard about them. She pushed them aside as best she could and smiled as broadly as possible. Bill had no idea. He had done nothing wrong. His attentiveness actually seemed rather sweet to everyone else, even if Livia had to brush away what she only dared to think about later. She still keenly felt the line, "For fear tonight is all" however. She easily could have "tremble[d] like a flower" if she hadn't briefly closed her eyes. He was so good, Livia thought – who could not be charmed out of their shoes by him. Still, Livia held herself together, even as the song ended and he kissed her on the cheek, bowed to her and raised her hand with his.

The rest of the evening Bill spent with his date, and Livia stopped looking at him. She had her moment with him. She wanted to forget, even during the Simple Minds record "Don't You (Forget About Me)." The rest of the night seemed like great fun as groups of people formed circles as anyone in the middle showed off how they danced to a range of groups and solo artists seemed danceable in some way or another. Livia took notice that a few Slytherin students actually walked by the Great Hall and should have been able to hear something, though they did so more out of curiosity and had no plans to enter the room. They were looking for ammunition against anyone disliked by whomever passed. Par for the course, Livia decided and dismissed them. Everyone else inside enjoyed the event. She could hear laughter over some dance move like the moonwalk (Livia showed it to Shelley) or something. It was all good. Most of those inside actually liked the event because the often-bothersome Slytherins stayed away. The punch, cookies and music just made that better and vice versa. Livia had a dance with Reggie – and promised him she would find a Bob Marley record if they did this event again – as well as danced with all her Ravenclaw roommates.

Professor Dumbledore had found a way to monitor the event from afar, and found it quite entertaining, whilst the faculty present kept the event from breaking any rules. He, rather than they, however, realized how much Livia struggled to maintain her composure when Bill danced with her and kissed her cheek. She was human and not immune to the struggles of being a young, overlooked girl. He wondered if he had asked too much of her. Yet he knew all young girls had to deal with that, even without her having to limit the attention she received owing to his request. Genius or not, powerful or not, she had to go through adolescence like everyone else. She did recover from it, at least sufficiently to enjoy the rest of the evening, so he at least could feel she would get through it, one way or another. He found her moment of weakness touching and sad but knew he could not help her with it whatsoever.

Unknown to Livia, another faculty member at least listened to what went on – Professor Snape. Knowing her musical tastes, he wanted to know how much she had influenced the playlist, even if it supposedly came from Shelley Silver. He heard Bill Weasley's speech and the first song. Thanks to the headmaster's observations, he had some idea what mixed emotions that moment must have created for her – he knew it only too well. He wondered how she got through it but figured that somehow she did. The rest of the night seemed to go well, from how the crowd applauded or chatted through it, meaning the majority had stayed and enjoyed themselves.

Livia's exams proceeded without any problems whatsoever. Professor Snape, perhaps to rattle her (in her mind), silently sent his congratulations for her dance event as she worked on her final exam potion for him. She kept working and reminded him that she merely assisted Bill Weasley, so he could not call it "her" event. He told her that she knew better than to try to convince him of that. _That playlist came directly from you – that is the only reason why Shelley Silver knew about any of it. I could have written up most of that playlist from what I hear outside my own office window, throwing in a few items I got from the pensieve._

Livia's potion drew not a single criticism and indeed neither did any of her course exams. Only Professor Flitwick felt he needed more time to develop her dueling skills. Otherwise, she had performed perfectly. The grade of outstanding went across her entire formal schedule. This time she could leave Hogwarts on the train to London, though she disliked being away from her Barn Owl friends, especially, for too long. They all affirmed their good health and confidence in Hagrid to keep them – as well as Sydney and Mel's growing owlets – in good shape. Sevy probably had his own mate to mind, though Hagrid supplemented what he could bring home, too.

Just before she left, she received an unusual note from an owl she did not know, who only said: _Don't ask me anything, I just am delivering this._ It said:

 _Dear Miss Woodcock,_

 _Congratulations on your exams. I am wondering what potential there is that you can again help me with my potion inventory, as you so kindly did last year. Seeing how you opted to "pay me back" for last year, I will try not to push you to that._

 _You were, however, a great assistant, and I might also need extra hands in making a few things before the fall term begins, so they mature in time for use._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Professor Snape_

Livia pondered this, in terms of if, when and such. She realized she needed to bring a shrunken broom, just in case. She destroyed the note, as she had done before, and penned her own quick reply. There was certain things still unfamilar to her.

 _Dear Professor Snape,_

 _Thank you. You have caught me quite off-guard, since I thought I would spend the entire summer in London. My brother has just moved there for a training course to become a barrister, beginning this fall. When did you have in mind?_

 _I am not sure where I am going, since my brother only told me he would pick me up at the station. And I do not know how I should contact you regarding my residence without my own owls. You may want to give me information at the station as the passengers disembark. I do not know what else to say. I will bring a broom with me in case a brief trip back to Hogwarts to do this works for both of us._

 _Enjoy your summer._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Livia Woodcock_

She gave her note to the same owl and left to get transported to the train heading to London. She hoped he would find that note appropriate.

Livia found it pleasant that she got to spend the trip home with Shelley, the rest of her Ravenclaw roommates as well as Reggie and Clara. Only then did she confess to Shelley about the muggle dance, though she made sure only Shelley heard it.

 _Do you have any idea how tough the first part of that event was for me?_ Shelley merely shook her head. _All year I went through having this huge crush on Bill Weasley and if you recall he treated me like his little sister._ "But you smiled brightly the whole time," Shelley whispered. "I did not see any sign of any issue, nor did anyone else there or anyone we know." _Just don't tell anyone, especially anyone in that club. Even if he could have seen it, there was nothing I could do about it, except make him or his girlfriend feel uncomfortable._

"How do you know that he might not have changed his mind, if he knew?" Shelley whispered. "Don't put yourself down, Livia."

 _First, I am not his type. Second, he is way too popular and too many prettier girls like him. Third, he has tended so far to date girls his own age. Fourth, I am beyond his notice because nothing about me stands out. Fifth, he has little insight into me and never showed interest in wanting much. I was simply his capable worker bee and a substitute for his little sister. Finally, I do not think he seeks a serious girlfriend at school, anyway._


	12. Summer in London (Mostly)

Livia enjoyed the train ride home, satisfied that she had her first real sizable break in a long time and that students on board felt elated to have the time off. The raucousness carried through the whole train during the entire trip. She would miss getting Hagrid's assistance to gain everything she needed for the fall term but thought she could bring something to Diagon Alley to carry whatever she bought or could successfully shrink it so she could carry it without difficulty. She would also get to see what exactly existed in her vault, which she had not seen after setting it up nearly two years beforehand.

She wondered if Professor Snape would contact her at King's Cross before her brother found her, though an owl carrying a note for her likely would not upset him. She just did not know how she could explain the author, to anyone who saw it. She figured she would have to claim that it came from the headmaster, instead, though other students might find that implausible. She carefully preserved the list of things she obtained to know what to bring back to Hogwarts for the New Year. She had to hide it in her bag, given the writing and the parchment used. She wished she had gotten an answer to her question to Professor Dumbledore about the West family, since that might help her with her excuses to Tom – or maybe she had a relative that could accompany her.

She collected contact information from her Ravenclaw friends, Reggie and Clara during the trip, also. It seemed that a number of them had to scatter fairly far away from where Livia might wind up. They told her, though, that owls figured out the location of people without a full address, especially if they had taken mail to someone already. Livia had no means to do that in London though, unless she befriended more of them. She still found herself quite reluctant to buy one, until it occurred to her she could ask each if any would prefer to live more freely than a pet would, with the occasional responsibility of carrying mail in exchange for food rewards.

Finally, the train entered the station and Livia collected what she had and made a few trips to get everything, finding a trolley to load it all. As she started placing her things, she quickly said goodbye to as many people as she could, given so many others had family there to greet the students. She soon seemed almost entirely alone in the midst of such a bustling and buzzing scene. She got everything settled when she spotted a large owl swooping down towards her. This Great Grey Owl dropped a note at her feet. The owl retreated to a rooftop trestle, as if waiting for an answer. She figured Professor Snape had found the right carrier to meet the train. The note said:

 _Dear Miss Woodcock,_

 _I have to put off doing the inventory and such until close to your birthday again. I established that as a typical pattern some years ago and cannot change it presently._

 _I will not return until 27 August. We would have to work soon after. If you cannot respond now, call this owl Ellen, and she will get a note to me._

 _Your services do positively affect the school, even if it remains vital to us both that I never openly acknowledge this – nor you._

 _I have access to a means to get you back to London instantly. Typically, an adult must supervise its use. I will show you._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _P.S._

Livia pondered the note. The fact that the author abbreviated his signature did not escape her notice. She figured he did it to somewhat disguise his identity. Whilst getting there might be quite a trip – if one that would give her a chance to improve her flying skills – the idea that he could return her to London instantly intrigued her. It made her wonder why anyone needed a broom ever. She would have to ask. She also figured Hagrid must have used this when he found her at King's Cross yet seemed to return to Hogwarts so quickly.

Livia decided to accept his invitation. She knew no one else would even consider it. Livia questioned her motivation beyond her curiosity as to this instant transportation method he mentioned. Still, he wrote a very civil letter. Maybe for once he could manage being more like that in person. He challenged her in so many ways, and given how she relished a challenge, she had to accept this. She wrote a quick reply after carefully destroying his note:

 _Dear Professor Snape,_

 _It sounds as if you are sensitive to my only issue about the timing. Therefore, I will be there no later than the 27th and will await you notifying me of your arrival. I will try to reclaim my room for that time._

 _See you then. Enjoy your time away._

 _Best,_  
 _Livia Woodcock_

After writing it, Livia recognized that she had changed how she usually closed her notes to him, rather unthinkingly. She wondered what he would make of it, if anything. In any case, it seemed innocuous enough. Livia thus called to Ellen still perched above the platform and gave her the note, simply addressed to "Professor Snape." Ellen thanked Livia for not making her wait long, took the note and flew off.

With that task finished, she made her way to the muggle platform area and found a porter to ask him to direct her to the closest elevator. Shortly thereafter, Livia found herself on the street level pushing out her trolley and wondering how she would find Tom in the crowded station. She decided to make her way towards the area where they had shared their last meal before he departed for Durham. He must have thought of the same thing because she spotted him as soon as she got close to it. Tom was standing with Alice, John, Jake and Audrey. It looked as if he intended to split them up to cover more ground, but her arrival made doing that unnecessary. Livia had thought Tom would come alone, so seeing him with four other people surprised her.

"Blimey, I did not expect a committee greeting me," Livia said, as she started to embrace each in turn. "How is everyone?"

All seemed to indicate contentment, if not better. They came to mark Tom's 6 July birthday to be exact. Livia not spent his birthday with him in a few years, a situation she gladly would remedy in 1987, though it would take her a few days to get a decent present.

"How's the wedding planning, going?" She directed at Jake and Audrey as people took various things off her trolley, leaving only with her own backpack, where her most sensitive belongings lay.

"It goes very well," Audrey said. "You are more than welcome to come when we have the ceremony and such in a few weeks. The wedding will not be that grand, but my father went all out for the reception. I think he wants to impress some Americans he, Jake and John know."

As they reached the street and began looking for a taxi to fit all of them, Livia asked, "I would be going by myself, I guess?"

"Why, do you have a boyfriend to invite?" Jake inquired.

"No," Livia answered. "An unrequited crush I had, that's all. He was older and I doubt paid me much attention, as he finds attractive blondes to date. I do not intend to seek him out. I might be able to find a friend, though, if you felt it appropriate and could accommodate two more."

"I have no reason to object and I'm sure I can convince my father it is okay," Audrey asserted. "So by all means try. We are holding it Friday, July 29. Your brother has the particulars."

"Where are we all going?" Livia asked Tom, as everything but Livia's personal bag got put into the cargo area.

"I finagled a space in Russell Square, close to the Chancery Lane area Tom will need to go," Alice revealed. "It is close enough for him without having to continually have to be confined to where he needs to work. I wanted a little breathing room."

"So your family can keep an eye on us instead, eh?" Tom asked, somewhat sarcastically.

"They will not bother you," Alice responded. "But they may distract me enough to keep me from disrupting your studies. I thought that aspect had value."

"I know," Tom admitted. "Very thoughtful and very impressive you could land such a nice space. Any student I come across certainly will envy me, just for that."

A catered, birthday dinner awaited them back in the flat Tom and Alice – and temporarily Livia – shared. All of her things got put into the room that would function ultimately as Tom's study space, though it also included a single bed for Livia's use whenever she needed it. During the meal, they all talked about many things, ranging from how John and Perita broke up (John entirely took the blame for it) to how Audrey's father arranged for the couple to get some photos taken at the garden at Kew itself, though the reception would take place at a private club after a simple civil ceremony that both bride and groom wanted. In Audrey's mind, the photos and reception offered plenty and civil ceremonies had become very popular.

"Just don't tell my Dad that," Tom asserted. "He may have figured it out, but I doubt he wants anyone to say it to him. It's a good thing he will not be there."

"My family would accept it, if forced to do it, but they would not like it, either," Alice said. "My Dad would probably want to invite the queen herself, though I rate the probability of her attendance as .00000001 percent. I would consider it tremendously fortunate to get a card."

John got his turn to talk about new trends in the music industry and how much he enjoyed working for a record label, even if he did not necessarily send things from his own company. "We all know each other and all enjoy the stuff various people produce, so we non-executives share stuff freely, so long as no one upstairs knows about it. The bosses probably have a vague notion but do not get nosy about it because knowing what everyone releases gives us insight as to what new artists we should try to find. For example, I have contacts in America that tell me we should look to new artists emerging from the Seattle, Washington area – it is sorta punk and rock and the name associated with this is typically 'grunge'. They just are waiting to see who really sets themselves apart to reach a large enough audience for us to get involved, even just as a distributor."

"I helped organize a dance featuring a lot of the music you have gotten to me via Tom," Livia stated. "Right now, I must listen to _The Joshua Tree_ about every day."

"I told you, Tom, that album would change everything for U2," John said. "How did the event go, Livia?"

"Pretty well," she answered. "We held it at the end of the term but before exam studying really got intense. Well over 150 people came, which was a good turnout. Gary showed me how his hotel set up its sound system, which really provided me with insight as to how to carry a large room. We had a decent variety of music, too, in terms of tempo, artist and such."

"How come you never say much about your studies?" Audrey queried. "Given your brother takes them so seriously, I would think you would have a lot to say about them."

"I am pretty quiet in my classes and work hard," Livia responded. "I have mentioned studying botany and working with various animals."

"That cannot be everything," Jake suggested. "No boarding school would have such a limited number of subjects – I mean, how is that supposed to translate to attending a university?"

"I may not need to go to one," Livia stated. "If I read my headmaster correctly, I think he wants me to stay on and tutor students. The faculty, on the whole, seem to praise my written assignments the most – that is not something they formally teach, yet they do expect students to be able to write."

"That does not make sense to me, Livia," Tom asserted. "If faculty expect students to master a skill, why would they not provide instruction in it?"

"I do not know the answer," Livia replied. "I can only tell you that my head of house – one of four they have – has told students that if they ever did offer a writing class, I should teach it."

"Now that is the Livia I know," Tom observed. "The quiet part does not seem like my sister at all."

"I learn most by observation right now," she said. "So I sit in the back and just take everything in as best I can."

"They challenge you well, then?" Tom asked.

"Many of them do," she answered. "Part of challenge comes with my lack of familiarity with some of the material they present. Other times particular instructors try to push me hard to see how well I can do."

"And you succeed," Tom asserted. "Every. Single. Time. I have NO doubt."

"On most things," Livia responded. "I cannot say I can master everything because some things take longer. I still have four years to get all of it. But I think I make good progress."

After John, Jake and Audrey left, Livia found a quiet moment to write a short letter to Ted, who she thought might be the closest distance-wise and the most available for Jake and Audrey's reception. She made sure to use Tom's pens and paper:

 _Dear Ted,_

 _I know you just got home and forgive me for feeling I need to ask this right away. And I intentionally write this with Tom's belongings – I hope you know why I do it._

 _Anyway, two of my brother's friends are getting married on Friday, 29 July, and they invited me to the ceremony and the reception, the latter which I believe will take place at some private club near Kew Gardens, the wedding site. I wondered if you would be able to join me, since being by myself might draw the wrong kind of attention and my brother may be preoccupied (he and his girlfriend are official witnesses). If not, do not sweat it. I will ask another roommate we had this year._

 _My brother stays in a top floor flat in the south corner of Russell Square in London, mostly through the contacts of his girlfriend. If you cannot respond right away, I leave that information in case you need it to help find me._

 _Just let me know, so I still have lead time if I need it._

 _All my best,_  
 _Livia_

Livia thought that note served its purpose and appropriately acknowledged that Ted had barely settled in at home. She hoped that she did not have to search for weeks to find someone to say "yes." She found a window she could open in the back of the room and after addressing the envelope silently called out for any available owl willing to deliver a letter in exchange for some food – before leaving and upon return if an answer came from it.

She waited a few minutes before a marvelous-looking Long-eared Owl appeared at the window. Livia bowed and provided some snack food owls liked as an alternative to rodents now and again. After she asked the owl for its name and he said Sherlock, she presented the letter and told him where Sherlock could find her intended recipient. Sherlock ate the rest of the food fairly quickly, took the letter and flew off into the night. Livia found herself awed by Sherlock's speed and agility and hoped the food provided him enough fuel for the whole trip, should he return. Livia had no idea how long the trip took, however. She hoped that she could gauge what he needed by his return, and he would not be too inconvenienced. She had to do right by him so that he would aid her, if needed. She hoped then that she never had to domesticate an owl to do work.

Luckily for Livia, Ted had a few muggle relatives, including a grandparent, and he remembered enough about things she had said at the Ravenclaw table to know why attending a muggle wedding reception alone might give her cause for concern. They could not practice magic but the ban could make a young girl vulnerable, given she had no idea who all would attend. Livia constantly showed prudence, thoughtfulness and care because she typically had to do it. Frankly, Ted could not turn down a free meal, either. Even if he did not consistently like muggle food, he found catered receptions featured the best of what they could offer. He would do this, though he decided he would try to get Livia to do him a favor, also. He quickly wrote back:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _I would be honored to do this with you. I understand your caution only too well. Oddly enough, however, I have never seen much of London beyond the Leaky Cauldron and King's Cross Station._

 _If you can make arrangements for me to stay over, at least after the reception, where you currently reside, and take me around some places on the Saturday afterward, I will gladly meet you wherever seems appropriate for making the reception._

 _Just send me the particulars at your earliest convenience. If the logistics make more sense for me to attend the wedding (that is, come sooner), I will do that, too. I want to give you flexibility since some of the arrangements will be out of your hands, and you will need to observe those limits._

 _My family, my father at least, can bore if not annoy me pretty quickly, among other things, so this diversion works for me._

 _All my best._  
 _Your friend,_  
 _Ted_

Livia got the note the same night from Sherlock and inquired about what she could give him in gratitude for his service. He simply said he wanted a larger portion of what she had given him before. She gladly did so and asked if could come back and deliver a similar message to the same location in the near future. He assented, though indicted he wished that she had a rodent for him on the outgoing trip. They sustained him longer. She agreed and he left shortly after eating.

Ted also took care to use muggle paper and a pen, so Livia could show Tom and Alice the note the next day. Tom asked her how she had done that so quickly. "I had his address and found an owl willing to take it," Livia said. "Why is that so surprising?"

"I got no reason," he admitted. "I have grown so accustomed to you using them with me that I discounted recognizing that you easily could use them with a classmate, too."

"What's the Leaky Cauldron?" Alice asked. "That name sounds oddly familiar to me."

"I believe it is a pub, though one that has seen its better days, perhaps when Ted was younger," Livia answered. "I believe it sits on Charing Cross Road, though I am not sure how closely its location relates to the rail station."

"Maybe you can invite him to come sometime on Thursday and meet you there, if he knows it," Alice suggested. "I'm sure we can find a way for him to sleep comfortably here. Is he really not your boyfriend, Livia?"

"No, he isn't," Livia replied. "We did share a room together with three other girls and three other boys. You remember that issue with one girl and that her male cousin wanted to protect her personally. So if you want to know, yes, we have slept in the same room at the same time. But he was not the boy I had a crush on – and I would prefer if you do not mention that to him, since I believe he knows that particular lad. I do not want that information to become common knowledge. I have to go back, and that boy will still be there."

"I hear you," Alice affirmed. "I remember that dilemma all too well. You like someone, and he does not notice and, as a girl, you are really not supposed to be the one to tell him. If you have to tell him, chances are he does not fancy you, anyway. You are stuck waiting for some piece of good luck or to get over the infatuation before someone can humiliate you about it."

"Exactly," Livia agreed. "Ted may say too much to the wrong person, just because he has no idea how this feels."

"He will not hear it from me," Alice asserted. "Tom?"

"Nor I," he affirmed. "Can you get a rollaway mattress from someone around here, Alice?"

"Probably," she replied. "I'll ring a few people I know. Ask him if he would like me to get anything in particular, like a cereal or type of bread or tea, whatever. "

"Tell him we will set something up for him to come Thursday and meet you at this Leaky Cauldron – if that's the best place to meet – at whatever time he prefers," Tom said. "We will just take you with us and then he can leave on Saturday or Sunday – whichever he wants. I would like to meet someone from your school. You tell me so little, and he will be proof the place exists."

The three spent an agreeable summer day visiting places like Westminster Abbey and some open markets, including one near Covent Garden. Before retiring for the night Livia did a little hunting and was able to zero in on a recently deceased rodent. She might have caught one, but did not relish the little thing talking to her and begging for his or her life. A freshly dead one would do, once she determined it had not died of poisoning – since that would kill the owl who consumed it. No, a local cat had mortally wounded one, she found, and the mouse escaped the cat only to die from its injuries. She clearly saw the puncture and claw marks similar to those she had seen Sarah make. Thus she set out to write Ted another letter just as she wrote the first:

 _Dear Ted,_

 _Tom and Alice found what you wrote agreeable and Alice is hunting to borrow a portable bed that you can use here. They think that because you know the Leaky Cauldron (Alice thought she might have heard the name before) and a pub is smaller than a rail station, you should pick a time to meet me there on Thursday Then I can convey you to their flat, though we could stop somewhere along the way._

 _After the reception, each also said you could depart at whatever time on Saturday or Sunday that you wished. Alice also wanted to know if she could get you anything special to eat – like a cereal or type of bread or tea or whatever she could buy._

 _Let me know when you can. I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks._

 _All my best,_  
 _Livia_

Livia called for Sherlock and he did not disappoint, showing up in less than two minutes. She told him of the mouse, who a local cat had mortally wounded but did not get a chance to eat. He accepted it gratefully, swallowed it whole and took the letter and headed out to Ted's home.

Ted answered very quickly and decisively. He must have, Livia thought, since Sherlock returned in just over an hour. He wrote:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _Sounds great. Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at 2 pm Thursday, 28 July. I can get there pretty easily. We should be able to enjoy a few things before we get to your brother's flat. I need to warn you that I likely will not have much sterling currency on me, so you might have to ensure we have that covered. Or we will need to visit a particular bank first._

 _That might also determine when I should return home, since I hate to impose._

 _My tastes are simple, I think. Earl Grey tea, cinnamon bread buttered toast or plain white bread if that cannot be obtained. Cheddar cheese on plain toast works, too, as does common muesli. I am no fan of the typical cooked English breakfast._

 _See you in a few weeks! Looking forward to it. I can only tolerate my father in short doses, since I can never do anything right according to him._

 _All my best._  
 _Your friend,_  
 _Ted_

The message seemed perfect to Livia, and she made sure she handsomely rewarded Sherlock for his service, especially his quickness. She bowed to him, he said farewell after he ate and he flew again out the window into the darkness.

The few weeks Livia had before 28 July often involved only her and Alice, as various errands often required Tom's attention. They did all enjoy attending "The Phantom of the Opera,"* which had become a West End sensation and a tough ticket to get. Livia most often saw Tom at breakfast and dinner, given various people he had to contact, paperwork he had to complete and appointments his firm wanted him to make. Since they sponsored him, he meticulously attended to all their requests and whatever suggestions his mentor made. For Livia, the time with Alice gave her an opportunity to discover that they liked similar activities and shared musical tastes. She also asked Alice what she knew about the Leaky Cauldron, since it was not a prominent location for tourists or even locals. Alice could not remember, except that she thought that she heard an uncle or great uncle talk about it many years beforehand. She had never been there herself. From what Livia learned, she thought that Ted could simply walk there from the Charing Cross station, which connected London to many other points south, especially in Kent.

Livia and Alice went to a market in Covent Garden that featured a palm reader. Alice decided both should get a session. Alice was told she would have two children, a long life and enjoy a happy marriage. She would also make her own mark outside of it and encouraged her to do more with her gifts. Then he saw Livia, who held some trepidation about what the reader would say about her. He said he saw her having two children and spending many years attached to a place she already knew. He said she kept a great number of secrets in her life, and if they did not grow, others would replace those she revealed. He saw her as capable, smart and powerful and recommended that she use her heart more, rather than less, to find balance and happiness in what would be a very long life. She felt greatly relieved he had not revealed anything harmful and figured that he referred to Hogwarts, given what the headmaster had said already. Unlike Alice, she asked no questions, in case they might provoke a comment she did not wish to hear.

Finally, the day had come when Livia would meet Ted. Tom had given Livia £30 for the day, figuring it would tide them over for the afternoon, but unbeknownst to him, Alice had given her £50 to ensure they would not miss a meal or a museum because they lacked enough money. For a few hours, Livia had more than enough for two people.

Livia took the Piccadilly Line and the Northern Line to get to Charing Cross and walked to the Leaky Cauldron. She thought she was close to being on time if not exactly on time, but Ted already was sitting at a table waiting for her when she walked inside. Each joyously greeted the other and Livia asked him if he wanted to see anything in particular – the Crown Jewels, Buckingham Palace, the National Portrait Gallery or something else.

He asked her how she traveled around London and what would keep them on any particular schedule her brother had in mind. She suggested taking the London Underground (Tube) to Leicester Square and walking around toward Covent Garden, where they could later take a different line to close to her brother's flat. He admitted having no experience with this form of transportation but found everything Livia showed him enjoyable, even the Actor's Church. Ted also said he had no idea regarding any of the things she mentioned so anything she chose would please him. Since Livia loved the National Portrait Gallery, she suggested going there on Saturday. She found it interesting for its historical value and for the subtleties that the typical visitors missed. He totally figured out what she meant in terms of the word she had avoided using.

At a little before six o'clock, Livia got back to Russell Square and gained access Tom's building and used a spare key to enter the flat. Both Tom and Alice sat on the couch, hoping they would arrive sooner versus later, so they could enjoy a nice meal nearby. They both greeted Ted warmly and expressed happiness that they both had the opportunity to meet someone Livia knew from her school. Ted thought Tom was more anxious about meeting him but could not figure out why until they had a chance to be alone when Alice and Livia went to a lavatory together at dinner.

"Livia tells me so little about her school," Tom began. "Is she okay? Does she have friends? Do people like her? I am not used to these feelings as her guardian. I worry about her so, but I have no clue as to what to do about how I feel. I'm probably negligent here."

"She's fine," Ted answered. "All of us in her room this past year consider her a friend, though Shelley Silver is her best friend. If you are asking me about her popularity, I do not think enough people know her well. She does not actively alienate them, but you must know that she is so smart and so self-disciplined that people do not know what to make of her. Those who know her to any extent know she is gentle, thoughtful, cheerful and very placid. At times she has amazed me with some of the things she has done."

"What do you mean?" Tom asked.

"Well, most of us students have a few professors that we find intimidating and one in particular exceeds all of them in cutting remarks or finding fault with students or their work," Ted replied. "But Livia never lets anyone – including this professor – bother her in the least. I mean, if he stares at someone, they are shaking – or God forbid, he wants to see a student alone in his office. She has had a few exchanges with him, and went to his office during her first year. Yet he never gets under her skin. No one can fathom it. I think, as a result, she seems quite unreal."

"After what she dealt with – and I have read the medical reports of her years in a juvenile detention center where she never belonged – I can see her being totally unfazed about anything directed at her verbally," Tom revealed. "If he cannot seriously hit her, he will not hurt her."

"No, he cannot strike her," Ted affirmed. "Even if he wanted to."

"Why would he want to do that?" Tom asked.

"Well, I understand she once laughed in his class whilst he was upbraiding some other student for poor work. I don't think anyone has ever done that, and he was quite angry about it. That was last year, though. She had one scrape with him this year, but it was not her fault. Her friend Shelley was trying to get her to explain something, and Livia did not want to say anything during class. For whatever reason, he laced into both of them over the incident. I guess he does not like her, but truth be told, he seems only to favor students from his own house."

"His house?" Tom asked, not recalling Livia's earlier reference to this.

"Our school has four different residential areas named for each of the school's four founders. I belong to the same house as Livia, which is in part how we got a space together. The professor I speak of heads another house."

"But she performs sufficiently in his class?" Tom queried.

"Definitely. That must frustrate him. He would be overjoyed if she were his student, but since she belongs to another house and he cannot find fault with her work, he probably tries to invent reasons to disparage her or try to rattle her."

"Sounds like she handles adversity well. That does not surprise me."

Just then Livia and Alice returned and the meal continued pleasantly. Ted said he would give Livia money when they got back to campus, but neither Tom nor Alice would hear of it.

"We are happy to have you here," Alice stated. "Do not think about it. My parents have already given me more than enough money – for a lifetime, perhaps."

The rest of the weekend went extremely well. None of Tom's family attended the wedding. Jake and Audrey's relatives acted kindly to both Ted and Livia. Still, Livia profusely thanked Ted then for coming as they were dancing after the meal. She had no idea what to expect, and anyone who might have presented a problem to a young girl by herself never materialized because he was there. Ted and Livia did a lot of sightseeing on Saturday, so much so that he decided he should sleep there that night instead of go home. Livia accompanied Ted back to the Leaky Cauldron Sunday morning, before meeting up with Tom and Alice. Livia asked him why he wanted to return there, but he only said the Cauldron possessed a special means to get him home, without spelling it out, since his parents had to be involved. Livia could only wonder if this is what Professor Snape had meant. She figured it had to be, since Hagrid got back to Hogwarts so quickly. She had no access without a guardian, so apparently he would do that – quite an exceptional act.

August passed very well, though Livia could tell Tom had started getting anxious about the legal course that awaited him. She did know how to tell him about her planned trip, but figured that she needed to enlist Shelley in the scheme. She got Sherlock to deliver a letter to Shelley, telling her that she needed to take a short trip and wanted to use her as the excuse for it – that is, she would tell Tom that she would leave to visit her. She told her this just in case he ran into her at King's Cross and he asked about Livia's visit. She begged Shelley not to ask where Livia had to go or why – as it related to the headmaster's edict to her and saying too much could cause problems. Shelley sent back a short note saying she would do as Livia asked and also inquired as to when Livia would go to shop at Diagon Alley, since it would be something they could do together. Livia replied suggesting the afternoon of 28 August would likely work, and she would alert Shelley when she got to the Leaky Cauldron.

Livia told Tom she needed to leave on the 26th and would return late in the afternoon of the 28th. He need not cancel anything regarding her birthday, but she reminded him that perhaps a little space without her could help him prepare for his own work. Since she set off during the day, she had to figure out how she could do it. She opted to go to the hidden King's Cross platform and take off on her broom. Before she set off, she put on her Walkman headphones and put the player in a slot in her backpack. Shrinking everything else made the bag easy to carry on her back.

Following the tracks, even from fairly high in the sky went well. She felt confident enough to even try singing a U2 song in her own voice – which she practically never did. The trip gave her some practice to a voice she typically ignored. She could never perfect male falsetto yells or cries, so she did them at a lower octave, which seemed to work, as best as she could hear her own voice. She arrived at Hogwarts late that afternoon and told the staff she had only come for a few days to do a pre-arranged task that Professor Snape got her to agree to do in exchange for his assessment of her work as "Outstanding." A few seemed to remember that she had done this the prior year owing to an exam. To themselves, they figured he had something on her, since they could not imagine anyone willingly helping him or spending time with him.

He returned to campus early the evening of the 27th and sent notice to her that she could either start then or wait until early in the morning. Thinking of the crows and owls, early in the morning might work for more of them, depending on how early. She sent him that note and he responded that he would have breakfast waiting in the potion room for her and that she should also bring all her belongings because he would send her to London as soon as they finished.

She found him already there about to begin his survey when she arrived at just about 06:30. This time Livia found a setup with two sets of cups and dishes as well as flatware and pot of tea. It looked like he had already had some tea.

"Nice of you to join me, Miss Woodcock," he said flatly. Livia had not thought that she had arrived late but perhaps he did.

Livia put her stuff down, and walked over to him, now standing in his inventory closet. "What would you like me to do first?"

"Are you ready to work?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I may want a little tea, but it is a little early for me to think about food just yet."

"I thought the same thing," he stated, still rather emotionless. "Set up two lists. One will include things I need to order, noting which I will obtain quickly and the second will list the items that will take longer to get that you will have to see if your avian friends can supply to fill the gap."

"Professor, why don't you order those things when the prior term ends?" Livia asked. He glared at her. "Just curious, sir."

"Some of these items go bad, especially over the summer, despite all my preservation efforts. I have tried to do that before, and I wound up needing to reorder and had poor quality stock until the new things arrived. Fresh and local vastly exceeds distant and rancid."

He methodically called out items and which list or lists Livia needed to use. She carefully followed his orders. She thought to herself he was all business, which did not quite match the letter he had written. She guessed print versus in person meant two different things to him. Or maybe he could manage sounding polite when he wanted something. She dropped thinking about him, after hoping he would seem somewhat more human after she completed the inventory lists.

Despite the economy of the setup, it still took over an hour to go through everything. At the end, she handed him his list of things he had to reorder with the notation beneath it of those he would reorder and wait some time to receive while she sought help with the other list. He began emptying jars of non-viable material and placed them on the table. Livia meantime had opened a window and called out to all crows and owls able to assist again in retrieving local materials for the potion inventory storage. "Taking a break now?" Professor Snape asked.

"I may as well, since I cannot just snap my fingers and have a murder of crows in the room," Livia answered. "Why don't you sit as well?"

"Okay," he agreed. "By the way, Happy Birthday."

Livia could not pass up a chance to gently tease him. "Thank you. Do you have a present for me?" she inquired, trying to smile innocently.

"I did not know we were going to start exchanging gifts," he replied. Again, he used an almost spiritless, grim tone.

She laughed. "Do you _ever_ laugh, Professor Snape?"

"There is nothing much to laugh about, from my vantage point."

"That is a shame," Livia asserted. "Never mind what Goethe said, being able to laugh sometimes is the only thing one can do to prevent either crying or going barking mad."

"Well, I do neither of those," he pointed out.

Just then Alastair, Benedict and several of their friends along with both Sevy and Mel showed up. Mel said Sydney had just bid goodbye to the last of this season's clutch and needed to sleep. Livia got up, addressed each creature and assigned a task, telling each which jar to place it in and if they were uncertain where anything went to just ask before dropping anything. She bowed to all and left a large amount of food for all outside the window to take as they needed nourishment. She then sat back down. Professor Snape had eyed her carefully but had not moved.

"You can do something for me, if you would indulge me a wee bit today," Livia began, "Tell me something that you do not share with others."

He eyed her somewhat suspiciously. "How about that I know about your crush all last year on Bill Weasley?"

"Oh, that's wicked, sir. Who told you that?" Livia shook her head and with it down rolled her eyes. _He is one tough cookie, as some would say._

"The headmaster. He said he could see it during your room check of the Great Hall before staff installed the Winter Ball decorations, much as you tried to hide it."

"Yes, I had to accept that and get through it," Livia revealed. "I hope I have. But you clearly dodged my intent of getting you to tell me something about yourself, not about me."

He seemed to grit his teeth. "How about this – the letter you wrote to your brother about me was more accurate than I ever want anyone to know. It compelled me to rethink my own skills and figure out how best to improve them so that no one ever can write anything like that again."

"That's better, thank you," Livia observed. "Of course, I wondered if you lacked someone like my brother or you lost that person. Which is it?"

"Lost," he said dryly.

"Is she still alive?" Livia asked, though realizing he never indicated a gender or the nature of the relationship. She had made that leap on her own.

"No," he answered. "Look, some of your avian friends are back."

Livia walk to the jars, ensured who had what and that each went into the correct container. The job, however, still required more things, the hardest being what she asked Mel and Sevy to bring. Neither had returned yet.

"I am sorry you lost someone you cared about so much," Livia said softly. "I think you must have loved her a great deal."

"I still do," he said, looking very uncomfortably at her. _What did I do to make this so apparent to her?_

 _That is so harsh._ Livia felt like what he said had smacked across the face. He had set himself a very bitter road to travel. She realized his only outlet came at the expense of his students. "I wish I had the ability to say something profound, whereas I can only repeat the fact that I will never betray anything you have told me to anyone," Livia said, sounding quite sad. "This burden makes having an unrequited crush on Bill Weasley seem like an utter joke."

He might have let her off the hook a little, be it so unlike him, considering all that played a role with him, but her apparent remorse ensured her silence, so he said nothing. Moreover, just then, they both noticed that more crows had entered the room. Livia again ensured each properly placed each item in its labeled container and bowed to them as they left. As soon as she finished with them, Mel and Sevy returned with their items and they also dropped them off appropriately and she bowed to both. Mel noted that the crows had eaten most of the food already and asked for more, which Livia provided. At that time, Sevy had made a respectful gesture to Professor Snape.

"Your avian friends have come through again – completely," Professor Snape stated. "But I still need your help making a few potions now, so they will be ready when I need them. Then I will get you back home."

He brought out some additional ingredients and gave her directions for her potion making whilst he got to work on his own. The both worked meticulously, with both artistry and skill. Livia had nearly finished adding all her ingredients when she noted that she needed to reach for a knife to chop up the last one. Professor Snape had just then reached for the same knife. Livia had not noticed because she was not looking, so she inadvertently placed her hand on top of the exposed part of his hand as he was about to grasp the handle.

"Oh, pardon me, sir," Livia said. "I am so sorry."

"You know, you should look at a sharp object before trying to pick it up," he stated.

By then, a searing sensation had started to travel up her arm. She completed the last part of her potion one-handed and with it completed, she sat down, beginning to breathe heavily, hyperventilating, as if struck by what some would call air hunger.

"What are you doing?" Professor Snape asked. "Your first task is done, but I have one more for you to do."

"I-I-I can't breathe," Livia said. "Ohhh, the pain. Do you live with this every day?"

"What?" he asked.

"Your-your hand. I-I-I left myself too-too-too open. It's like someone has my-my body in-in a vise. My-my-my ribs hurt, this-this-this squeezing." Living kept exhaling, blowing air out of her body and trying to draw enough in. "I-I-I can't go-go on-on like this. I-I have-have never felt so h-horrible."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She kept trying to exhale, kept trying to rub parts of her midsection and raising her hands to try to relieve it. Nothing helped. "I-I feel it. Every-everything. Love. Guilt. Pain. I-I am-am nauseous. I-I feel-feel dizzy. I-I-I had no-no idea. I-I am-am so-so sorry." She thought she might pass out.

 _Was she sorry she had touched him or sorry for the torment that remained within him?_ _Maybe both_. He did not think a potion would help. It seemed to him, this was entirely something only she understood and only she could fix. But he fully recognized that it had come from him. Somehow she had removed a portion of all that oppressed him, but only a part of it. That much he felt. Still, he could not answer how he lived with all of it. "What do you need?" he asked.

"I-I think I-I need to go-go outside with-with my-my Walkman, s-sir," she said.

"No, too risky and time consuming," he said. "Can you do it here and now?"

"But-but the sound, it-it travels," she said.

"I am better at that than you," he said. He secured the room. He retrieved her Walkman. "Do it in your own voice. I doubt you can use another right now. It might help more, too." He amplified the sound. Livia found the tape where she had a song she herself could sing, if occasionally at a lower octave at the end. Fittingly, it was U2's "With or Without You." He hit play.

Livia had to muster a lot of strength to begin, but at least the song began more meekly than it ended. She found about midway through it she could sing fully, if with more desperation than she herself ever had known.

 _My hands are tied  
My body bruised, she's got me with  
Nothing to win and  
Nothing left to lose...*_

The last chorus was strongly voiced, full throated yet desperate. Yet by the last lines, Livia had begun to steady herself on her chair. The vocal ended, however, with almost a moaning cry, and Livia tried to reach out to the table to give her better support. Instead, her hand slipped and, missing it entirely, she lost her balance and crashed onto the hard stone floor.

Professor Snape had been mostly expressionless though he was hearing her exorcising part of his own inner turmoil. He kept his thoughts to himself. He betrayed far too much for one day. He contemplated using the Forgetfulness Potion on her, though he rejected the idea, ultimately, given that she might forget too much. If she did, she inadvertently could make him more vulnerable from whatever she might say than if she remembered and kept quiet. Seeing her fall so hard, he immediately rushed to her side. "Livia, can you hear me?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

She sat up and coughed hard. "I will be okay. Let me get to the chair and give me a minute." Only hours later in London would she realize that he had called her by her first name, which he never had done before.

She drank some more tea and found something left over to eat. Slowly, she regained her own senses and control of her own body. She exhaled one final time and carefully stood up. "Thank you," she stated. "I am ready to start the rest of the work."

He did not entirely believe her, after what he had just witnessed. Yet he saw she was feisty and determined. He had to admire that.

"If you say so," he asserted. "Here is what I want you to do." He laid out the directions for her task as went about his own.

She felt stronger as the work continued. By the end of the morning, they had completed multiple batches of all four potions he needed to store for later use. He evaluated her work on both potions as impeccable. That in itself held no great surprise, but seeing that the second proved every bit as potent as the first, she had shown how capable she could perform, on even her worst day.

Both transferred the various ingredients into the inventory closet room. Then he carefully handed the maturing potions so that he could use them later. It was nearly noon when they cleared everything and the breakfast items got set back to the staff. He asked her to gather her things and follow him to his head of Slytherin office.

"Don't worry, no one here will notice, and the headmaster has cleared this already," Professor Snape told her.

Livia entered an unfamiliar office, different than his faculty room and decorated with pictures of former heads of the house. She also took note of a fireplace in the room, something lacking in his faculty space and one without a shred of wood nearby. Only a burlap sack containing black powder sat adjacent to it.

Seeing that the fireplace had gotten her attention, he inquired if she knew what it was. She told him that she did not. He told her this fireplace had a special purpose and would convey her to the Leaky Cauldron almost instantly. He demonstrated first without entering it, telling her what she needed to do, that she needed to speak clearly and use the powder to make her transportation take place. He warned her about the perils of not being clear and not doing this correctly.

"Can you go with me?" Livia asked. "I have never done this."

"No, I cannot," he replied. "If you were a baby, I could. But I can follow you to verify that you arrived safely. But typically only one person goes at a time."

"Please, sir, I do not wish to mess this up," Livia said.

"Somehow, I doubt you will, Miss Woodcock," he asserted. "But I will verify it. The headmaster will appreciate that I do it, anyway."

Livia took a handful of the black powder, asked for the Leaky Cauldron and cast down the powder. The action was swift and felt like a great "woosh" of sound and wind had surrounded her. When she could see, the recognized the Leaky Cauldron. She stepped away from the fireplace and turned around. Within a few seconds, she saw Professor Snape had followed her and could say she had arrived safely.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

He reached for another small handful of power and only told her, rather tersely, "See you next week." He asked to return to his house office and had gone in a puff of an odd fire and breeze.

"Was that who I think it was?" a patron loudly asked from across the room.

Not sure of the person who spoke to her, Livia turned and opted to inquire more from a man sitting across the room. "Who do you think you saw?"

"It looked like Severus Snape, though I have not seen him in a long time."

Livia found something unsavory about the person speaking to her. She made sure he could not detect anything but sincerity. "No, that was my uncle. I think a few people have said this to him before, and usually it bothers him."

He did try to verify what she had said, figuring a lie from an underage girl would be easy to detect. He believed that she was at least a half-blood witch and that what she said seemed to him entirely sincere. "Okay," he acknowledged. "Thought I saw an old friend."

Livia did not buy this for a second. He knew Professor Snape, but he had an agenda that she did not find entirely friendly at all. They may have had a friendship before but not now. She had more insight into him than he knew about her, but Livia knew well enough to let it go.

She inquired for the innkeeper and said she was supposed to meet Shelley Silver that afternoon. She asked if she had a way to tell Shelley that she had arrived. The innkeeper said he knew that family and would relay the message for her.

About five minutes later, the innkeeper told Livia that the Silvers knew and Shelley would come fairly quickly and that, if she wished, she could have some soup whilst she waited. Livia informed the innkeeper that, at the moment, she only possessed cash in sterling and she would need money from the bank in Diagon Alley to pay for it.

"That is okay, miss," he stated. "On occasion I need sterling – property taxes and such. The bank can change it, too. Just leave what you can that you think is fair." He came back with the place's signature soup, which Livia found hearty and helpful, after her early trials of the day. She had a £10 note and left it. The innkeeper spotted it and though that was too much.

"You did me a favor," she asserted. "The note is fair given that and the soup. I just hope I have not shortchanged you, sir."

"No, not at all, miss," he responded.

Livia did not have to wait long after finishing her soup to see Shelley arrive. After a few seconds, an older woman, presumably her mother, had come as well. Livia thought she had seen her once before. Shelley quickly spotted Livia and introduced her to her mother, a tall, medium color-skinned woman with slightly greying dark auburn hair who had become slightly matronly in her middle age. She quickly followed Shelley to the table where Livia sat. Livia stood up as Shelley introduced her mother, Sheila, to her. Mrs. Silver said she herself had attended Hogwarts and knew what they would need, though she looked at Livia's list to ensure they matched. They did.

The three proceeded to the entrance to Diagon Alley and Mrs. Silver opened it for the two girls to go through, then herself. Livia told them that she needed to obtain funds from the bank first. The school had deposited money, and Ted had sent money recently himself (his parents insisted, he told her, knowing that Tom and Alice would not exactly know how to help her). Livia also saw the fruits of her own ability to take money from others. All in all, it was a nice sum and Livia withdrew what she expected she would need for most of the year, figuring overconfident Slytherins could supply the rest – if not more than what she would need.

She told the Silvers how much she had withdrawn and what remained. Shelley was impressed. "Your ability to take advantage of some overly confident students has given you a good base. If you worked at it just a little, you probably could pay for at least a few years at Hogwarts from the Slytherin house alone." Shelley told her mother about Livia's "side business."

"Serves 'em right, I'd wager," Mrs. Silver observed, laughing at her pun. "Them Slytherins usually 'ave the 'earts of thieves, anyway, so I find it quite fitting they lose some money to someone with superior skills. The school won't stop you?"

"Not yet," Livia replied. "Seems it is not that widely known, since the Slytherins who lose to me are too embarrassed or preoccupied to warn younger ones not to bet against me on anything. The other houses have students who know better, and they tell the younger students quietly."

"What about the 'ead of Slytherin?" Mrs. Silver asked. "'e is a piece of work, no?"

"He sure is," Shelley agreed. "He has found cause to insult both of us last year and he really verbally sparred with Livia the first year, too, from what I understand. It was quite the buzz."

"Professor Snape will not stop me," Livia responded. "Call it benign neglect, or the fact that he believes my father was a Slytherin there, also."

"Who?" Mrs. Silver asked.

"That remains a mystery because my birth mother neither told him nor made any attempt to keep me," Livia revealed. "She abandoned me to a muggle very soon after giving birth. I have no desire to even meet her or know much about her. She cared nothing for me and, well, likewise."

"I see," Mrs. Silver said. "Can't say I blame ya. Probably a good attitude. Well, I'm glad I can assist you today, then, since you lack family support 'ere."

Mrs. Silver produced a cart to carry around everything Shelley and Livia needed to buy, be they books, parchment, ink or new uniforms or other clothes. They also stopped for ice cream, where Shelley wished her a Happy Birthday. Her mother had no idea and wondered why she picked this day to do her shopping.

"Just convenience," Livia responded. "I had another errand and my brother has gotten busy getting everything in order for his own study in London. He is training to become a barrister."

"Interesting," Mrs. Silver acknowledged. "Won't that make trouble for you to tell 'im – if ever you do – about yourself?"

"Possibly," Livia replied. "But his current girlfriend may have familial alumni of Hogwarts. I am not sure."

"What's 'er name?" Mrs. Silver inquired.

"Alice West," Livia answered. "She seems to have an interesting family tree that goes back to the Russell family and at least one Duke of Bedford. The headmaster told me he would look into this but has not confirmed anything. Probably not a big priority."

"Might be so," Mrs. Silver asserted. "I'd be curious to find out. That would improve your situation, I would imagine."

"I think it is interesting," Shelley observed. "Maybe if your brother has children with her, one of them will go to Hogwarts someday."

"That could give me a reason for why I wound up with that family," Livia stated. "It would be nice to say my life had some purpose, given my mother did not supply even a hint of one."

They spent much of the afternoon together pleasantly enough until Shelley expressed interest in getting her own owl. Livia really disliked the thought of them as caged or treated like pets. Yet Shelley wanted Livia to pick her out an owl because she knew so much about them.

"Livia can speak to animals and get wild ones to take mail for her. She never really has to use officially-trained owls," Shelley told her mother.

"Really?" Mrs. Silver asked. "That is quite an unusual gift in this world – and we all are supposed to be gifted."

"I confess I do not like them domesticated," Livia explained. "It is my own quirk. But I will try to find one that wants to serve you, Shelley."

They entered the shop and Livia saw all the species available, including Barn, Screech, Brown and Tawny Owls. The shop owner said he did not have any other types presently. Livia looked at them and tried talking to them. She told them she herself used wild owls for the purposes of why they were sold there, and it frankly pained her to see them confined. She told them about the Barn Owl friends she had at Hogwarts, a mated pair Sydney and Mel and a local they knew named Sevy. She confessed she did not know if Sevy had a mate. She indicated her openness to find an owl that would carry messages for the girl next to her, named Shelley. She said she would likely be nearby and could help any owl, but she never wished to own one, despite the successes muggles have with falconry.

The owls made many noises among themselves and Livia had trouble following it all. Finally, a young female Barn Owl introduced herself and expressed a willingness to serve and hope that Livia could introduce her to Livia's owl friends. The owl told Livia to call her Brontë, as in the authors that Livia probably read. She also said she had only just reached maturity and felt healthy and strong.

Livia motioned to Shelley that she should choose this young Barn Owl that wanted Shelley to call her Brontë. Shelley said that was not the name the shopkeeper used. He had named her Helga. Livia shrugged, saying you either believe me or you don't. Shelley tried calling her Helga and the owl did nothing. When she used Brontë, the owl made some clicking sounds and jumped from her perch to get closer to the cage's door. The owl settled the matter. Shelley would call her Brontë. "I'm sorry I doubted you," Shelley began, "I thought the man running the store knew his owls. Obviously, you know them better, and they are more sentient than muggles or witches think."

Mrs. Silver paid for Brontë and put her on top of the cart they would take back to the Leaky Cauldron. Livia apologized for the small cage and told Brontë she would have a much better situation within the week. Brontë acknowledged that she knew how this situation went, and she would be patient until she had the chance to fly freely.

When they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, Shelley carefully set Brontë aside so Livia and Shelley could divide their purchases. Mrs. Silver was impressed how Livia shrank most everything down to no bigger than a matchbook to fit everything in her backpack and kept it fairly light to carry. Shelley asked her mother how to do that because it looked so useful, especially if flying by broom. Mrs. Silver said that she thought it took lots of skill and practice, but Shelley could try it when they returned home. At street level, they said farewell, with Shelley reminding her where she would wait for Livia on the Hogwarts platform. Then Shelley and Mrs. Silver used the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace to return home.

When Livia left the pub, she realized the afternoon had not completely gone, with the time not yet four o'clock. On her way back to Russell Square, she found a music stall selling vinyl records, among other formats, and listened to a few songs. She decided on a Bob Marley record of hits called "Legend" that included a song that could work for another Muggle Music Club party, entitled "Get Up, Stand Up."* She also took a fancy to a song on _Licensed to Ill_ by a group she did not know, the Beastie Boys. Once she heard the song "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party),"* she thought it funny enough to buy and hoped that Professor Flitwick would agree. She hid partly to shrink those in the bag after she left the store and put the bag in her backpack.

She got to Tom and Alice's flat not long after 16:30. Alice had stood up from the couch, thinking Tom had just arrived. "Livia, Tom will be so relieved to find you here," she stated. "He seems a bit jumpy right now in general."

"I thought I would do him a favor by not being around the last few days," Livia said.

"He might have said that and even believed it, but he has not acted that way," she revealed. "So how do you want to celebrate your birthday? I made the cake you like, but can that be enough?"

"Whatever you want to do," Livia offered. "Shelley's mom bought me some ice cream. I have no particular wish."

Tom entered perhaps twenty to thirty minutes later. He felt very glad that Livia had returned already. "What are you up for?"

"Whatever you are," she answered. "I wonder if some people burden you already, and whether the remedy is something fun or just to sit at home with fish and chips and a movie."

"I am fine, but we can see a film after dinner, if you like," Tom asserted. "What kind of food do you want?"

"Is there any good pizza in this city?" Livia asked.

Alice pondered. "I think I know who can tell me that." She went to ring someone she knew. Within minutes, she had a recommendation – a restaurant within walking distance about two blocks away. "It may not be _the_ best but very close to it, and easy to reach."

The place had everything one could expect for fine Italian dining – a wine list, antipasti, espresso, homemade pasta. So Tom and Alice could indulge on something more sophisticated whilst Livia enjoyed her pizza. She definitely would not get pizza like this at school. Alice whispered something to the waiter and they brought out some wonderful panna cotta for everyone, with Livia's saying "Happy Birthday" on it, written in its drizzled chocolate topping. It even included a little candle on top.

Afterward, they walked more towards Leicester Square to see what films they had at various theatres. Nothing really struck her fancy until she saw a held over British-made, Ken Russell directed film about Mary Shelley's inspiration for "Frankenstein." Alice and Tom thought the film _Gothic_ might not suit a 15-year-old girl but relented. Tom did warn her, though. "Though you have read her book, you may find this film distasteful in a number of respects. From what I recall reading, Natasha Richardson carries the film, even though she looks young. Just root for her."

The aspects of darkness and light, or night versus day, and one's own personal demons weighed much on her mind as Livia watched it. She thought back about what must torment Professor Snape so much that he has to channel his emotions by lashing out at his students. She considered what happened and how awful even a sliver of his state felt as well as what he said. Still, she thought he hid a great deal more and wondered why the headmaster seemed so keen on protecting him. She knew better than to ask the headmaster anything about him. As yet, she had experienced physical and verbal trauma in her past, but she remained untarnished by it. None of those people mattered to her, whereas he obviously carried his past with him like Jacob Marley dragged and carried his chains in Charles Dickens's _A Christmas Carol._ She felt blessed to not have to shoulder such a burden as those carried by the characters in the film _Gothic_ , too. She could only understand such things intellectually until she opened herself to her instinctive feelings or others's feelings. She would endeavor never to open herself up to him like that again, especially in class. Still, she struggled to figure out how she could close herself in one sense yet be open enough to function as his student. Though being smart and highly sensitive did not intellectually connect, they did within her. She had to master how to think yet limit or target precisely what she could feel or not feel. She saw the challenge especially in dueling – to be able to anticipate an opponent completely yet remain totally invulnerable. This seemed mighty tricky. She had no model to follow, which made her resentment of her birth mother only deepen. _She might have helped me if she had chosen it versus being a selfish parasite._ Livia knew how harmful carrying such baggage could and did become – she did not need to see the film since she witnessed this firsthand.

For a few days they enjoyed to a pleasant routine of simple enjoyments, even as the anxiety grew for Tom. Cathy had even rung up the flat and spoke to Livia for a few minutes, wishing her well and hoping she had enjoyed her birthday. She apologized for not calling sooner, but her work schedule had impeded that. Tom said that she phoned with some frequency and he had enjoyed a better relationship with her of late, now that she lived with her own flatmates. Rev. Woodcock called on Saturday, also – from his office. He still had to deal with Lydia and his wife, which still put him in a bind. As much as he had grown weary of Lydia's demands – the latest being that her father pay for her to have her own place when she left school – he did not relish having zero children left under his roof. Whilst he found his relationship with his wife to be in a "better place," he did not know if Lydia moving out would finally get her to open her eyes about all that had transpired, including her own role in creating a very spoiled, petulant daughter.

Livia took some comfort in those conversations and minimized her own issues as Tom brooded over his. She preferred to think about the pleasant tasks like another year-end party and seeing people that she knew. She found pleasure in the idea of telling Reggie about the Bob Marley record she had purchased. Yet the ticket for the train that came for her and the calendar date Monday 31 August both gave her some pause. Those nine weeks off went too quickly for her. She also wondered if she had inadvertently given Professor Snape a weapon against her, should he choose to make a spectacle out of her in one of his classes. She could only hope that the headmaster's desire to draw only a modest amount of attention to her also meant that he would not try it. She also considered that he would risk something of himself, too, given what she could say about him, and therefore he would think it too dangerous to try.

Tom and Alice brought Livia to King's Cross in good time to make her train. It seemed that they expected to accompany her to her platform. Fortunately, Livia ensured they came in good time to run into Shelley Silver and her family. Livia had lightened her luggage but did not want it to seem somehow lacking so she only shrunk a few items to keep them well protected in things like socks or other garments that Alice as well as Shelley and her mother had helped her buy. Shelley had a trolley to ensure Brontë would safely negotiate the station, and Livia carefully fit her things on it as she greeted the owl and promised her better days ahead. Fortunately, the Silvers took charge of seeing them off and Livia was able, with some apparent help from errands both Tom and Alice had that day, to say goodbye to them before taking the elevator downstairs and getting onto the platform set aside for the Hogwarts students.

Soon, both girls had unloaded their things on the train and greeted other students they recognized as they did so. Waving goodbye to the Silvers and the rest of the onlookers, Livia settled into her seat with Shelley, Athena, Selene and Ted, along with their third year Quidditch-playing roommates, Don, Terence and Barry. Livia tried to ensure that she did not look for the Weasley family, but a family of redheads simply stood out, nonetheless. It also seemed that yet another son, later learning his name to be Percy, had joined his brothers Charlie and Bill, in boarding the train. Though in the same year with Charlie, Livia knew only a little about him. Then she remembered that he asked her that one day about her ability to speak to animals. She thought about if she should try to be friendlier with him to find out more about Bill, but rejected the notion as a lost cause. It could create an opportunity for someone to humiliate her rather than a chance to actually learn anything remotely useful. Livia opted to relax and let whatever happen just proceed without trying to force anything. The train already had left the station and Livia just stared out the window trying to ponder at least some of what would unfold that year.

* Author's Note

This production of Phantom of the Opera, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, became an international sensation.

"With of Without You" appears on the 1987 album _The Joshua Tree_ by the band U2. Lyrics for all songs derive from lead vocalist Bono.

The compilation album _Legend_ by Bob Marley and the Wailers first appeared in 1984. "Get Up, Stand Up" was penned by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

Adam Yauch, member of the group Beastie Boys, wrote "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)" with friend Tom Cushman for the 1986 Beastie Boys's album _Licensed to Ill_.


	13. Did Livia Give Up Too Soon?

Livia's travel to Hogwarts went well, having plenty to discuss with everyone in her compartment. Ted, though, narrated most of Audrey and Jake's wedding, though it seemed centered mostly on food. Livia merely added that these two had lived with her brother during his university days, and she had sought Ted's company to ensure her brother did not have to worry about her – or if anyone attending had taken excessive interest in her. He did say a lot more about the places they saw in London, admitting he had never travelled much in the city, so he appreciated having a comfortable situation as well as a tour guide. Livia made sure she found Reggie to tell him she had bought a Bob Marley album and, should the Music Club attempt another dance, she would propose that Shelley get a song of his on the playlist. She also found one other item but she thought it would either be thought of as daring or funny, so she would ask Professor Flitwick what he thought of it. Fortunately, for Livia, she did not have to test herself regarding any encounter with anyone named Weasley. It would happen in its own time. Shelley had tried to ask her about that, but Livia outwardly showed no concern. Shelley left it at that.

The group buzzed over what topics appeared most challenging, though it seemed to go without saying who the most vexing professor would be. Livia just reminded Shelley to write down questions for her to answer after class. _I cannot get on Professor Snape's bad side again this year because I believe he might have found something he can exploit if he chooses._ Shelley gasped and wondered what it possibly could be. _It is up to me to protect myself and usually I can. I believe he has figured out how I make money off his students and may do something about it._ Livia gave a somewhat plausible story, if one geared to get Shelley to not try to engage her during his class. Given some of the advanced things Livia could do, like conjuring a full Patronus, none of the topics they mentioned seemed terribly difficult. Dueling – particularly balancing her self-protection with the need to attack another – occupied more of her thoughts. She knew Professor Flitwick would again want to spend more time with her on this, but she did not think she could explain to him these two issues, though the concept of a "killer instinct" had begun to sink in more than it did when they started the prior year. She also thought of a plan should she inadvertently fall afoul of Professor Snape again, though one sure to send her to detention, at the very least – perfect mimicking HIS voice. She had boasted once that she could do it more as a phony story to justify her assertion about him, but she didn't have it down totally. She would have to find time alone to practice, probably in the room Helena Ravenclaw sometimes occupied. If he knew her voice, perhaps she could recognize his, when Livia got it down correctly.

Once again, the returning students had their luggage taken to their houses – or specific rooms if already determined. Since no one from her group of eight Ravenclaw students had sought to make a change, they got the same room again. Doing this had made other issues more convenient to address. They were led into the Great Hall again before the new students, with Livia getting her first real look at Bill Weasley in weeks. He looked the same, if not even better. She dampened down her response and merely smiled and nodded at him, which he returned. He was always polite, polished and she knew also a good person, above all. She decided whoever he ended up with would be most fortunate for so many reasons. She forced herself to accept that he would choose someone other than her. She still felt he possessed no particular urgency in finding a significant relationship, perhaps owing to the luxury of being confident and popular. He took pride in everything he did and wanted to set a good example for his siblings, even if some might care more about his prefect status than his Muggle Music Club participation.

Livia, Selene and Athena had just started to discuss something about her cat animagus issue in Transfigurations when Professor McGonagall, as if on cue, entered the room leading the new students. Livia asked the group about the new Weasley boy. Ted knew his name was Percy and told the group that Hogwarts would see more Weasley children before they left school.

"How many are there all together?" Shelley asked.

"I think seven total," Ted said. "It seems Mrs. Weasley persistently kept having children until she finally had a girl," he said. "But the girl is way too young for any of us to know her whilst still a student. She is the youngest."

"How do you know all this?" Athena asked.

"Either Bill or Charlie told me – maybe both," Ted replied.

"I thought you knew them but did not know for sure if or how well you knew Bill Weasley," Livia stated.

"Who doesn't know him?" Ted posed. "You know him, Shelley knows him, you know him, Athena, don't you – and none of you actively befriend lots of students."

"Well, I don't know him," Selene stated softy. "Does that count?"

"Sorry, Selene," Ted replied. "Of course, you count. Indeed, all of you girls should make yourselves a bit better known, especially Livia and Selene. Boys who don't know of you truly don't realize what they miss. Being a student here does not mean you must keep quiet all the time. I know us Ravenclaws can't help it, but there is more to being here than studying."

Livia simply thought: _How do I balance that with what the headmaster wants?_ Besides, Livia tried to take great care in class to ignore the cacophony of other student responses. Keeping quiet tended to help with her composure and her ability to learn. She remembered what the palm reader said about using her heart and thought how difficult a task that posed when so many conflicting emotions swirled about her. She did not typically have to touch anyone to feel these, owing to their utter transparency. Of course, nobody was like Professor Snape and, unless she was fully in control, she better ensure she did not touch him again – ever. She paid for that error, though she wondered what it had cost him or if it had benefited him in the slightest.

The announcements included yet another introduction of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor August Wicklewood. Professor Seward had to leave the country on a family emergency and became too ill himself to return. The sorting hat ceremony then commenced and the first banquet for everyone held. It had become a family routine for Livia from which she had detached herself mostly. Other than the idle curiosity of a new Weasley brother, the sorting did hold too much significance. She could applaud and welcome the new members of Ravenclaw and expressed friendliness towards them, but the ceremony no longer held personal importance for her – at least then. She wondered if the day would come when it held any interest. _Maybe, just maybe._ She did not try to think about the how or the when, beyond the idea that if she formally became a Ravenclaw tutor, she would care who she might need to help. She still had no idea that the headmaster thought that she should aim higher than that – a lot higher.

Once again, Professor Flitwick accompanied his student leaders in showing his new students around. On occasion, some veterans accompanied them if they had family with the new group. Phoebe Allens actually had a sister very close in age and appearance, Starling (often just called "Birdie"), so she ensured her sister met Livia, telling her that no one in Ravenclaw knew more about writing a good paper than her. Professor Flitwick agreed, telling Birdie that Livia had tutored many students the previous year and, if she needed help, he knew of no better resource. Livia smiled slightly and bowed her head. She let Professor Flitwick describe everything else in the house and awaited receiving her schedule with the rest of those in her room. Again, Livia's and Shelley's schedules matched, with Shelley just having a different course when Livia practiced dueling.

The three Quidditch players there tried to get the rest to promise to attend their games, especially if they could pull off Livia's idea for a play to quickly end a match. Livia said she would go if the others did, because she did not know if she understood the game well enough to be a good fan. Don found that hard to believe, given what she had diagrammed on a napkin the previous year. Ted told Don that Livia often underestimated herself, but it was possible she did not fully appreciate the sport. She worked on rectifying that, though never felt comfortable enough to explain the game fully to students less exposed to it than she was.

Even as tasks asked of fourth-year year students seemed to grow in difficulty, Livia never complained and rarely faltered – mostly because her skills at mimicry had taught her to listen carefully, her discipline retained directions and her sensitivity for nuance made her far from robotic in her executions. By level four, in class she had become the ideal student. No one even dared to say a bad word about her and, as such, even her instructors had few reasons to call attention to her beyond a version of the Talking Heads's line "same as it ever was"* (despite the fact that only Professor Flitwick could even say he had ever heard that song). Professor Snape had nothing to say himself, except he asked Professor Flitwick occasionally how her dueling skills had advanced.

"It goes slowly, but she does make progress," he revealed. "I think she finally understands that she may need to do this for real and has to find that 'killer instinct' should someone's life, such as her brother's, depend on her. She has a better relationship with her wand, too."

"You would think that young man walked on water," Professor Snape mused. "Albus, you met him – can you explain to me why a very talented witch feels so attached to a simple muggle?"

"Severus," the headmaster began, "he saved her life when she was a baby and several times since. He championed her like no one else. She thinks every ounce of kindness she has ever received directly traces back to him. If he had not gotten her out that place she was at, I would have had great difficulty doing it without it seeming like I had kidnapped her. Love and gratitude should explain it sufficiently. Do I really need to explain that further to you?"

"No," he answered. "That'll do."

"I think her dueling dilemma relates to something idiosyncratic to herself," Professor Flitwick added. "She has to simultaneously anticipate yet not tip off her own aggressive actions. I think this is why I find her so highly skilled at self-defense but less so in launching her own attacks. She knows what to say or do but to lash out somehow lowers her ability to defend herself."

"There is an emotive element to this, I think," the headmaster agreed. 'Multi-tasking like this does not come easily to her, not like understanding other people whilst being entirely passive. She has to add the aggression to any unfathomability to become as formidable as possible. If she can do it well, I cannot see any one witch or wizard who could defeat her. But dark forces do not play fair, as we know, and multiple attackers could take down many of us, even if we can whittle down the odds by dispatching a few."

"I will keep working on this," Professor Flitwick stated. "At some point, I think she will make a breakthrough, but I have not identified what turning that corner will take."

"I think I can, if the new D.A.D.A. instructor does not mind," Professor Snape said. The new instructor, Professor Wicklewood, did not object, since he had found her somewhat mysterious yet a very able student. "I think she has innate skills in both Legilimency and Occlumency, which started before she got her first wand, but, not being formally trained in either, she has not figured out how to do both simultaneously. This hinders her, particularly in dueling."

This idea drew a few shocked faces, but for the headmaster and Professor Flitwick it felt like a big "a-ha" moment. "Of course," Professor Dumbledore acknowledged. "This makes perfect sense. Why did I not see it?"

"Because no one would expect that an untrained, young witch would begin to develop such skills without a wand that we would recognize by those terms," Professor Snape said. "Mind you, doing such things against muggles must have seemed incredibly easy to her, but it also became necessary for her. And, yes, we all know what this means –"

"I think that would make her the most talented witch ever sorted into my house, frankly," Professor Flitwick acknowledged. "Some may find this bizarre, but the headmaster told me why you, Severus, might know some things about her that I don't, based on that incident during her first year. We are all here to help all of our students, though we easily forget that over the House Cup. However unusual this may appear to some of you, I am not offended, and in fact am grateful to you, Severus, for making me understand her challenges better – and how sophisticated they are. I have not forgotten what you said either, Albus, and I think this observation gives me better insight into what happens when I try to engage her. I see why, Albus, you insist so strenuously on her improvement, since everything else we ask of her seems almost easy to her."

"Yes," the headmaster agreed. "Filius, if you find this too troublesome an obstacle, let me know how I can help, or if I need to take over this task."

"I am not giving up," Professor Flitwick said. "You teaching her might draw too much attention to her. I feel I know what to ask her and gauge what she tells me, since she has never given me a clue regarding how advanced she has become with some things."

"She probably lacks the vocabulary to discuss it. In any case, we must protect her as long as she has issues with dueling," the headmaster stated.

"Won't we need her, though, if we are to defeat who we know will come back?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Maybe we will, but I hope not," the headmaster admitted. That answer puzzled some.

More immediately pressing academic issues then came to the forefront, especially reviewing the status of the new students. Everyone felt good about how the year had progressed so far, and the adjourned for the evening. Professor Dumbledore made sure to get a private word in with Professor Flitwick because he still had Livia Woodcock on his mind.

"If you want me to observe your work with Miss Woodcock or anything else, let me know, Filius," he offered. "We can keep this amongst ourselves."

"Can we?" Professor Flitwick asked. "I think at times Severus knows her better than I do."

"Well, he might be interested because her father was a Slytherin and most likely Severus met whomever he is. She also remains an enigma to Severus, despite what he saw, and I doubt he has ever said that about a student. I think she is rather straightforward, if highly nuanced and gifted. He cannot intimidate her, and she has shown herself able to even stand up to him, though I have curbed her from doing so overtly. In any case, I think she drives him up a wall, and he would have preferred she had allowed herself to be sorted into Slytherin, instead. In his mind, perhaps she might be an incorrectly-sorted Slytherin."

"There is no way she would be appropriately sorted into Slytherin," Professor Flitwick observed. "She is way too smart, fearless, kind, humble and academically motivated."

"I agree," he asserted. "But there is more to her than that. She has a feisty and determined side. She has shown she can be sarcastic and sly, too. If the hat had a do-over, I have no idea where she would go. If it were up to the heads of houses, I think all of you would want her, even if most of the school could not guess as to why. The hat might choose Gryffindor by default with another chance just over her initial lack of a boggart. She chose Ravenclaw herself, essentially."

"And I am delighted that she did," he proudly stated.

As the two said good night, Livia and the other students had adjourned from their evening meal and began their preparations for the day. Livia had more Ravenclaw students than ever seek her out, either to help form a paper or to read over what they had written. Fortunately, Livia could read rather quickly (though not from the technique that muggles would call speed reading) and the assignments all remained quite familiar to her. Typically, she asked questions of the students lost on an assignment and helped them find their own point of view, rather than tell them anything. If they strayed too far from understanding a subject, she usually found a question that made a student re-think a position and to get them to refocus an assignment. Beyond that, she got them to think about the structure of what they wrote, as if their mind already knew where the paper should go before they wrote a word down. She often got them to mark up a book, an assignment or a draft to underscore its elements and use this as the basis for improvement. Even the most predictable paper that did everything asked acceptably well would receive a better grade than a flashy paper of random insights. She conveyed what the instructors looked to credit, as if she wrote the assignments herself or at least had internalized their criteria for what they wanted or did not want. For a full paper, she often would point out small errors, if she saw any, or if they had left something out. Never did she send a student away with no feedback regarding improvement. When one student, Ryan Matthews, thought better of his paper than she did, he smugly questioned if her standards exceeded those of a certain professor with that reputation. She told him simply, "Do you want me to say nothing and you turn in a substandard effort, or do you want me to make what you wrote better? If you want the latter, put your ego aside and listen to me." He then outright suggested she was a fraud who knew nothing because she was just a silly girl.

She figured that student might not ask again, but he would learn that 1) she was right, and 2) trying to annoy her did him no favors. Indeed, he asked male roommates to read his future papers, though if forced to admit it, he would say he knew what she said was correct. For the first time, she realized the whole episode had roots in the fact that he refused to believe that a girl could rightly have earned the praise of the head of house or her classmates. He wanted to impress her or prove his superiority, not have her find fault with his work. She gained an insight that helped her deal with her voluntary modesty better: if she had drawn more attention to her abilities, at least some boys would reject a female they could not outshine. Muggle boys had this weakness, and she discovered that any open acknowledgement of her talents would not prove to be much better in terms of having any boy like her than if she were nobody. The few times young men did notice her, being "different" in any way turned them off. Being extraordinary or being overlooked carried the exact same penalty. Ordinary and decorative usually beat either. Only if she possessed stunning beauty could she transcend this, and she would not flatter herself. She may not have been at all ugly, but her looks could not entirely carry her to stand out in general, let alone attract someone popular and handsome. The egotistical, second-year Ravenclaw boy brought this point home to her. She needed to do something to shake off this unwelcomed self-awareness.

She withdrew to the room that Helena Ravenclaw often occupied. She told Helena what had happened and the unhappy conclusion she drew from it. Helena did not find the concept terribly surprising from a historical point of view, though she thought the wizarding world had become more tolerant towards not observing strict gender roles than the muggle world. Yet the wizarding world was not free of biases of various kinds, either, be they about blood purity or the differences between girls and boys. Helena knew all about the Winter Ball and the sense that the boy still had to be the assertive one, the leader, whilst the girl was the more pliable follower. This conformed to longstanding expectations of how girls and boys behaved. After watching this for so long, and given she died because a man disapproved of her behavior, Helena had little sympathy or patience for such traditions. She had sought in vain to distinguish herself, showing her own kind of rebellion against her mother, though it did not end well. But if an alternative had presented itself in playing a secondary role to a man, she refused, regardless of the consequences. She admitted that she did not ever become immune to the charms of young men, but over her long time there, she rethought the wisdom of this weakness. She did not view Livia as being terribly unfortunate, because any young man who did not really see her probably did not deserve her.

Helena inquired if that issue prompted her visit. Livia said, "Not entirely." Livia explained how she had somewhat pranked Professor Snape last year by mimicking her voice, and he had recognized it. Helena wanted to hear it. So Livia said a few random things in her voice. Helena said she was impressed. Livia apologized if she felt violated, but Helena did not mind, given the lack of intent to harm her. Livia wanted to do another voice, though. First, she asked if Helena could recognize Professor Snape's voice. She said she had been around the school long enough to know it. Livia did not want a living soul to tell him that she planned to perfect his voice, so she wanted Helena's feedback on it before she tried using it. So she tried and Helena thought it not bad but gave her tips on how to use vowels, how to pause in between words and how to stiffen her jaw more as she spoke. Livia attempted all of these and the vocal quality of her imitation improved. Helena asserted Livia still had a little work to do and that she should come back another day, after mulling over these things, and do it again. Livia visited several times that semester and each time the voice got better until Helena pronounced it indistinguishable from the person she mimicked.

For the time being, Livia returned to the common room, finished her work and turned in for the night. Shelley had noticed that she had spent some time where no one knew of her location. Livia told her she went to visit Helena Ravenclaw to shake off an annoyance caused that night by a younger Ravenclaw student.

"Whatever did he do?" Shelley asked. The rest of those in the room intently listened because they so rarely saw Livia upset by anything.

"The twerp asked me to read his paper, and when I told him how I thought he could improve it, he rejected my advice," she fumed. "It seems to me he wanted me to tell him how great a writer he was, as if he never needed to improve. I still try to improve every day, but he thought he could show off to me, because a mere girl cannot possibly know anything more about this or be better than him. Muggles can do this, too. This was the first time here I had to directly deal with someone who questioned me because I am a female. He should tell Professor Snape to push that button because I will go ballistic to be considered less talented or capable just because I'm a girl."

Ted and the other boys looked at each other. They had never challenged her. They knew better and, besides, no one took her freely-offered help lightly. As Ravenclaw students on the same level, they were all smart enough to appreciate her abilities and willingness to share her insights.

"Who was this idiot?" Ted asked. "I would smack him good, though Professor Flitwick would probably dislike that in a big way."

"I think his name is Ryan Matthews."

"Let US have a little chat with him," Terence declared, pointing at Don and Barry. "He surely will not bother you again, but I think he needs to get over himself. Snot-nosed git."

"Yeah, if he's so great let us get him to try out for our team," Don offered, looking at the other two players. "We will definitely take him down a few pegs – and since we have a few girls on the team already, we will tell them what we want to do and they will totally enjoy this."

"We got your back, Livia," Barry added. "Our entire Quidditch team will, too. If he thinks he is so great as to think he can exceed any of our female players, we will set him straight. Not all boys here are so smug and stupid."

"I know," Livia acknowledged. "I am grateful. I was rather shocked that some student two years behind me would alienate someone who could help him because it wounded his ego."

"That sort of malarkey belongs in Slytherin," Shelley said.

"I wish it were that simple," Livia stated. "It seems to me Professor Snape is an equal opportunity insulter of all non-Slytherins. Should I do anything else about this?"

"Nah," Don replied. "We got this. Sometimes students need to deal with their own. When I tell the team captain, he will inform the prefects. No need to involve Professor Flitwick. Let the boy go whine to him, if he dares. If the prefects think we have a good cause, they will shut him down for insulting an upper class student trying to tutor him. I doubt Professor Flitwick will have much sympathy if we tell him who he pulled that on. We all know he likes you." True to their word, by the end of the that week they had dished out their discipline on the slight Ryan Matthews and made it clear they would not tolerate a second year boy insulting an upper level student for any reason. The audacity of him doing it over someone trying to improve his work simply would not stand. He licked his wounds quietly, and Professor Flitwick never knew anything about it. New prefect Rhonda Wayne, who had once played Quidditch, considered opposing the move, but Don Stevens, who she liked, was way too popular and, moreover, she did not really like Ryan Matthews herself. So she did nothing.

The other activity of the week went fairly routine, with the faculty laying out the materials they expected and what students should aim to accomplish. Livia had finally convinced Shelley to sit even further back than she had preferred the previous year in Professor Snape's class. He considered saying something about it but decided against it, as both girls were quiet and attentive. He found better targets for various things. Livia passively observed but seemed to say nothing verbally or non-verbally. He would file it away, in case he found an opportunity to refer to it later.

Livia looked forward to the first extracurricular meeting of the Muggle Music Club, led by Professor Flitwick. He first led off congratulating the members there who contributed to last year's dance. The event had gone well from every perspective. He also introduced the new members, a few third year students and a few from Professor Quirrell's class who attended the party and decided to check out the group. He then turned to Bill Weasley and asked him if he wanted to address the group.

Bill thanked everyone who had made the event successful. Though he thought he might not have time to remain with the group past the current year, he said he was more than willing to lead the group again, should it decide it wanted to try to repeat what they had done last spring. He asked if any returning member had thoughts about improving what they had done.

Livia Woodcock signaled that she had some thoughts and Bill immediately recognized her and informed the new members that, as his assistant, Livia had done remarkable work in overseeing the event and ensuring its success. She had made his position easy. Thanking him, Livia told the group that she had a few things in mind: first, she suggested alternating turntables so that whoever had one song playing would have another ready to go with very little time in between songs, though this would complicate the logistics a little. Second, an artist had been suggested to her by a Hufflepuff student, to offer additional variety, and she had found a record including a song that would make a good addition to a new playlist. Finally, she had heard a new form of music that involved more speaking than singing and she thought one song particularly hilarious, but it may or may not be seen as suitable by Professor Flitwick. She had each album in her possession and could play them for him or the group, whichever seemed the most appropriate place to start, if they all agreed to go ahead with another event.

The 12 new members largely had joined because the event had spurred on their interest; they were ready to help. The returning members had no qualm about doing it again, since they had learned mostly everything they needed to do to pull it off. Shelley Silver definitely wanted to add a second turntable and expressed great curiosity in hearing whatever Livia had found. Professor Flitwick decided, since the group wanted to repeat the event, he would ask them again to divide into the committees that Bill Weasley had suggested the previous year: playlist; room ambiance and provisions; sound logistics and DJ setup; and event promotion. He again reserved Livia to once again be his assistant. "I could not pull this off without her as my second-in-command."

Each group had seven members as the group had grown to 30 total members. With that decided, Bill asked if Professor Flitwick could produce a record player and Livia could produce the records. Each did as asked, though in Livia's case they had still been undersized. She restored them to their full size in front of everyone. "These albums are a little fragile so shrinking and packing them carefully ensured that they arrived safely. First Livia put on the Bob Marley song she chose from _Legend_ , based on the suggestion of including his genre, which muggles called reggae. She told them the song, "Get Up, Stand Up," simply made a plea for average people to seek basic rights from rulers who tended to crush their ability to live as they wished. The group though the sound had a great tempo and would offer a nice change of pace to other things they had played before and may or may not use again.

Livia prepared the group for the next idea that she had, which could be controversial. It was a protest song, if rather wryly expressed, by a group called the Beastie Boys, an American group representing an emerging new genre, becoming known as rap. "I think the only reference Professor Flitwick may object to is that to a 'porno mag.' But it might go right past some people who don't fully listen or understand."

"Excuse me, Miss Woodcock, but what is a porno mag?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Any boys here rather answer that?" Livia inquired, slightly blushing. No one volunteered. "Am I the only one who knows?" She paused. "I suspect a little reticence. Fine. A porno mag, is a shortened term for pornographic magazine. These would include pictures of naked women in various poses for a variety of men to, um, enjoy. They vary in terms of crudeness. One muggle national newspaper around here features a topless female every day, which makes the market for such magazines in this country not the same as it is in America, which has much stricter public attitudes regarding nudity – private notions not necessarily being the same. Muggles in this area care much more about violence than either nudity or profanity. Other countries have different standards in what is taboo or not – as well as when, in terms of the age legally one can do something. For example, muggles in this part of the world can consume alcohol a lot earlier – often 16 – than in United States of America, where muggles now cannot purchase or consumer alcohol until age 21. Yet for driving a car, the age issue is somewhat different – for Americans you can get a driver's license at 17, but there are more categories and restrictions in this area. Many muggles around here do not drive whilst in America it is often a rite of passage."

"Since this line in the song will not be widely understood and I agree the record is rather fun in its own way, I am inclined to let it go – but I would ask all of you to back me up if anyone inquires. Just say I had no idea what the lyric said, and that you mistook it for something else."

No one objected. It was a kind of statement song that could make the crowd very festive. Bill Weasley enjoyed it more than he cared to say. Livia suspected he knew what a porno mag was, but he dared not admit it. Shelley Silver again would chair the playlist committee, and he asked what she and that group thought about playing it first or last. Shelley thought last was safer, and everyone seemed to agree.

"We should have a different first song, though – any ideas?" Bill asked.

"I have a couple of ideas," Livia offered to the pondering group. "I got a compilation tape from my brother's friend and there are a few good potential dance track on it." Livia retrieved the tape and her player and amplified the headphones so they could hear "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys, then she moved the tape to play "What You Need" by INXS, though she mentioned she would play another song of theirs for Shelley that she could not play there, called "I Need You Tonight." Both that she did play really seemed to blow some of the club members away. A few wanted clarification about the instruments used or various lyrics, points Livia knew everything about because these tapes were her lifeline, a continuation of the habits she developed at Colindale when Tom sent her a radio and cassettes.

"Blimey, these are both great," Bill said. "I'd include both, but where I'll leave to your group, Shelley."

Bill took Livia aside. "Your musical knowledge is amazing. You tap into everything this group should promote. Yet I understand you may be either a half-blood or a pureblood witch. The combination should make people take more notice, but unfortunately some will never listen."

"I am just glad there are people like you here who can be open to this. Your whole family seems remarkably open-minded, from what I know. Frankly, I don't know where I would be if my brother had never mailed me a radio and cassettes to where I was sent at about 11 years old."

"Do you mind if I asked what happened?" he queried. Livia could not remember him ever asking anything about her. "I don't recall you telling me about anything other than Live Aid."

"No," Livia replied. "I don't mind your question, but it is not a pleasant tale. The shortest I can make this is that my adopted sister hated me for the longest time and bullied me horribly for years. When a prestigious local college in Framlingham admitted me to start at age 11, which would have meant attending with her brother, she decided to ensure that this did not happen. She made up a story of me deliberately trying to hurt her, despite the fact she had done far worse to me. She essentially blackmailed her sister to support her story and intimidated other children not to contradict her. A court determined we had to be separated and, given my unknown parentage, they believed her and sent me to a prison for juvenile females, essentially, where I endured physical and verbal assaults by three girls in particular. My brother pursued legal custody, graduated early and established an independent residence in Durham so he could get me out of that kiddie jail. The Live Aid concert took place less than a week after he got me out."

"That is some story," he evaluated, stunned. "Where were the parents?"

"My alleged mother favored the girl who bullied me so she willingly believed the made-up story. She only cared that her daughters never got caught doing anything that made the father, a minister, look bad. The father basically felt outnumbered and useless but quietly helped my brother put up a defense on my behalf. Several families even applied for custody, but the two older male judges denied them. The female judge thought this was not a judicial matter and did not believe my supposed sister. The others out-voted her, and they sent me away."

"That's rather horrid," he concluded. "I'm sorry."

"Well, thank you, but she needs to apologize, not you. Still, that episode explains why I trust my own views of people, even when neither obvious nor popular. I do not judge books by their covers, and I do not accept what to others seems obvious until I verify something myself."

Bill nodded. Livia thought it strange that he asked her much of anything, but she took it in a straightforward manner, which she would have found very difficult to do the year before. She no longer entertained any notion that a conversation constituted more than a friendly inquiry, even though Shelley Silver asked her about it at dinner with great interest.

"What were you talking about so long with Bill Weasley?" she asked. "It looked like he was very interested."

"In the story, perhaps," Livia answered. "I accept who I am and who I am not."

"Wait, you were totally engaged with Bill Weasley, and that's all you can say?" Ted inquired. "What girl would not hex a slew of other girls to get that chance?"

"I know!" Shelley asserted emphatically. Athena and even Selene nodded.

"I am simply his assistant, and I'll be lucky if he even remembers who I am by the time he leaves this place," Livia stated.

"Did you ever consider you're giving up and that's a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Ted posed.

"No, I consider it reality," Livia responded. She said to Shelley. _Don't say anything. I had to work through this on my own. Nothing has changed except that I no longer brood over the point. It is what it is – nothing more._

The faculty met again and, among the topics covered, Professor Flitwick renewed the plan of his club to put on another dance at the end of spring term, given the credible work done by the participants last year. Indeed, he added, some new members joined, based on that event.

"Who is organizing it?" the headmaster asked.

"Bill Weasley has accepted the task again, though he may have to rely more on the rest of the group, since his more intense studies may make him less active a participant. It is therefore good that many of those who organized it last time will know exactly what to do this time, with perhaps a few tweaks here and there."

"So long as his advanced studies do not suffer, I do not object," Professor McGonagall said. "Many of my house members did enjoy it, as Mr. Weasley promised them."

Since the project already had gone through once, no one could find a reason to revisit the issue of approval. Professor Snape had nothing to say. A few, like Professor Quirrell, asked about supervision, to which Professor Flitwick left entirely up to them. "I can handle the event myself. The students acted very responsibly, but I invite you all to come, as with last year, if you want."

The headmaster specifically asked about Livia Woodcock's dueling lessons.

"She still exceeds all expectations regarding self-defense," Professor Flitwick answered. "That will forever be her strongest ability. There is little she cannot block. She has shown more aggressiveness, but for a brief moment when she strikes, she becomes vulnerable, though much less so if she wordlessly does anything. If she is assertive enough, this may not matter hugely. The time it takes her to switch between using her form of Legilimency and Occlumency has shortened, but I get the sense alternating is like a switch rather than a dial that modulates what level of each she needs when, so she does not leave herself exposed for even a split-second."

"I do not know if anyone can do both simultaneously – Severus?" the headmaster asked. "You probably know more about this than any of us."

"Extremely difficult," he answered. "I cannot say I have mastered this consistently myself. There are exercises that help with it."

"Still, she makes progress, Filius," the headmaster observed. "Keep going."

Livia had become beyond reproach in any of her classes. She did not require any tips, even, from Professor Snape, had he opted to send any to her. Some of the potions she had either done for him already, or they possessed enough similarity to things she had done that she had taken complete control. She also had mastered making silent gestures to Shelley that few other than he ever saw. The most he did fall term was slightly nod at her. He interacted with her more on paper when grading her assignments, drawing out inferences or more sophisticated ways of interpreting and applying what she wrote. He wrote more on her papers than anyone else's – perhaps because it gave him a safe way of letting her know how distinguished her work had become and could go. He would not say so to anyone other than the headmaster, and he would never say anything about her work during class. Shelley thought he slighted her by not acknowledging her brilliance. Livia seemed not to care about it, since what he wrote more than made up for what he would not say.

Moreover, Livia maintained tight control over herself, whether it involved introducing Brontë to Sydney, Mel and Sevy, to having her first Sony Discman, thanks to her brother, to substitute for her Walkman. Given her old tapes, however, she did not discard it, but as she received newer items, like the new INXS record _Kick_ , she would bring both out at times, just alternating which she held. Professor Snape oddly got used to her weekly performances as background music for his work, though he kept that to himself. Ultimately, she had Professors Flitwick and Quirrell examine the new device and format and Professor Flitwick enjoyed the sound quality greatly. She also continued her secret practice in perfecting Professor Snape's voice, though found herself disappointed that she had not discovered an opportunity to use it on him. When Helena Ravenclaw pronounced it superb, Livia felt greatly satisfied, which took the sting out of yet another lack of a Winter Ball date better than she might have hoped. She sure was not inclined to ask anyone, though Shelley insisted she buy a nice dress for herself this time, versus the usual clothes she theretofore wore. Livia could not see the point. Don had asked Athena and Ted asked Selene, who he saw as the least likely to get asked. Shelley would go with another member of her committee, and the rest she knew had their own relationships. Livia alone had nothing to do beyond her "side business," lucrative as it had become.

So whilst others would have deemed her status as sad, among other things, Livia, plowed ahead, with her beautiful shimmering golden and blue, cap sleeved flowing, mostly velvet gown with a blue velvet drawstring pouch that served as a pocketbook – or in Livia's case, the place to keep her winnings. Her ample flowing hair had been pinned up and held up by several blue moon phlox pinned to the intricate upswept braiding, which Shelley and Athena and Selene insisted on giving her. If she was not going with a date, every boy there would wish that he had asked her. Every girl gave her special blessings and Athena lent her a gold linked choker centered by a beautiful square bright blue sapphire. Livia kindly appreciated the fuss they had all made over her as a kind of consolation to the dread each had of being in her shoes. They knew she had a way of dealing with the evening without needing to cry into her pillow, but each imagined that they would have done exactly that had they faced going there alone. Ted and the other roommates who saw her at her desk getting her hair pinned up by the other girls marveled at the transformation they saw. Each felt their own sense of shame that they had not found someone to accompany her.

Livia meekly entered the back of the hall where various people uninvolved in the dance witnessed it firsthand. This had been the only way students ineligible could see it. Sometimes, curious staff watched from the same area. Again, Livia started scanning the crowd and started making predictions and started taking bets on who would leave in tears, who quarreled with whom or anything else she felt confident predicting. Everything proceeded as it usually did. Livia put coin after coin in her bag and the double-or-nothing wages piled up. Livia could not quite identify one couple she anticipated for a great row on the floor but nonetheless saw it coming. The girl would become angry with something the boy casually said, and she would run away, with him only slowly following her out halfheartedly to see if he could find her.

"I was warned about you, but that will _never_ happen!" one student shouted. "That's my brother, and she arranged for him to get that formal attire. She has devoted herself to him." Everyone else piled on betting against her. Slowly, Livia and turned to see who had spoken. It was Percy Weasley. Livia turned back to make out for sure. Yes, she had picked out Bill Weasley.

"I did not realize it was him, but I am sticking to my prediction," Livia asserted.

About a minute later, Bill and his date stopped dancing. They were talking and she started gesticulating wildly and, indeed, just as Livia said, ran out of the room, with Bill slowly and deliberately walking behind her, as if wondering what to say if he had found her.

"Guess who was right, Percy?" Livia teased. "Pay up, the lot of you." As each paid off their wager, Percy remained dumbfounded by what he had seen.

"No one – no one has _ever_ done that to him," Percy haltingly sputtered. "I do not know how you do this, but I learned my lesson." It was easy, but she would not tell him that she could figure out overwrought teens, even budding witches or wizards, like reading a Dr. Seuss book.

Still, making money off Bill Weasley's embarrassing episode, made her very concerned about him. She left the area – to the dismay of a few Slytherins who wanted a way to get their money back, as if possible – and went into the hallway to find him. He was sitting on a step of a stairway close to the Great Hall.

"Bill, I am so sorry," Livia offered. "Why did that happen?"

"Oh, you saw, too," he began, "My date thought our relationship had become far more serious than I did. I said something about possibly going to Egypt when I graduated, and she realized I meant going alone, since I had not asked her anything about it."

"I see," Livia acknowledged. "I am sorry to say that I had made a prediction about what would happen before I knew I had seen you. In fact, the first person to wager against me was your brother, Percy, who thought I had made a big mistake. Should I give you his money?"

"Nah, keep it," he replied. "He had to learn. You must have made a small fortune."

"No one believed me, even those who should have known better, so yes, I did. Sorry. Believe me, I did not do anything to make that happen."

"I know you didn't," he answered. "Frankly, I honestly did not look for her too quickly because I did not expect that I would last much longer with her. She's too possessive and not terribly talented. I started getting bored more quickly than I usually do."

"I guess I understand," Livia responded. "Not from firsthand experience, mind you."

Just then he looked at Livia closely and took in all the care Shelley, Athena and Selene had taken in making her look great.

"You look amazing," he stated. "Who are you here with?"

"Nobody," Livia admitted. "My roommates Shelley, Athena and Selene wanted me to look reasonably nice for no reason I can fathom. They knew I would spend the whole night taking money off of over-confident Slytherins who never got told to not bet against me. You or your brother Charlie must have warned Percy, but he could not believe your date would leave you."

"Yes," he answered. "And Percy knew that Emilia had arranged for my attire and fussed over me a great deal. Based on that, he would not have believed you. But here I am. Still, I can't believe they put all that attention into your appearance for you to throw it away. What did they think they would accomplish by doing it?"

"I think they made themselves feel better because they realized any of them could have been me tonight," Livia responded. "But what choice did I have? It's not like some random female is going to land a date for this function by asking. They rationalized it by asserting that if I looked nice, they would make someone wish he had asked me instead of whomever he brought."

"They did very well," Bill observed. "So, we can continue to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves, or we can go back inside and enjoy the rest of the ball. Which do you choose?"

"You're asking me?" Livia queried, rather surprised.

"Of course," Bill said. "Emilia can go fly a kite. That I will dance with someone else in an outfit she got me will serve her right for setting herself up and walking out."

Bill stood up and extended the crook of his arm for Livia to grasp. She took it and stood up and both returned to the Great Hall together. Livia emptied her bag of all the money she had gained and transported it back to her room, beneath her pillow, where she would find it later. The rest of the night she merrily, without a trace of dread or aspiration for anything more, spent dancing with Bill. The fact that she no longer tortured herself about him made the event far more pleasant. She also noticed that she had attracted the attention of practically the entire school, something that only had happened that first year, when she sparred with Professor Snape. For once, she got to see how dancing with a hugely popular male student affected the responses of other people to her. At least some of the faculty noticed how she had blossomed and seemed so radiant dancing with the handsome and admired Gryffindor prefect. Livia also noted that Shelley, Athena and Selene had seen this and felt glad that their effort actually and tangibly accomplished more than they had thought possible.

Meantime, in the area well away from the dancers, Percy wondered if she could have caused her brother's breakup for her own gain, but Bill later told him that she had not. He had thoughtlessly told Emilia about where his future might take him and did so without a thought about her playing a role in it. She realized he did not see them lasting beyond Hogwarts and took great offence that he did not feel the same way about her that she did for him.

* Author's Note

The phrase "same as it ever was" is taken from the Talking Heads's song "Once in a Lifetime" off the group's 1981 album _Remain in Light_. The lyrics were written by lead vocalist David Byrne, though all members receive credit for the music.


	14. Bill, a CD Player and Another Prank

Livia briefly considered what the Winter Ball might have felt like if she had danced with Bill at last year's event. The "what if" aspect might have tormented someone else, but Livia recognized how happy she was as things stood. No anxiety. No expectations, good or bad. She risked nothing and therefore could really smile and bask in Bill's full attention, even if only for part of an evening. He still had no idea, so he also enjoyed a stress-free night dancing with a girl he had never truly seen until her friends took the time to show how pretty she could look. He already knew her to be kind, modest and hugely talented. He had never thought about how she looked, but he did wonder then if Bill and Livia made a better-looking dancing couple than Bill and Emilia had.

Livia only wondered about how the evening would end. She noted that he saw her somewhat differently than he had before but felt it would not translate into any sort of relationship. He had other plans to find his own way first after he graduated. That would not change, no matter what. She still had to work with him, in any case, so their friendship mattered above anything else. Yet at the end of the night, he walked with her outside briefly and wanted to ask her something as they stood alone on the bridge next to the courtyard, with him loaning her his jacket. For some reason, she could not anticipate what he wanted to ask her.

"Livia, have you ever kissed a boy?" he inquired.

She had trouble accepting that he had caught her off-guard. "Um, no," Livia answered.

"I think it high time someone fixed that," he said. He pulled her towards him and gently, tenderly kissed her. He almost pulled her off her feet, or she sure felt like she was floating.

She could not prevent responding had she wanted to do so and had trouble pulling back. It may not have been the most passionate embrace, but if anyone had seen it, it definitely could not be called chaste or a peck, either. It lasted way too long for either of those two words to apply.

He leveled with her. "I know you will not misunderstand me," he began. "Some people meet future spouses here, but I never planned on doing that. Dating became a social hobby – I guess one I took for granted because I never had problems asking girls for dates. I know that does not describe your time here."

"True, it does not," she admitted.

"I wanted to do what I did, but we have to work together, at least to some degree," he continued. "So I hope I do not insult you if I do not ask you out and we do not start dating."

"I understand," Livia stated. "I basically thought I was the equivalent of your little sister."

"She is a lot younger than you are," he revealed. "Still, I admit that your assessment has a lot of truth to it. I definitely do not want to hurt you, and if we did date, I think I would at some point do precisely that. You do not deserve that, and I doubt I will change soon – certainly I highly doubt anyone could change me. Young women sometimes think they can 'fix' a boyfriend, and they usually set themselves up for a lot of disappointment, instead, like Emilia."

"I agree," Livia said. "I have witnessed fights over this very thing, including your own."

"Some young man who finds himself ready will be most lucky to win you fairly," Bill observed. "Make sure you wait for the right one – no matter how long it takes or how unlikely it seems. I know I am willing to wait for the right time to find the right girl."

They walked back inside and he accompanied her as far as a Gryffindor student could go to the Ravenclaw rooms. He hugged her, and she welcomed and returned his embrace. He took his jacket back and kissed her hand. Then as he let go of her hand, they bid each other goodnight.

Livia discovered that she had been the last one in the room to return from the Winter Ball. Everyone had seen her dancing with Bill Weasley and peppered her with questions like would they start dating, did he kiss her goodnight, what happened to his original date, did she hex his date and even did she make money off what happened to him, which no one had seen coming.

"First, let me thank Shelley, Athena and Selene for helping me look decent tonight," Livia acknowledged. "I never fully imagined it would matter in the slightest."

"Oh you tease!" Shelley squealed. "What happened?"

"Well, as some of you suggested, I did make a wager on him," Livia replied. "I did not see it was him until after I turned around to see that the first person to tell me I had to be wrong was his brother, Percy."

"Oh, he must have been shocked," Athena mused.

"He definitely was, but he and the rest all paid up," Livia responded. "I got more money off that than I think any other prediction I ever made." She lifted up her pillow and showed them all the money she had collected that night. "At least half of that came from that one wager."

"That is quite a haul," Ted observed. "And you did nothing to Bill's date?"

"No," Livia answered. "He told me the story, since I followed him outside the Hall when he walked out. He has no interest in finding a wife here, and his date had other ideas about their future. When he informed her casually of possible plans that did not include her, she got upset and left. We talked for some time when he suggested that, instead of sitting there, we could go back inside and enjoy the Winter Ball together."

"You sure did," Shelley asserted. "I find it hard to believe you are not together now."

"We aren't," Livia admitted. "Bill explained himself quite well and said he was concerned that he would hurt me eventually if we dated because he had no intention of changing his view of his schooling. Then, there is the matter of us working together for the club dance."

"I don't know if I would care about that, if I were you," Athena stated.

"Indeed," Livia said. "Believe-you-me, if I thought there was a chance he would waver on that first point, I might have said something different. But he said it himself, girls make a grave mistake if they think they can change or fix their boyfriends. He needs to do what he needs to do, and I needed to let him go. So I did."

"I don't know how he could walk away from you," Ted wondered.

"Well, he did not do so immediately, or I would have returned before the rest of you did."

"Are we getting to the juicy part, yet?" Don asked. Everyone seemed to be listening.

"What do you consider juicy, Don?" Livia put to him.

"It would start if he actually kissed you – more would be nice, too," he responded. "Those girls worked hard. Tell them they did it for something."

"Okay," Livia conceded. "He did."

"Did what?" Ted asked.

"He kissed me on the bridge beyond the courtyard," Livia revealed.

You would have thought the Quidditch team had clinched the House Cup. Everyone seemed to be uproarious cheering. "Anything else?" Ted asked.

"After he explained himself, he walked me back to the Ravenclaw dorm area and hugged the stuffing out of me and kissed my hand before he left."

"I mean the _kiss_ ," Ted specified. "C'mon, spill girl. Everyone here wants to know. We won't tattle on you."

"It was nice," she answered. "It wasn't really a peck or timid, but it wasn't really sloppy or desperate or overly intense, either. I mean, he did not kiss his sister, but I would not call it a make-out session."

"Did it last more than five seconds?" Don inquired.

Livia could not understand how or why they wanted to dissect this. "I think so, but I may have lost track of time. I thought I was floating out of my shoes."

"Now _that_ is what I wanted to hear," Ted asserted. "That is a real kiss. I wouldn't be walking away from a girl who felt like that. Why should you give up, either?"

"He probably gets that all the time," Don suggested. "He has never lacked for attention from girls. He probably charms his head of house enough to wish she were young enough for him."

"And he doesn't even play Quidditch!" Barry added. Everyone laughed.

The end of the term brought Livia back to London, where she could see that, despite the stress of his studies, Tom had made good progress and his firm and the course instructors seemed satisfied with his work. Alice kept him grounded as well as focused, a great feat for a young woman who had completed her own studies. She gave him space when he needed it and knew when he needed a break. She has an innate sensibility about him.

Alice had not neglected herself either. She took up volunteering at the British Museum giving tours and talking about the historical context of various acquisitions. She also offered help to one of her more highly prominent relatives, helping him sort various family papers and arrange to turn them over to an archive attached to Trinity College, Cambridge University. Alice's knowledge of history and growing skills in dealing with archives as well as her own family tree started giving her opportunities to have access to unpublished documents and the ability to judge what to do with them. As a dedicated student of history, the Victorian habit of destroying anything remotely unflattering never occurred to her. Understanding context and exhibiting a desire to handle material properly overruled any temptation to omit anything. Yet because she seemed evenhanded to the point of remaining true to a source, relatives made her a "go to" person within any part of her heritage to handle documents of potential historical value. Some relations urged her to seek a DPhil and become at least one family's historian, though her background ran into several aristocratic families, who all vied for her attention and skills. She vowed never to go too far forward with such ideas until Tom's career path became more stable.

Thanks to her astonishing profits at the last Winter Ball, Livia deposited some funds and exchanged the rest for currency in sterling that she used for various gifts. Tom and Alice found themselves quite surprised that she had managed to buy both of them a set of presents, along with their relocated cat Abby, who Gary finally let them regain. Tom had thought she would need money, so he wondered how she managed to buy clothes, music and some theatre tickets to _Cats_ ,* as a celebration of Abby's arrival.

Tom asked her how she bought these things. She confessed that she had done some chores helping faculty, but much it came from making wagers with students, mostly regarding their own personal affairs.

"As you know, Tom, I can often predict things well," Livia began. "Every year when new students come, I find at least some not warned about wagering against me on anything. I had a particularly good term, though one of my prognostications involved someone I like very much and did not know it concerned him because I could not see his features well until after I made my pronouncement. His brother said my prediction was impossible, so the money poured in, as if I planted him to say that."

"I presume this was the older boy you told us about," Tom suggested.

"It was. I did. I forced myself to get over it, regardless of how much I still like him."

"Was he mad that you made money off his misfortune?" Tom asked.

"No, actually," Livia answered. "He did not even want me to return his brother's wager. He seemed relieved since this girl thought they had a future together, and he inadvertently let her know he had been thinking about a future after graduation that did not include her."

"But you rushed to his side to cheer him up," Tom stated.

"I did."

"Then what happened?" Tom inquired.

"He danced the rest of the night with me," Livia replied.

"Really? Are you two now an item?" Alice asked.

"No," she responded. "He made it clear that he would only hurt me if that happened because he was not interested in a lasting relationship. I let go, rather than try to change his mind."

"Sad but probably wise," Tom observed. "He's what – 17?"

"I think so."

"Yeah, I can't say a 17-year-old would be automatically reliable," Tom mused. Hit and miss. Very self-aware and kind of him not to toy with you. He must actually respect you a lot to not try to take advantage of you."

"Now you know why I like him," Livia offered.

"He may not be mature, but it takes character for him to pull back when he probably could have done something else," Alice asserted.

Christmas went very well. Livia actually received her own large CD player, too, though she internally felt uncertain about how to power it without electricity. She did find an old turntable at a market that felt more certain about using. Seeing _Cats_ also offered a nice break for everyone. Whilst she did manage to speak to both her father and Cathy on the telephone, she remained ambivalent if they wanted to come for a visit, and worse when it seemed they could only do so as a family trip. Livia knew that would include her supposed mother and sister Lydia, and she had resolved not to see either. Instead, she opted to make an excuse to return to school on 7 January, 1988, deciding that scheming to pester Professor Snape totally beat having to deal with her sister. At least he had some respect for Livia and could show her an iota of consideration, though her stunt might change that. She wanted to figure out how to bother him before his birthday, since he especially seemed very put out by her disturbing him _on_ his birthday. She shrunk everything carefully so she could carry it without difficulty and bid Tom, Alice and Abby goodbye. "Nothing personal, but I am not ready to deal with Lydia or your mother, Tom. My condolences to Alice and Abby. Silently, she warned Abby to hide from the sister Tom called Lydia because she had shown a propensity to being abusive to cats and, though Alice, Tom and Tom's sister Cathy could try to stop her, they might intervene too late. _Should anything happen to you, Tom's rift with his family would become huge or something worse might happen_. Abby said she understood.

Livia, not old enough to use anything else but use a broom, got back to school early on the evening of Thursday, 7 January. She had brought her own food but the staff wanted to ensure they tended to her well. When asked why she came back so soon, she gave them an honest answer: "my adopted brother's family wanted to visit him, and I am not ready to see all of them again, especially a so-called sister who mistreated me for years. I would rather take inventory for Professor Snape than see her." Given that they presumed that doing anything for him had to be a most thankless task, they accepted that Livia wanted to avoid her sister. She would later enlist Hagrid – after visiting her Barn Owl friends – to help her acquire any materials she would need for the new term.

The next day, though, revolved around finding her way into the faculty housing area of the castle and paying a visit to Professor Snape. Livia could not believe she had kept her mimicry of him under wraps for so long. She just had to try it out – though anything beat being in London and being forced to interact with Lydia Woodcock that weekend. She found that she did not need to do much different to get past the security set up to keep students out. _Did Professor Snape not tell the building manager, Mr. Filch, to change everything to stop her? Did he forget?_

Once again, she confidently but not harshly knocked on his door. Of course, she had no idea for certain if he had returned. The staff response to her statement suggested to her – if she had understood them correctly – that he had. "Albus, I have no time for you today. I actually have several potions to make before the term starts."

In her best mimicry of Professor Snape, she answered in his voice, "If you do not open the door, I will tell Minerva of my secret crush on her this instant."

Professor Snape's eyes widened. _Could the headmaster impersonate him?_ He had to stop this, and if opening the door would do so, he better do it immediately. Then he saw her: a grinning, 15-year-old Livia Woodcock, who added in his voice "Will you let me in, wish you a Happy Birthday and explain why I am here, or do I have to talk to Minerva?"

"You win, get inside before you get us both into a heap of trouble," he responded, rather stone-faced and put out. "Start talking – in your own voice – and first tell me how you managed to start doing mine."

"I have practiced, sir," Livia replied. "I thought if you decided to go after myself or Shelley again, I would use it. The detention would have been so worth it. Helena Ravenclaw helped me get it right. No one else really knows about it right now but you."

"Why did you start this?" he asked.

"On the off-chance, you either tried to use what you found out last summer against me – or that a Ravenclaw student let my personal button to annoy me become known and you tried it."

"You have a button? I have tried for several years to upset you and a student did it. Tell me how, or I will make you sorry for this."

"This second-year boy asked me to read his paper, under the misguided assumption that I would fawn over it and tell him how great he was, rather than tell him how to improve it," Livia stated. "When I made suggestions, he started telling me I could not possibly know what I was talking about because I was just a silly girl."

"Ohhhh, that old misogyny thing," he stated, nodding. "So what happened?"

"I told my roommates about it," she responded. "They likely recall that I have helped them or other members in my house. The three Ravenclaw Quidditch players there decided they wanted to 'have my back,' and they told the whole team, including the female players, how to straighten him out, after conning him to try out for the team. Consequently, he kept his mouth shut and has never bothered me again."

"So no one told Professor Flitwick?" Professor Snape asked.

"I did not and no one else did, to my knowledge," Livia answered.

"I think you know what my button is," he observed.

"You have not told me, but…" Livia paused for a few seconds, pondering, then gave an answer. "You hate if anyone calls you a coward. Who would do that?"

"Correct," he said. "It does not happen often but it has, and it will happen again."

"I don't see it, sir," Livia said, confused. "The fact that you live with so heavy a burden on you makes me think that highly implausible."

"So in addition to amusing yourself with my voice and wishing me a Happy Birthday, why are you here?"

"I didn't get to the birthday part, yet," Livia stated. She sang Happy Birthday in his own voice as well as hers, which struck him as incredibly bizarre. "So why am I here? Two words – Lydia Woodcock."

"I don't understand," he admitted. "Isn't she that horrible alleged sister of yours?"

"She is," Livia admitted. "Tom's family wanted to make a trip to London around now, meaning her, also. I did not want to see her or the mother who thinks she is so great. I could not leave fast enough to avoid that possible fiasco for Tom. I just made sure to warn Alice's cat to steer clear of Lydia, since she attempted to harm Sairy years ago."

"I actually understand this," he said. "I often avoided my father. The two of them might be related. Well, since you insisted on being here, I may as well put you to work. I have a few things to do – all potion-making, not inventory. I have dealt with any minor issues involving that already. Usually, I have little to do during the winter, but it's been unusually cold. Anyway, call this your gift to me."

"You got a deal," she agreed. "As long as I am not in London right now, I am happy."

"Why didn't you try to visit Bill Weasley instead?" Professor Snape asked. "His family would have been only too happy to meet you."

"What?" Livia put to him.

"You dancing with him, after his girlfriend stormed out, was _the_ story of the Winter Ball," he said. "Did you not know that? Some believed you hexed his girlfriend, in fact, though that does not strike me as something you would do, despite what I already know."

"I am not dating Bill Weasley, sir," Livia revealed. "In fact, he told me he was relieved she had left, which is why he went after her in such a slow, deliberate fashion. I think I enjoyed that time with him more because I had ceased to be fixated on the outcome versus the moment."

"I find your status with him very hard to believe, Miss Woodcock," he observed. "Still, choosing to pester me over visiting him suggests that you are not lying."

"To be perfectly frank, he told me he has plans after graduation that do not involve marrying someone he meets at school. He told me that, if he did start dating me, he would just hurt me, eventually, because he did not see ever changing his mind. He felt that, all too often, girls mistakenly think they can change a boyfriend when they cannot."

"Nice of him to level with you," he asserted. "But why did you just accept that? Almost every rule has an exception. Besides, spending over a year with him might be pleasant by itself, too. Did it ever occur to you that you gave up too soon or too easily?"

"One of my roommates pretty much asked the same thing," Livia stated. "I am still more a sister to him and his weakness happens to be blondes. I am obviously not blonde, sir."

"So, is your personal weakness tall, red-haired boys?"

"Actually, no," she admitted. "I never realized how attractive he was or how much I liked him until I spoke to him."

"Doesn't that tell you something?" he asked. "Sometimes other factors can change how one thinks about 'taste' – though there is no accounting for that, anyway."

"I see what you mean, but I will not torture myself over what has already come and gone."

"Given the fact that you should not be here, I think we should get to the room another way. I usually cannot do this here, though. Take my arm sleeve." Part of this was a test to see if apparating to the potion room would make her sick – potentially a punishment – whilst it could be said to benefit her also, since no one would know that she bypassed security keeping students from the faculty quarters during their down time. Livia did not seem sick at all, just shocked to be in a room she knew so well.

"What just happened?" she asked. "I feel like that was some kind of gymnastics."

"It is a skill called apparition," he explained. "I could only transport you if we had a physical connection. Most times, a young person first transported this way gets sick from it. I see you have not. A witch or wizard has to know his or her exact destination to do this – though faculty do not often show students this or do it on campus, so I would appreciate it if you do not mention it. During the term, I cannot really do it. Only the headmaster potentially can. To do this legally, you have to pass an exam and receive a license. You cannot get a license until you are at least 17 years old."

"I see," Livia said. "So what can I do now?"

Professor Snape already had begun to set aside ingredients they would need. "Carry these to where we can use them for potion making." She made several trips to collect everything he put down and she rearranged them in alphabetical order as she placed them on the table in front of the room. When he had joined her, he found her arrangement useful. He pulled out a card from a drawer and placed it before her. "You can make this whilst I work on something else. But mind the tools this time."

Livia read through everything and assembled the ingredients in front of her cauldron, in the order listed on the card. This time, both worked seamlessly without crossing either's use of anything. Every so often, he would look over at her working and, if expressionless, held some sort of admiration for how she worked so diligently yet effortlessly, so technically sound but also with sensitivity and subtlety. He thought about how his own Potions Master would have taken great pride in her, though he said far more to her on paper than he verbally showed anything close to approval. She must have read his comments rather carefully, though, based on what he saw.

With a final few stirs, she had completed her task. Livia asked if he could show her how he preserved potions that took time to mature. He led her step-by-step through the process, storing first his, then hers. "We have two more to do," he revealed. "Next time, show me that you learned how to store these properly." He laid out a card for her next task as he began his own.

If she felt any pressure from what he would ask of her later, she did not show it in the least. The second task went as well as the first, but because Professor Snape had a more challenging potion to make, he did not watch her as carefully. He had to test her potion when she finished. She looked at him quizzically. "I watched more of your work the first time, so I wanted to make sure the second came out as well," he stated. "I know it seems unnecessary, but best I am sure now. Anyway, time to see if you paid attention to storing these. Both require the exact same procedure."

Livia's skills at observation and listening came to the forefront. She very cautiously tended to each to ensure she did not lose anything nor made any missteps. He said nothing as she did one then the second until she finished. "You may have acted a little gingery, because you wanted to get everything right, but eventually you will handle this task more quickly as you feel more comfortable with it."

"Does speed matter a lot?" she asked.

"Not greatly," he answered. "For a few it would matter, but not for the two we just did, which is why I felt comfortable letting you try it."

"Thank you, sir," Livia responded. "I hope you find something to smile about tomorrow – hard though I know it is. I will not attempt to compare my misadventures with yours but will wish you a good day." Livia bowed slightly and retreated to her room, where she would try getting her CD player to work. Feeling a bit stymied, she thought she would ask the headmaster.

Livia found him in his office, and he seemed quite surprised to see her. She explained why she had left London – she wanted to avoid seeing her adopted sister. He wondered why a boggart had not become her. Livia explained her dread did not exactly constitute fear. If she feared anything, it would be that she would feel compelled to hex Lydia or do something underage witches cannot legally do. She knew the girl could not really harm her, but she also knew full well that the girl only grew more petty and spoiled by the day. Livia might relish a little too much doing something that neither he nor the school would like, much less those who had made such laws.

He then wanted to know if her sister had something to do with Livia's visit. Livia shook her head and told him about the gift her brother gave her, which ran on electricity. "I do not know how to make it work here. And I want it to work. My battery-powered items usually work."

"Yes," the headmaster said. "Small items powered with a small amount of energy often work. Indeed, you can use existing energy here to keep them running forever. A more sophisticated device has more difficulty owing to various aspects of electromagnetic interference. You have to isolate the device to protect it then harness energy into where it enters the device. Show me what you want to work."

Livia materialized the item and a disc for it. "Fascinating," he observed. "This plays music?" Livia nodded. He manifested some kind of shield to fit around the device, leaving the end of the cord open. He conjured a small, rectangular box for it to plug into. Then the headmaster instructed her on how to gather energy to feed the box, whose composition he showed her. Since the device had its own speakers as part of it, music started coming out. "You do not need electricity. It is everywhere. You need to control it and direct it and protect things sensitive to it."

"Thank you," Livia told him. "I will remember."

"Tell me before you go," he began. "Do you think you are being challenged sufficiently?"

"In many respects, yes," Livia answered. "But at times I get restless. I do not forever want to be quiet and unnoticed. I try to think of that frustration, as well as my awful so-called sister, when I duel Professor Flitwick."

"I noticed that you seemed to enjoy the attention you got at the Winter Ball. It seems Mr. Weasley finally saw you, perhaps for the first time."

"Well, I put that behind me," Livia admitted.

"Why?"

"Because he made it plain that he had no interest in a starting a serious relationship with anyone right now and did not want to hurt me."

"I see," the headmaster said. "He already did that, though, did he not?"

"Yes, you can say that," Livia replied. "In truth, I hurt myself, and I decided to stop doing that and just enjoy what happened without disappointing myself."

"But what if you gave up too soon?" he inquired. "You may see it as self-protection, but if we never try, we only fail ourselves. You can live with that?"

"You are not the first to ask me if I gave up too soon," Livia answered. "I have to live with what seemed like the most rational thing I could do."

"Feeling something towards another person does not involve reason, or we would reject it every time, given any number of issues," he told her gently. "Your heart and your brain seem estranged, even divided, and only you pay the price for that. Even your dueling skills could improve if you reconciled the two better. Love has its own magic that you should never dismiss. Whether you were right or wrong in this instance, I cannot say, however."

"Can I change the subject?" Livia asked, after returning her CD player to her room. "I did something amusing today. I probably should not tell you this, but…"

"That sounds like you should tell me, especially if you tell a good story."

"I pranked Professor Snape again, since I know he has some strange way of marking his birthday. Since few are here, I figured it served as a good diversion for myself, too."

"Just what did you do?" the headmaster asked, impishly hoping he could laugh at whatever Livia had done.

"He may tell you, but I will do so first," Livia responded. "I knocked on his door and after he told me to go away, thinking I was you, I told him that – then she launched into her mimicry of him, slowing down her speech pattern to match his pace – if you do not open the door, I will tell Minerva about my secret crush on her."

The headmaster laughed hysterically. "Oh, that must have been grand. Remarkable work there. How fast did he open the door?"

"Less than three seconds," Livia said in her own voice.

"How did you get to do his voice so well?"

"I practiced with Helena Ravenclaw. Now only you, she and Professor Snape truly know."

"He will probably tell me by Monday," the headmaster suggested. "You have quite a weapon against him now. Did he punish you harshly?"

"Well, he put me to work," Livia answered. "I guess you could call that punishment."

"Somehow, I doubt you saw it that way," he observed. "He could have done much worse. I hope he found it flattering on some level, given all the other voices you can do."

"It was harder for me to speak someone's voice than sing it, so it took me longer. I have not tried many speaking voices, so I cannot imitate your voice presently, for example."

"Might be for the best," he remarked. They bid each other good night and Livia returned to her room and awaited the return of everyone else from their winter break.

* Author's Note

Andrew Lloyd Webber created the musical _Cats_ based on the 1939 work by T.S. Eliot titled _Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats_. Director Trevor Nunn fashioned one Eliot poem into song lyrics for the production, also. The initial London production ran from 1981-2002.


	15. A Spring Too Hot to Handle?

On Monday, 11 January, Livia exchanged some quick notes back and forth from Tom. Given the long roundtrip, Sydney recommended a strong owl of a different species to take it to him, though she had given him advice on it. A Great Grey Owl named Geoffrey made the trip instead. Livia explained his presence to Tom and handsomely rewarded him for the trip out and back. Tom told her that the weekend went okay, probably because Abby hid under their bed most of the weekend. They had moved some food, water and litter close to her, so she could avoid Lydia as she desired. His father and sister Cathy acted graciously, mindful of Alice's family connections. His mother had been cordial, likely made aware of the repercussions of doing anything else, though she did not exert any discipline whatsoever on Lydia, who remained bratty as usual. Whilst dining out, Alice encountered a somewhat distant, distinguished Russell-related cousin about her age named Robert Stanley, usually just called Bertie, who recognized her. He knew that she had briefly moved to London and had started working on family historical documents. They had a brief discussion about the papers, but Lydia practically pitched a fit about attention being diverted from her. Before the cousin left, Rev. Woodcock dragged Lydia to the coat-check area of the restaurant.

"The world does not revolve around you, Lydia," he told her. "If you so much as make another sound to offend your brother, Alice or any of Alice's relatives, I will pull you out of here by your ear and throw you in the boot of my car. We stay at a hotel named for a part of her family tree. You have no business acting that way in front of ANYONE she knows. You want to try me?"

"Mummy would never let you do that," Lydia replied, very proud of herself.

"Then my wife will join you in the car because I will not stand for this another second. This I vow to God. No more. You will mind your manners and treat Miss West with respect. People know her here, and your brother deserves nothing less from us."

All Tom could write was that whatever his father had said to Lydia after dragging her towards the coatroom had quieted her – finally. The rest of the weekend went fairly well after that, especially since his family stayed at the nearby Hotel Russell, and he did not have to deal with an overload of Lydia. That lot fell to Cathy, who told him she would rather have slept in Livia's small bed in his study than share a room with Lydia. She would have settled for the floor, even. Yet she had not gotten the time off to travel herself; she would wait for a more opportune time to make her own trip. Cathy even told Tom she envied Livia's ability to escape and return early to her school. Tom told Cathy that he had gotten the impression that Livia had pulled in a few favors from all the time she spent there. Indeed, the headmaster told the staff to welcome her whenever she came, owing to her circumstances when admitted and insight as to what Professor Snape reviewed.

Livia's Ravenclaw roommates expressed great surprise at finding her back before any of them had arrived. She explained that she had fled London to avoid a "family trip" there to visit her brother, which included the sister she could not stand. She did not want to get angry and do something that the Ministry of Magic considered illegal.

"You did not have somewhere else to go?" Shelley asked. "I would have gotten my family to welcome you for a visit."

"I think most of us would have tried to help," Athena offered. "I suppose Hogwarts beats London if you wanted to avoid your 'sister,' but why not ask us?"

"It all came up very last minute, and I did not think I had much time to impose on anyone," Livia explained. "I did have time to pull this off…" then Livia put in a CD to her larger player and sound started filling the room.

"Blimey, you take this music seriously," Don observed. "It is interesting. How did you get this thing to work? Muggle devices that large often do not function here."

"My small things could, but for this I needed advice from the headmaster, who gave it a short listen and let me set it up here."

"He liked it?" Ted asked.

"Enough to help me get it to work and not object to me using it. I have to protect it. Muggles use something called electricity. We have a different means that provides plenty of power. I just have to focus it and protect the player from being overloaded."

"Does he not want this widely known?" Shelley inquired.

"In general, I think that applies to everything I own. But let me play you all something I had suggested to Shelley for the dance next spring." With that, she chose the song "Need You Tonight" by INXS. She had gotten their music in several formats.

"Who is that voice?" Athena queried. "Is he as, umm, fine as he sounds?"

"Oh yeah," Livia admitted. "Here's the cover art, though you only see half of his face."

"Blimey," Athena said. "Have you seen the rest?"

"Definitely," Livia admitted. "Just as good."

"Who thinks I should get Livia to dance with Bill Weasley to this as the first song?" Shelley asked, polling the room. Every hand but Livia's went up.

"What are you trying to do?" Livia queried.

"Get him to change his mind," Shelley answered. "If it fails, don't blame me."

"Suppose he brings someone else?" Livia inquired. "That would be awkward."

"I think the rest of us can do something about that," Shelley mused. "Ted, can't you help there? If I have to force you, Livia, you will not so easily give him up again. I get to make this call for the playlist. The other two were good, but this will push the two of you together."

"I told you how he feels," Livia responded. "Is this really a good idea?"

"Who would you rather dance with to this song – Professor Flitwick?" Shelley asked.

"No, make it Professor Snape!" Ted said. Everyone howled with laughter loudly.

"Just great," Livia stated. She could not help herself in the frivolity of the moment from doing Professor Snape: "I would rather be boiled in a potion cauldron than be seen at such a silly event dancing with one of you juvenile dunderheads."

They all laughed quite outrageously at first, but then the realization dawned on all of them that Livia could perfectly mimic the professor who had terrorized most of them at some point. "How on earth?" Shelley asked.

"I should not have let that out, but the temptation proved a little too great," Livia admitted.

"When did you figure out you could do his voice?" Athena inquired.

"A few months ago," Livia answered. "Can we keep this in the room for now? If I ever need to do it, the element of surprise probably matters." She convinced them Professor Snape had no clue.

"You imagined you would need it?" Selene queried.

"Yes," Livia concurred. "After he went after Shelley and I last year, I thought about coming up with something if he tangled with us again. I worked on this, just in case, though I have not had to use it so far. I figured it would be worth the detention he would give me."

"It is the ultimate comeback, though," Ted suggested. "But timing its use for maximum effect, I can see. I will not spoil it."

The rest of the room agreed, on the condition that they wanted to hear Professor Snape sing that song first. Livia expressed some doubt if she could do it but nonetheless pulled it off. She actually considered that Michael Hutchence's plea of "I'm lonely!" might be more accurate than any of them imagined. So whilst everyone laughed hysterically to Professor Snape becoming the lead singer of INXS, Livia found it easy to maintain her deadpan composure in speak-singing as him, which of course she needed to do for the sake of accuracy, anyway. None of them suspected that she had an iota of sympathy for him, just that she knew how to perform as him accurately.

Earlier that evening, Professor Snape also had revealed to the headmaster that his "pet project" had pulled another stunt on the former the day before his birthday. He suggested that maybe the headmaster's directive on her had begun to stress her close to the point of insanity.

"She's not insane, she's a mimic," the headmaster reacted. "And a very good one. I must confess, Severus, her version of you was extremely accurate. I had to laugh at it myself, but you know I enjoy a good harmless prank."

"She told you? Hmm, just wait until she starts on you," he observed.

"You should be flattered," the headmaster stated. "She said she finds singing voices easier to impersonate. She apparently put a lot of work into getting your voice down correctly."

"Will you feel that way if she does it in class?" he asked.

"Don't give her a reason, then. Goodnight, Severus." Professor Snape returned the sentiment and the two parted.

The term began well and Livia felt all of her classes well under her control. She enjoyed meeting new creatures and, once she told them she had spoken to one of the more reticent ones, they all felt comfortable with her. Outwardly, her technique appeared unchanged, but everything she did, she obtained consent to do, be it petting, bunting (like one would do to a cat) or some other friendly gesture the animal might even suggest. Her experiences with birds and cats helped her greatly, but Livia never took it for granted that another creature liked a particular behavior. Letting them dictate their terms showed respect and gave them the opportunity to feel they could trust her. The instructor usually just detailed the subtle things Livia did, though occasionally asked why she pet one animal and did something else with another. Livia usually tried to ground her answers with references to body gestures made by the creatures, or by approaching them by seeming smaller and giving them a height advantage or opportunity to flee, so not corned. Still, by then, most students realized she got permission from the creatures, too. At least Shelley never forgot. Charlie did not, either, and kept trying to understand the secret to communicating with them. Shelley told him she got nowhere asking this because Livia said she had this skill for as long as she could remember and had no idea how to articulate its development. She just suggested he watch her body language and that of the creatures very closely and pick up as much of the subtlety of it as he could. Ultimately, he did it extremely well, as if he could converse with them.

Professor Snape mostly ignored Livia and Shelley, given that he could not risk what she might say or how she could say it. Both of those would, as she put it, compromise his performance. Shelley began to suspect that someone tipped him off to Livia's mimicry, and he did not wish to spar with himself. Yet she had no idea who had told him, unless Professor Dumbledore somehow knew about it. Given the way Livia protected her CD player, Shelley highly doubted any other Ravenclaw student or Professor Flitwick knew. Other than the occasional nod she might notice him direct to Livia, Shelley saw no sign that they communicated at all.

Yet Livia had begun a running correspondence with him via her paper assignments. Her writing as well as his comments began relating to things done previously, enhancing or clarifying aspects only they understood. That she balanced this and still entirely remained on point with the current assignment gave ample testimony to her writing skills. Though Livia did not see long enough samples of his writing to call it masterful, he wrote very well and made his assessments with both complexity regarding potion making and brevity in expression. If he ever felt pushed by her writing, he met the challenge and never held back anything that might further her progress. Livia had to read his commentary carefully, even multiple times, to extract everything he meant. If she took a good deal of time writing things for him, he spent a good deal of time responding. He also kept the headmaster fully informed, especially if he found anything unusually insightful. By the end of the year, it had seemed they had become "pen pals" (or quill palls). The only other thing he noticed was that, as the weather got nicer, she occasionally sang in his voice, to the most ridiculous things like the Beastie Boys fighting for their right to party, which she apparently got on a compilation tape. _She knows that I hear her – she's trying to make me laugh._ She got only a slight smile and a slow head shake – better than nothing, though.

Faculty meetings seemed to rarely mention her, except for the headmaster's continuing request for a status update on Livia's dueling skills. "She's competent now and I would say she easily exceeds anyone at her level, but that I know is not the goal," Professor Flitwick observed. "One on one she will not go down easily, especially given her defensive abilities."

"I think it may be time you do not hold back to make allowances for her age or level," the headmaster stated. "Show her your best so she has a gauge of what I want out of her."

"That likely will overwhelm her, as least for a while," Professor Flitwick responded.

"She has to see this is not a game," the headmaster said. "Since no one brings her up here, I think I can conclude that none of you have issues academically with her. Anyone disagree?" No one said a word and a few shook their heads that they would not disagree. "Something has to challenge her more, and perhaps this will provide the right incentive to get her attention."

The headmaster compelled Professor Flitwick to show his full mastery of dueling, and it did catch Livia flat-footed, even though he warned her. Her defenses held for a time, but she could not last too long. She needed the break time to ponder his assessment and process all that happened, so that she could improve. He knew exactly when she was weakest, which of course emerged from the practice, but, as he said, she could not count on a lack of familiarity with her to save her consistently. She finally saw how accomplished he was and that benchmark showed her a lot of ground lay before her if she ever would become truly proficient, rather than merely adequate.

Her spring recess intersected in part with Tom's break as well as overlapped in part with Cathy's visit. Cathy had become even friendlier to her, in part because she saw similarities between Alice and Livia. Cathy wanted Alice to like her, beyond the potential for connections that might help a rescue charitable organization that would begin employing her by the end of the spring. Lydia had become rather insufferable, and Cathy started visiting her only within a group, either colleagues or flatmates or a boyfriend. Tom, and by extension Livia, had become the most reliable siblings, with the potential that she would consider Alice one, also. Whilst there, Cathy admitted to Livia that she was paying a price for helping Lydia. Livia said nothing. She really preferred not to think much about Lydia at all, unless it helped her concentrate on aggressive moves during a dueling session. Once Cathy had returned to her own flat near Framlingham, Tom, Alice and Livia agreed that a night watching a film would work.

Since all agreed they needed a good laugh, Livia picked out th standup film _Raw_ ,* which somewhat conflicted Tom, given the fact that the language might cross a big line, since he could not imagine his father liking it. Alice took the more tolerant view, given the fact that other things seemed to her more offensive than a comic's off-color language. They all enjoyed it. Actually, Livia studied it very closely. She loved the comic's laugh, for one, and his use of child-like voices in his storytelling. That he more than dabbled in profanity did not bother her at all. She saw it as real, in terms of being descriptive, as well as a weapon when used appropriately. A few times in Colindale girls had given her an earful about her surname, though what they said had not always made sense to her, given her ignorance of some things less sheltered girls knew very well. Occasionally, the nurse Miss Scott explained a few things but not enough. So, if anyone tried this form of ridicule in the future, she had something to say. Also, it would give her an outlet more acceptable than hexing Lydia, at least, should she need to deal with her in the future.

The break hardly seemed like one, compared to summer and winter. Livia found herself back on the train with a lot to think about, especially concerning dueling. She had time to master it, but for once she entertained at least some doubt as to how well she could adapt and improve. Shelley took her mind off the subject by asking her about what she would wear to their club dance.

"I have not thought about it," Livia stated. "It is not a formal event, after all."

"I still think you, I, Athena and Selene should shop for something good."

"If you say so," Livia obliged. She resigned herself to whatever would come, knowing the dueling issue held far more importance, though Shelley might have disagreed, given her graduation remained years away whereas the dance took place in mere weeks.

Livia did not let her dueling setback take over the rest of her academic work, be with Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, Charms, Transfigurations (outside her cat issue), Defense Against the Dark Arts or Potions – or anything else thrown her way, like students wanting help with papers. She knew somewhere Ryan Matthews had to still be seething. Misogyny did not go away overnight, though the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and student leaders gave him a lesson he would not soon forget. He just kept his mouth shut, though eventually only events in his future forced him to reconsider his arrogance and his assumptions.

Livia said little when the girls took a trip to a local dress shop to find something appropriate for their dance. It seemed each could pick out dresses that flattered the other girls better than they could figure out what to pick for themselves. Some things seemed easy enough – like a color or pattern that went well, but judging what looked best in terms of sleeve style or length of a dress came after much consultation with each other. They took turns in being the focus of what one girl should get, rather than several of them try on something at once. This probably made the search take longer, though it seemed more congenial to take turns. Sometimes, one girl would try something on and the group would set it aside for another to try instead. A pale green sheath dress was popular to try on but wound up with the pixie blonde Athena.

Livia went last. Several items already had become "possible" choices, based on the other three saying they would look better on her. They all decided on something Livia would have never selected for herself – a thin, silk dress with a sweetheart neckline dominated by its flashy deep red wine hue and wide straps that crisscrossed in the back. They all thought she had toned arms and everything about the dress would draw attention and accentuate what they thought she should feature. It definitely ranked as the most assertive if not womanly dress of the four. Shelley had insisted Livia get a "statement" dress and the other two had collaborated on finding the best one. Livia would have some accessories with her dress, too, and the girls promised to do something simple but elegant with her hair, ultimately settling on using some tiny roses. It seemed to Livia they had all decided to go in on this together. Shelley just hoped Ted could do something to keep Bill Weasley from having a date, unsure of what he could say or do about it, though.

As the day grew closer, Livia concerned herself with making the second turntable function by providing a means to switch which one the crowd would hear whilst a Ravenclaw tutor named Zach Hawthorne volunteered to learn how to use it from her. Given this addition, Shelley made the playlist longer. She had shown Bill the list, but he had not heard the first song, since Livia at first only played it for Shelley. Shelley promised him it would work wonderfully well. Bill noticed the title seemed a bit suggestive, but he had no idea what Shelley had planned. He did oddly find himself lacking a girlfriend at that moment, though he knew no female in the club would refuse him if he asked for a dance. He had noted the previous year how groups of people formed circles and danced in various types of groups, depending on the song, and had no qualm about doing that, either.

Just before the dance took place, the faculty held a final meeting before exams and they paid close attention to the fifth-year students preparing for formal exams as well as the first year students heading into their first experience with finals. The headmaster asked if anyone wanted to bring up any other student in danger of doing poorly and a few names came up, though he made some suggestions to get them through their exams.

Finally, he asked for another update from Professor Flitwick on Livia Woodcock. "Just as you predicted, she took a full assault and felt overwhelmed, though she defended herself admirably for a time. It seems she had to mentally process the experience a great deal, so the break offered a great opportunity to do that. She has recovered from it to a good degree and really has grown to hate losing, so I think her competitive nature has emerged. She cannot beat me as of yet, but I think in time she may figure out how to strategize better, in initial preparation and on-the-fly reactions."

"If she can beat you once a week, that would mark a great step forward," the headmaster stated. "Tell me when she gets that far."

Meantime, Livia oversaw the work being done in the Great Hall for the dance until about a little less than an hour before it began. She understood Bill would handle the final touches as she got ready for it. It seems Shelley had thought that out, too – that she would not see him until almost the moment the event began. Shelley remained in the Great Hall and spoke with him in Livia's place. Selene and Athena took charge of making sure Livia looked as perfect as possible. The guys in the room assented to their assertion that they had done well.

So they all went downstairs and made Livia enter last, blocking Bill from seeing her. The crowd again had shaped up as a strong turnout, with even Bill's brother Percy there somewhere, she learned. Bill broke through the crowd with another announcement welcoming everyone to the event and expressing his thanks to all the committee chairs, recognizing them one by one. Finally, he thanked his assistant, and though he had some suspicions, he again invited her to come forward, acknowledge everyone and have the first dance with him.

Only then did those in front of her, like the very tall Ted, step aside so he could see her. He had thought she looked great at the Winter Ball, but this ensemble nearly made his jaw drop, and he had dated way too many girls to say that very often. She walked towards him and slightly bowed and he took her in his arms as the first song began, INXS's "Need You Tonight."

He started talking to her silently. _Did you set this up or did Shelley?_

Livia responded: _It was Shelley's idea, but everyone in my room agreed with her._

 _What about you, Livia?_

 _Obviously, I did not stop her, though I did wonder if it was a good idea, given what you had said to me months ago._

 _Why did she want to do this, Livia?_

Livia did not know how to answer. _How honest an answer do you want?_

 _As much as you'll tell me, Livia._

 _I said something last year to Shelley that she has not forgotten._

 _Which was?_

Livia exhaled. _I told her then that I had developed a huge crush on you._

 _Last year? You said nothing to me in the slightest then._

 _Intentionally. I told her that you would forget my name when you graduated._

 _Well, if she wants to play cupid, I am willing to oblige, at least for tonight._

Just then the lyrics repeated the phrase already stated once before:

 _I need you tonight_  
 _'Cause I'm not sleeping_  
 _There's something about you girl_  
 _That makes me sweat*_

Shelley sure knew what she was doing, he thought. He marveled how funny it seemed that girls knew how to help their friends but rarely themselves. In his mind, Shelley did everything right.

Shelley essentially giftwrapped Livia, hoping that Livia would benefit from it. He understood that Livia would never choose such a dress for herself, despite the fact that it probably looked the best on her of whatever they saw. This dress oozed a confidence and sophistication that a friend would notice more objectively versus the lens of a teen's own insecurities. Given how many female students Bill had dated already, he thoroughly understood the insecurity. Livia probably had noticed that he tended to date blondes, often pretty and vapid ones. He decided he couldn't refuse Livia tonight, even with all he had said and still believed. He would inadvertently hurt her, stoic though she had shown herself to be. He could think about the future tomorrow. Tonight would just involve fun.

Whether in a larger group or by themselves, Bill did not leave her side, except to get her something to drink. Even when Percy wanted to talk to his brother, he held onto Livia. Bill basically told Percy to ask him later, like tomorrow. At some point, Reggie came by Livia smiling so happily that Bill wondered what that was about. She told him that he was the one who requested the Bob Marley song and felt very good about when it was played, as the list covered all sorts of tempos, voices, emotions and genres, even if much of it had a bright, danceable beat such as the slightly older American song, the Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed." He found Livia and Shelley had done a lot of research to put together a playlist.

Professor Flitwick had figured out what seemed like a well-conceived plot by Shelley Silver to push Livia and Bill Weasley together. As long as they both seemed happy and broke no school rules, he had nothing to say. Remotely, Professor Dumbledore also saw the scene unfold and even thought of sending a note of congratulations to Shelley Silver for getting Livia to reconsider her decision not to pursue Bill Weasley. Or getting him to reconsider. He did not hear what they said to each other, so he could not judge how much one needed to do it versus the other.

Unlike him, Professor Snape had nothing better to do and could listen to everything, so he took in the entire conversation that no one else heard. It made him curious to see how her roommates dressed her, so he figured out how to see it. He was impressed. That she carried off such an outfit with poise he also found noteworthy. The music Shelley Silver chose had an unmistakable significance as well. Her friends wanted him to take a fancy to her. He had not forgotten about such things but lacked friends who might try that. He actually thought: _If Bill Weasley walks away from her again, he's an idiot._

Except for the second half of the previous Winter Ball, Livia could not remember being happier at school. She did not have huge expectations, given what she already knew. She enjoyed the entire event wholeheartedly and knew when that one song would start, the evening would soon end. She wished there was spell to stop time, just to extend the evening for as long as she could. Of course, the last song was so much fun, everyone shouted the chorus at maximum volume: "You gotta fight for your right to paaarrrrtay!" Even that time, Professor Snape could not help but smile a bit, remembering Livia singing/yelling it in his voice. Okay, he was amused now. No one would ever know.

Even in the turned-up light of the Great Hall, Bill found his unplanned date (as far as he knew) still looked incredible. But what would he do with her? Once again, he found himself walking outside with her, this time also holding her hand. No, he would remember her name – just as she would obviously remember his. For the first time in years perhaps, he felt unsure – not about her – but about what he should or should not do. He did not want to break her heart, but he sure wanted to get his hands on her. He knew he needed to tell her something. He confessed that he would serve as Head Boy next year and would have a problem finding significant time for anyone. Moreover, he did not want to risk falling in love with her and yet…

He started kissing her again and again on the bridge. This time he meant it with a lot more passionate intent than the first time. He then said, "I am torn about what I should do. I don't want to toy with your heart, much less my own, but I want more."

"That is quite a conflict. I have no answer because I feel your conflict and it makes me feel the same way. I don't want to fix or change you, but here we are, and I am not ready for this night to end yet."

"Neither am I," he said, kissing her again and again.

They obviously had two choices – well, Bill knew he did, anyway. Livia did not fully understand the significance if they crossed the bridge or turned back. Nothing would ever look the same if they went forward. Both choices had consequences, though. The fact that Bill realized that Livia did not understand enough about the consequences proved sobering. He did not know if he truly thought for both of them, only that he would not like himself very much if he went forward to any degree then opted to later jerk her straight backward at some point down the line. He had to be better than that. Something about being the first child kicked in or imagining someone pulling his sister then pushing her away. Livia was in over her head, and she did not recognize it. He doubted Shelley knew, either – what "changing his mind" might mean. This was not about having a few dates.

Finally, after much time had elapsed, Bill stopped and spoke to her softly, "I think we have to stop before this gets too serious for either of us. I would hurt you way too much if I did anything else right now. Actually, I think I will hurt you whatever I do, but this I think is easier on you."

Livia wanted to speak but he put a finger over her mouth. "Tonight, this will hurt me to stop. But tomorrow or later you will hurt much more if I don't. I don't want to take responsibility for doing that. Wait for the right time and the right young man." Still, he kissed her again and again, then took her hand and led her through the courtyard back inside. "Someday you will understand why I did this. I just hope right now that I have done the right thing for both of us." Once again he hugged her tightly and only very slowly let her go back to the Ravenclaw rooms.

With a heady mixture of feelings swirling around her head, she entered the room. "There you are!" Shelley cried. "I wondered if I needed to start a search for you. Where have you been all this time?"

"With – with Bill," Livia answered, still not totally coherent.

"Ut oh," Ted asserted. "You look dazed. The charms of Bill Weasley have struck again."

"Oh, more juicy stuff this time!" Don assessed. "You seem out of sorts but look perfectly fine. Anyone want to diagnose the patient?"

"Where were you?" Athena asked.

"On the bridge," Livia replied. "Bill could not decide whether to cross it or turn back. We ultimately turned back."

The four boys looked at each other. Don, then the rest of them, understood something they did not wish to mention to these girls. They wondered if Livia knew what she was saying. They concluded that she did not, given the straightforward way she answered that question, which likely prompted Bill to turn back. She looked very mature in her dress but remained an innocent girl. He had seen this and did not want to challenge or change that. Once they had figured that part out, they stopped asking questions. None of them knew if they could pull back like that, considerate, noble and brave though it was for him to have done. They found a lot of new respect for him to not trifle with her, despite whatever temptations he felt at that moment.

Livia would have slept through breakfast if Shelley had not ensured she got out of the room and eaten. The boys again said nothing about the previous night whilst the girls seemed not to have figured out that they had put Livia in a potentially life-changing situation that she did not know how to handle. A different boy would have overlooked her ignorance, exploited the situation and not cared about any repercussions. Livia seemed to be in her own world and barely kept her eyes open, though later in the day had recovered enough to resume working towards her final exams.

Livia sought out Helena Ravenclaw. She needed someone who had so much accumulated knowledge from seeing so many situations for so long to get her head on straight. She sought her out and not long afterward had reduced herself to tears, given her inability to process what happened the way she usually had done.

"These are your emotions," Helena stated. "They must be new to you. If that boy could not make a commitment to you, he did the right thing bringing you back before doing anything else."

"I don't understand," Livia said.

"I know you don't and I presume he also figured that out," she asserted. "I should not be the one to tell you. Your mother should have explained this."

"What mother?" Livia asked. "That woman who partly raised me never wanted to be my mother. I think she only agreed in principle because it made her husband look good, and he limited her inconvenience by making me wear everything her own daughter grew out of using."

"A school nurse?" Helena inquired.

"Well she explained a few things to me, but nothing entirely helpful here."

"Don't you have any older woman to speak with you?"

"My brother has a girlfriend," Livia responded. "They live together in London currently."

"Ask her. She will know what you do not understand. I doubt I can really help you, given my own limited experiences. And those experiences give me some bitterness that makes me the wrong person to consult. I think you innately know that. I lack anything personally helpful, and I do not wish that what happened to me determines how things turn out for you."

Livia tried to pull herself together, after another session outside, which began with as a festival of sad tunes,* with much of it in her own voice, as mushy as she had ever sounded. She was heard, as had happened before, but she felt totally oblivious and did not care about the possibility. She knew the words and felt the emotions, but clearly she still felt some detachment because she did not know enough about what a few lines in these songs personally or practically meant. _He weaseled out somehow. He pulled back and she had no clue why he did it. She cannot process what happened and needs to refocus._

She did manage some of that, in part because she had done such good work beforehand. She just had to reframe her mind to execute what she easily knew. She pulled it off, not perfectly, but extremely well, given the circumstances. During the last faculty meeting, her name came up only because of the slight discrepancy between her work all year and the previous year to her slightly under-performing.

"It is not terribly significant, and hardly occurred in every exam – so maybe we bore her, but why do you think she showed just a little less than her typical performance, Filius?" the headmaster asked. "Do you think her dueling issues with you affected her finals a little?"

"I cannot say for sure what happened between the end of classes and the final exams," he replied. "She seemed her usual self the night of our dance, and actually I would say very happy."

"Anyone see her soon afterward?" the headmaster asked.

"I saw her," Professor Snape revealed. He lied. He _heard_ her afterward but did not see her. "I think this is a personal issue related to what happened immediately after the dance. She looked rather unlike herself – more emotional than she ever displays."

"What happened, Filius?" the headmaster asked.

"I cannot tell you," he responded. "She spent basically the whole evening dancing with Bill Weasley. They seemed quite happy."

"How did he act, Minerva?" the headmaster inquired.

"He did fine on his finals, nothing unusual at all, but he did seem preoccupied or distracted the last I spoke with him. His head definitely was somewhere else."

"Well, this may sound like a personal issue," the headmaster surmised. "Something perhaps happened that did not sit well with either one. To be young and feel that keen sting called love. Who knows who stung the other first, but apparently they both felt it, probably she more, given their differences in age if not dating experience."

Livia carefully stored things that she could retrieve in the fall but need not take with her. It seemed their room would shift slightly, though none of them expressed an interest in changing it. The eight of them would remain housed together for the rest of their time at school. The gender divide occasionally involved a few awkward moments, but no one ever got offended. It seemed part of a learning experience, if they ever had to co-exist in any collective living situation. They moved some items to the new room that did not need to travel home. Livia had no reason to remove her large CD player, for one. She did take all her clothes, including the dress she wore to the music club dance. Livia hoped that maybe it might help Alice explain what happened, since she had no idea. She thought maybe she had said or done something wrong.

*Author's Note

The standup film _Raw_ , starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Robert Townsend, was released in the UK in November 1987. It remains the largest box office grossing film of its type.

The song "Need You Tonight," written by Andrew Fariss and Michael Hutchence, appears on the INXS 1987 album _Kick_ and was released in multiple formats, including as a 1987 single.

Among the many sad items found in a 1980s music collection, many would derive from the duo of Bernie Taupin (lyrics) and Elton John (music) such as "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." The lyrics of particular song from 1983 were co-written by band member Davey Johnstone.


	16. The Talk, a Move and Visit(s)

Before departing school for the summer, Livia again knew that her brother would spend much of the summer in London before transferring back to Durham, where colleagues would evaluate him on being accepted as a practicing barrister. Some thought him a future judge and believed he had shown every quality needed to succeed. He credited his early intense desire to free Livia and work with her solicitor in preparing him to become ready at a fairly early age. Livia recognized that moving back to Durham would make her return to school a bit difficult but thought she could use a trip to seeing Shelley, perhaps right after her birthday, as the means to make the outbound train and get everything she needed there before it departed. Since Brontë now knew her and accepted her, Shelley's owl could make this arrangement work extremely well. Brontë expressed some misgivings about leaving her owl friends as well as whatever confinement they placed on her. Livia told her to not give them any cause to worry about her whereabouts and she would impress on Shelley that Brontë would not try escaping because she wanted to return to school in the fall. Brontë was a model pet, even quiet, much of the time away.

Just as she contemplated if she would receive another request from Professor Snape, the owl Ellen tapped at the window and delivered a note. It read:

 _Dear Miss Woodcock,_

 _Congratulations on surviving your exams another year, under what I understand were not ideal circumstances._

 _As you have come to recognize, I do value the services you have performed ably in the past and ask if I can receive them again this year. I will do whatever I can to make this situation convenient for you._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Professor Snape_

Livia contemplated the note. His offer might make her situation more convenient versus less, depending on how her birthday played out, which fell on a Sunday. She thought that might work in her favor if he did not do his inventory or potion making until 29 August. She sent back a quick letter to him, which Ellen again appreciated:

 _Dear Professor Snape,_

 _Thank you, though, no, they were not ideal and the reasons are not well understood by me as of yet. Helena Ravenclaw suggested that I ask my mother. I obviously cannot do that, so I will ask Alice West, my brother's girlfriend, to explain it._

 _Since the 28th of August falls on a Sunday, I could join you Monday on the 29th and you may be able to send me to Shelley Silver's home after that. My brother is moving back to the Durham area towards summer's end, so I need to put together something that works for him, but also includes shopping and thus making the Express._

 _Let me know if what I suggest fits._

 _Best,_  
 _Livia Woodcock_

The train again seemed outrageously boisterous, a phenomenon which seemed to get bigger every year. Reggie made sure he found Livia to thank her again for including a Bob Marley song. He a few other proposals – first a rap group in the U.S. called Run-D.M.C. He suggested something called "It's Tricky." The second concerned an album that also formed the basis of a film: _Purple Rain_ by Prince and the Revolution. Livia said she would try to get both albums and check them out. She thanked him and wondered why, since he had good ideas, he did not join the club. He was not sure his suggestions would go over well, since it seemed the playlists tended to concentrate on a certain style, which he presumed Shelley chose. Livia apologized that they often played what she knew, but since she recognized how some resisted this stuff in general, she had no qualms about mixing up a playlist, even with older recordings of various genres, to improve the event – after all, they still used an older record format. He left, happy that she seemed open to his thoughts.

"Maybe we should give you a mic, Livia," Shelley suggested later, reviewing the dance. "Forget the muggles, you can sing – if you just did songs as faculty members, it would be hilarious."

"Somehow I think that might cause an issue for Professor Flitwick," Livia responded.

"Not if you did him, too," Shelley offered.

"Seems a little off point and it would create too much attention towards me, even if it had nothing to do with my studies," Livia asserted.

"Eh, we should keep that to ourselves," Athena suggested. "I want to hear another song in Professor Snape's voice."

To the rest of the Ravenclaw roommates, Livia made a confession: "Professor Snape may have heard me do his voice. Since I didn't use it on him all year, I opted to try to make him laugh."

"Why?" Ted asked. "What did you do?"

"I was not far from his window before our club event doing him rapping that Beastie Boys's song 'Fight for Your Right (to Party)'," she revealed.

"That's outrageously funny. Do you think he heard it?" Selene inquired.

"He probably would never admit it," Livia replied. "Yet his hearing is acute. That's why people think he has eyes in the back of his head. My question is whether he thought it amusing."

"Would he know a joke if it bit him?" Ted queried. "I mean, it could antagonize him."

"From what I understand, the headmaster tries playfully teasing him now and again," Livia revealed. "He must think it worthwhile to try. I thought it funny."

"I don't understand your motive," Shelley asserted. "Still, as long as it wasn't that INXS song. I hate to see what he would have done over that. I found it priceless, though."

Since most there were as perplexed as Shelley, they all but forgot the question as to if Professor Snape heard Livia. Livia briefly wondered what Bill Weasley thought about during the trip, but given his responsibilities and two brothers on board, it likely did not concern her, so she dismissed it. He had thought about her, though, just wondering if he had done the right thing, a question he ultimately resolved only long after he graduated. Charlie only found her relationships with animals interesting. Percy still could not entirely accept that she did not hex Emilia, though he had to admit his brother's response to her during that club dance was genuine. He questioned a little why nothing further happened afterward, but Bill took his exams so seriously that Percy did not feel the need to press him much. Bill never forgot or misplaced his priorities.

Soon enough the train pulled into King's Cross station and Livia made sure everyone else's address had not changed. She told them hers would, but she did not know the details as to when and precisely where. She did tell Shelley that she would like to shop for the new school year again with her, as well as perhaps a visit, which Shelley enthusiastically encouraged. Livia indicated that she might come on 29 August and they could make the train together on 1 September. She just had to work out some details, which depended on what her brother did.

Since Livia did not transfer everything from Hogwarts, she did not fully fill up a cart. She still carted Sarah's remains and her stuffed bobcat everywhere and did not see stopping that any time soon. Other students, anxious to meet their families, had more or less said quick goodbyes and moved onward while Livia slowly made her towards the main floor. She spotted Ellen again swooping down to leave her a note. Livia thought that Ellen must be the speediest owl she knew. It said:

 _Dear Miss Woodcock,_

 _Your sense of timing makes sense. It would be best if you are ready to work early on the 29th. If your brother moves again northward, it should help your travel schedule to be able to do this._

 _I can arrange for you to travel directly to the Silver residence though it would best if they thought you came from somewhere else other than my Slytherin office. Since you can recall and send items, just put a note on my desk there that you arrived safely. The headmaster will appreciate seeing it._

 _Hope to see you then. Enjoy your break._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _P.S._

Everything seemed to line up well. He did seem warmer in print, she figured, which she never could explain to her own satisfaction. She later made sure to let Shelley know that she expected 29 August to work, probably in the afternoon. Meantime, she sent back a simple acknowledgement to Professor Snape agreeing to his timetable and figured, if she left the Durham area around sundown on the 28th, she would try to get a note to him saying she had arrived, so he could give her an exact time, rather than apparently scold her if he thought her late.

She made her way once more to the main level refreshment area of the station. This time only Alice and Tom had come, with others making merry at their flat to celebrate his 6 July birthday. This time Livia had not come emptyhanded. She had to explain, however, that these cufflinks which she found handsome had come from an antique store, to explain what looked like old-fashioned craftsmanship. She hugged them both, but Tom thought she looked a little run down. She told him it was nothing significant. Her exams had gone pretty well, but she had a few things lingering on her mind that she hoped she could soon cast aside.

All of Tom's friends, including Audrey, Jake, John (with new girlfriend Lesley), Adam (with girlfriend Linda), and Gary (with his girlfriend Penny) had practically filled the flat, which if spacious by London standards did not rate as huge. Livia found she had plenty of new people to meet, but given that they knew a decent amount about her already, the gathering did not become intimidating. The three new women were easy to tell apart by hair length, color and height. Penny, the tallest, had deep auburn hair put into a simple, if long, ponytail. Lesley, the smallest of the three, had short, blonde hair, somewhat along the lines of certain pop stars with punky styles, and Linda, in between in height, had medium length brown hair swept to one side. They all seemed good natured and well attached to the young men they accompanied. Gary, in particular, looked mature with his short hair and professional attire. Abby hid from the noise of so many people but Livia found her and told her all was okay and carried her out so everyone assembled could fuss over her for a few minutes until she said she wanted to sleep on Livia's bed, where she felt safe.

It seemed all had a great deal to talk about so questions to Livia only came up sporadically. Jake asked about Livia's friend Ted, saying he seemed like a nice enough bloke. Jake asked why Livia hadn't snapped him up. Livia explained that he was her friend, and they lived in the same room with three other girls and three other guys. Tom had to inquire about the lad he and Alice swore not to mention to Ted. Everyone wanted to hear about that. Livia did not relish this.

"I was right," Livia admitted. "He did know the guy I spoke about. It was an interesting year as far as that went, but I am still trying to figure all that out, so I don't know what to say."

"How about are you together with the boy or not?" Adam asked. "How about what does he look like or what is his name?"

"His name is Bill, he is tall with longish straight red hair and blue eyes and no I am not with him."

"I never knew you liked redheads," Gary stated. "Is his butt nicer than that guy you stared at during Live Aid?"

"Who told you about that?" Livia demanded. John, Adam and Tom's hands all went up. "Gee, thanks. Gary, I don't know without them side-by-side. And I sure did not know about redheads, either. I just happened to like this one. I really never noticed him a great deal until I actually spoke to him. But I do not wish to say more right now. It's rather pointless."

The group accepted her statement, being not terribly far removed from the many problems facing adolescents. The women in the room, especially, possessing varying degrees of affinity with adolescent problems girls face, willingly pushed the conversation to complimenting Livia on her present or other topics. One asked if or when Jake and Audrey wanted to start a family while another asked about Tom's move or the status of his relationships with his family.

Jake and Audrey had no immediate plans, given they did not have enough money for sufficient living space. Tom said he was in the midst of making arrangements for a three bedroom semi-detached house to rent north of the center of Durham not far from the River Wear, though he hoped at some point to be able to buy something close to an area called The Sands, an open space near the river that reminded him of days spent by the Framlingham Mere with Adam, John and Livia. The right house had not come on the market yet, but the agent arranging the rental knew what he wanted and would let him know as soon as he could find a seller.

As for his parents, he got on better with his father, and Cathy had started to contact him frequently, but he had not patched up things with his mother, basically because she remained either blinded or unrepentant that she handled problems Lydia created with kid gloves and that Lydia had caused much more harm than Livia. As for Lydia, he basically had little contact with her. She showed no initiative, and he certainly would not prod her for any. The intervening years since she bamboozled those two court judges had only made her more petty, entitled and spoiled. He asserted that if his father caved on helping her move financially, he would do so to get her out of his house, in the hope that he could finally make his wife see the truth. Things started to improve with that impromptu trip his father and Cathy made to Durham on Livia's actual birthday.

"I'm just glad I don't have to hide this, but I really do not like Lydia at all," Alice stated. "I've met young women and girls with titles and all sorts of privileges far better grounded than she is. And some do feel entitled and privileged – rightly or wrongly – so this statement is significant. What really got under my skin was that show she put on for my cousin Bertie. I think he was shocked and I was embarrassed. Bertie is one of a very few that I feel inclined to impress."

"You weren't the only one upset," Tom revealed. "I was extremely uncomfortable, but my father took action. He couldn't have dragged Lydia away from the table any quicker than he did. I'm still not sure what he said, but she seemed scared for the first time, ever. I hope whatever he did made a lasting impression."

Livia said nothing – at least at first. Internally, she thought Tom wished for a miracle. If Lydia could be bratty in front of people Alice knew, how would she act around Livia? "Frankly, I thought she might behave better if I left, but she didn't. I cannot imagine how that weekend would have turned out had I stayed."

"I have thought of that, too, I confess," Tom admitted. "But I doubt it made a difference."

"Then I guess the two of you will never marry," Jake asserted. "With a minister father on one side and a father who would invite the queen herself on the other, I cannot see how you could ever pull that off."

"Sorry, Alice, but I have considered this, too," Tom agreed. "I can imagine Lydia spoiling a wedding if she thought she got one iota of attention or some other reward out of it."

"At my expense, I'm sure," Livia said. "Tom, if you did go ahead, would you take it badly if I just didn't go, for this reason?"

"Of course!" Tom and Alice said simultaneously. Alice added, "She can try whatever she wants, but if I have to do it, I would get her kicked out first – and I would tell your mother off, Tom, if she made a peep of protest about it, too. I would not stand for it, and I know plenty of people in my family who would be only-too-glad to do it to protect their relative who would also be the bride. So don't think that way, Livia."

The rest of the night proceeded joyously without any serious issues coming up, certainly none directed at Livia. Given that she was almost 16, they let her participate in a proper toast of her brother. At some point, Tom took calls from his father, who made apologies for not coming, but he thought he could not do so without bringing his wife and Lydia, so he opted to call instead. Cathy called also, sounding a little down, owing to the death of a dumped cat who wound up testing positive for FIP – Feline Infectious Peritonitis, a death sentence for a cat. She felt the owners irresponsibly treated this cat and then abandoned her mercilessly. She took such cases hard. She hoped she offered the fragile cat a modicum of comfort, but the cruelty or thoughtlessness of people towards animals wound up being the biggest thing Cathy detested about Lydia. She had acted that way as a child, and she thought carelessly about any "dumb animal" that Cathy had treated with care. Her love of animals had always drawn her closer to Livia and, instead of doing something to recognize her own lack of sympathy as a problem, Lydia chose to blame Livia. Cathy saw that Lydia's cruelty was solely Lydia's own fault.

Things fell into somewhat of a routine, though this time Tom had more time to spend doing things with Alice and Livia, though they knew the time to start packing soon would start very soon. Before that got intense, and with Tom had gone out on an errand, Livia thought she finally should try to figure out what happened. She started describing a dance held at the end of last term and all the care her friend Shelley had put into essentially pushing her together with Bill. She showed her the outfit she wore and described what the other girls had done with her hair. Alice was curious and asked to see Livia in the dress. So she put it on. She described the first dance and played the song her friend arranged to use, knowing he would dance with Livia to it.

Alice was mesmerized. She saw Shelley had more than dabbled in matchmaking and asked how it went. Livia told her Bill danced with her the whole night, essentially. Then she got to the part she did not understand. She told Alice how they had walked to the bridge, what Bill said and what he did and how they spent a good hour there or so, with him indecisive about crossing the bridge or going back inside the school. Alice asked about what was beyond the bridge and Livia told her simply a lot of grass, some trees and a wonderful view of the night sky. In the end, they went back inside, and she had not really seen him or spoken to him after that night. She mentioned that someone told her that she should have a talk with her mother, but obviously Livia couldn't do that. So she told Alice what had happened to figure out what, if anything, she did wrong.

Alice told her that she did nothing wrong. This boy made his reluctance to take her further from the school clear. Alice relayed to Livia that they had gone past the issue of dating. The issue for him was how entangled he wanted to become romantically with her.

Livia revealed that was what she did not understand. She asked what that meant.

Alice could not say how far this Bill felt tempted to go. She asked her how interested or aroused he was. Livia wondered if she meant breathing heavy or what. Only by the end of the day, did Livia realize that Alice meant much more.

Alice figured it out that, being removed from her home at 11, and having few motherly figures in her life, Livia had nothing but complete ignorance about what could have happened that night. This Bill, sensing she had no idea, felt it best to not try to cajole her into doing anything she could later regret. Alice left Tom a note and, after Livia changed, took her to a zoo and tried to show her a few things about animals and thus, by association, human beings. Livia knew Sydney and Mel had owlets but needed to see what their "bonding" actually entailed. Rituals varied among various creatures, Alice told her, but human beings had their own. One could say both Barn Owls and people danced at least sometimes. She guessed that a young adult male saw Livia as attractive, which he interpreted differently than she did. If he had already been kissing her for some time, he very well thought of doing more than that, perhaps a lot more.

Slowly, what Alice said and showed her began to make sense and fit into feelings she had that she could not either totally own or name. She knew lots of things but never put them together in a way that sufficiently told her what she needed to know, as far as it had applied to herself. She also found out why the boys in her room had stopped pestering her for details about what had happened with Bill, unlike after the Winter Ball, because they saw his dilemma better than she had, despite the fact she was there instead of them.

Livia slowly came to terms with the fact that Bill had grasped her utter naivety and opted to preserve it rather than exploit it, since he felt it fair that he did so. The other boys apparently respected him for having chosen this path. Alice also gave him a lot of credit because he likely knew what could have happened had he wanted it to happen and, being only 17, he could not have done that easily. If he felt he had protected himself, he clearly thought he had protected her, too.

Simply put, Livia came to make peace with what at the time felt like "the one who got away," never appreciating that for at least a time he could have said the same thing. Time and distance would make him fully accept the fact that he had done the right thing; only after that could he find himself ready to meet the right woman at the right time, though he never did forget Livia. She would not forget, either, and the lesson she drew made her determined not to give up too soon, again, though she would wait, as Bill told her.

Later that night, after what seemed to be a pleasant enough dinner and another film, Alice told Tom how unprepared Livia was to deal with relationships with boys. He admitted that to him she seemed to know so much that he had no idea she did not understand. Alice had to remind him that, whilst she could fathom the emotions of others, she had very little experience with her own. This had left her quite open to be an object of prey to a boy wishing to take advantage of her.

Tom's eyes widened and he felt overcome with dread, wanting to know if that was why she seemed so forlorn when they first saw her – that this young man had done exactly that. Alice shook her head. Whilst Livia thought she had done something wrong to push him away, this teen, the one who her friends wanted to see her date, feared he would fall in love with her. They had succeeded so well, it must have spooked him a little. He ultimately opted not to take advantage of her and break her heart. She took it as a rejection at least to some extent, though he wanted not to exploit her innocence only to deeply hurt her later. Apparently, he had made himself clear that he did not want a serious relationship as a student, and her friends thought they could make him change his mind. He saw her differently but not exactly in the way that they wanted.

Tom found himself relieved, though he accepted that the angst she probably suffered had to be quite real and, given her lack of her own experience, had to rattle her seriously. He admitted not knowing how he could have prepared her for that. Alice told him that, for a young girl, this sort of problem was universal and, though she could have been more aware of the ramifications for herself, she did not know if the outcome could have been better. Many, many girls had stories about a first love or a first crush that only made them feel diminished as people and even shut themselves down afterwards, if the experience had become particularly traumatic. Some girls get through this time more unscathed than others, Alice told him. Livia's brush with it could have gone a lot worse and, perhaps because of it, she would become more successful the next time.

Not much more time went by till it they had to pack up everything to move back to Durham. Livia seemed very capable in assisting with organization and labeling, whilst her belongings had remained mostly packed, augmented by just a few items of hers that Tom and Alice had kept. They had started eating off disposable dishes if they did not eat out and Tom had made the arrangements for movers to show up on Thursday, 18 August. Tom rented a car to drive some personal belongings of his and Alice, Livia's things and Abby with her things. They had a little going away party a few days before and most of their friends came, but Tom's prospects made the move a happy occasion. Alice also anticipated the potential of further archival training to do work with various papers, though she had not rejected the possibility of pursuing a DPhil, given that she already possessed a Master's degree. A DPhil might not take too long, given that status. Further, she had access to things few as of yet could read, as well as some stories passed down over generations which could have an impact on, say, the work of the first Earl Russell on the Reform Bill of 1832 or the Irish Potato Famine. Finding the right match with someone interested in a backstory of some great event could prove difficult, but some knew who tended to read family-related documents and it might not pose as great as issue as it would for someone lacking access to such information as well as the training to know what to do with it. Still, she would wait until everything came together to make the timing right.

Livia almost forgot how long car rides took, since she had not traveled in one for many years. She understood the convenience for muggles, but she so looked forward to being able to learn apparition. Still, even broom riding seemed so much faster even if Alice considered Tom something of a lead foot, especially on a motorway. It did afford an interesting perspective on the landscape, at least. Tom intended to beat the movers to the new location and direct them when they arrived the next day to deliver their things. One they arrived, Livia got a chance to evaluate the space and thought it more than adequate, especially as a temporary convenience until Tom found what he wanted. Tom's firm helped with the move back and seemed to have scheduled things to do by the end of the month, which made Livia's departure appropriate. She knew they intended to have a bedroom for Livia, one for Tom to have an office/study space and a bedroom for Tom and Alice to share. Livia had known of their relationship for some time, so she recognized how weird it must have seemed that she knew certain things and even took them for granted yet it seemed so entirely different when she had to deal with such things herself. Her brain and her heart had not reconciled nearly enough – only that explained to Livia why she took the end of last term so hard.

After Livia helped Tom and Alice set up the new residence, she got a chance to see why Tom wanted to live by The Sands. It made at least some sense, since the area near the castle on the other side of the Wear was not really feasible. Having an extra room required a few additions but the house came with some built-in shelving so it did not require many additional items. Livia did not want them to buy too much on her account, given she did not know how long they would stay there or how often she would come there. Still, it worked to split up some things into two rooms that had cluttered Tom's office when it doubled as Livia's sleeping area. She would even have a closet for her own things.

Alice compelled Livia to wear the dress she wore to her end-of-term dance to the dinner for her 16th birthday party, which they held at the hotel where Gary had become a more valuable employee and Audrey and Jake, along with Penny, joined them. Tom found the dress eye-opening regarding his maturing sister, who seemed to resemble him more as time passed. He had to ask Alice where Livia had gotten it. When Alice explained that she had worn it to that dance at school, Tom almost snapped his neck back. _So that is what that 17-year-old boy saw. Blimey, he resisted her wearing that. Amazing._ The others had sent cards via Gary. Rev. Woodcock and Cathy had again made up a story to account for their absence from Framlingham. Both wanted to see Tom's new residence, also. Everything went well and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening – Livia had made sure not to tell Tom exactly when she planned to leave. Fortunately, given the date, everyone had to scatter after a somewhat early dinner. Rev. Woodcock had even arranged for a guest minister and kept his wife and Lydia in the dark about it, saying Cathy needed his help that day. Since neither remembered Livia's actual birthday was not 4 September, they suspected nothing.

When Rev. Woodcook and Cathy left, Livia finally told Tom that she had to take her leave that evening to meet up with her friend Shelley, ultimately. Tom never got entirely used to her propensity for leaving near dusk, but given the fact she had sent him messages and never made a misstep in doing this, he kept his mouth shut, merely expressing his concern and confusion to Alice. Alice said simply that, whilst she did not understand it either, Livia had to have a reason for it and would tell them in her own time. As long as she continued to send notes saying she was fine and turned up when she said she would, they should trust her. They did before when it was even stranger and she was much younger. Now, it had become routine.

Livia returned to school not long after dark. She had found a way to fly a little earlier and remained unseen, by changing her flightpath depending on the location. Her confidence had grown to such that somewhat populated areas did not keep her from using her headphones and her shrunken baggage all fit into what she could wear, including a few new albums she had bought in Durham and CDs she had received before her departure. She arrived at school shortly after 9 pm, settled into the new room and wrote a quick note for Sevy to deliver to Professor Snape, letting him know that she had arrived and asking him exactly when he expected her. As she waited for an answer, she wrote a note to send to her brother. She also decided to play something and sing, after putting that deep red silk dress away. She picked "What You Need" by INXS,* but she did not know anyone could hear her. She thought she had protected the room, even though she had turned up the volume whilst singing and dancing:

 _Don't you get sad and lonely_  
 _You need a change from what you do all day_  
 _Ain't no sense in all your crying_  
 _Pick it up and throw it into shape_

Just then she heard a knock on her door, which really struck her as odd. Sevy would not and could not do that. After turning down the volume, she opened the door. And there he was in the flesh – a rather dour but befuddled Professor Snape.

"You are not the only one who knows how to negotiate this place by yourself," he stated.

Livia realized he could do the "pay you back" thing, too. "Sir, I am confused. I thought Sevy would bring me a note."

"I wanted to see if you truly were in any shape to work," he asserted. "You seemed somewhat out of sorts at the end of last term."

"Yes, I suppose so," Livia admitted. "I have tried to make my peace with that. I will not bore you with the teenage drama details. I'm sure you have heard about enough of those."

"For your sake, for your birthday, I'll say this," he said. "Bill Weasley is an idiot."

"Thank you," Livia said, giving him a thin smile. "Maybe he is, maybe not. I cannot say except to repeat what he told me, which took time for me to process."

"Why would you make excuses for someone who hurt you, obviously?" he asked.

"He might have hurt me worse, though," Livia answered. "I think I should shut up now."

"So now _you_ are uncomfortable," he observed. "Interesting. Since you take such glee in trying to annoy me, why should I stop pressing you to explain your excuses for him?"

"Since you put it that way, don't say I did not warn you," Livia offered. "Bill Weasley told me he has plans beyond school that do not involve having a serious relationship here, with me or anyone else. We spent about an hour on the bridge by the courtyard and he could not decide whether to cross it with me or go back. We went back. Have I told you enough?"

He remembered his own years as a student and what students did on various parts of the grounds over his many years there – she had told him plenty.

"You have said enough," he admitted. "I hope you do not mind if I still think he's an idiot."

"Doesn't surprise me in the least," Livia asserted. "You might be more charitable if he belonged to your house."

"A member of my house, for good or ill, would never have done what he did. Ever." He paused. "Does listening to this stuff really help you?"

"It has for years," Livia admitted. "I retain a connection to those I know and love with it. Would you give that up?" She had no idea how he took that question.

"Probably not," he said blankly. "Do you want to start the inventory now or tomorrow? I realize not all your avian friends are alert right now, though the owls should be. We could just set aside tasks for them now and ask the crows tomorrow."

"Okay, let me secure this machine first and grab the letter I just wrote to Tom," Livia agreed.

"Take my sleeve again when ready," he directed her.

Livia almost instantly found herself near the inventory closet and released Professor Snape's sleeve. She found some parchment and ink. She knew the drill by now. She began keeping a re-ordering list, marking those that take longer to procure, and a second list for procuring locally. They worked well together, but the task still took about an hour. He cleaned out the non-viable materials and the two moved the jars of items on the second list to the front of the room. He looked at the list and saw three items in particular that Barn Owls would be more suitable to retrieve than crows. Livia divided those away from the rest, opened a window and called to see if Sevy, Sydney and Mel could come for a task.

Professor Snape produced a pot of tea and two cups with saucers. Whilst they waited for the owls, he poured tea for both and they quietly drank it. He had reconsidered what he said about Bill Weasley, but would not tell her that. He could not say if she fared better for him going back or not. He had witnessed his share of overwrought girls from the years he had taught there. Perhaps Bill Weasley had considered her as much as himself, perhaps he thought only of feeling guilty had he taken advantage of her just to dismiss her later. Since Professor Snape had no experience with such a problem, his assessment of Slytherin students in his mind included himself, he thought.

Just then, Sevy, Sydney and Mel entered the room one by one. Livia inquired as to how all fared and they affirmed their health and that Hagrid had taken good care of them. Livia gave each of them a task that they seemed best equipped to handle. Each understood their task and flew off. Livia ensured they saw food as they left, in case they needed it and ensured there would be enough upon their return as well.

"I should be accustomed to this by now, but every time I see it, I find it fascinating to watch," he observed. "Here, have more tea."

"Tell me one thing," Livia requested. "Did you hear me doing that Beastie Boys's song in your voice?"

"I did," he admitted. "You have a strange sense of humor. No wonder why the headmaster consistently inquires about you. I think you share this. I should have countered to suggest that you were his daughter when he joked with me that you could be my child."

"It wasn't funny?"

"It was highly ironic, that's for sure," he offered. "I am not the best judge of what is funny."

Livia thought he was being rather disingenuous but did not challenge him further. Mel had come back first and Livia directed him to where she wanted his catch. She bowed to him and asked him if he had enough food outside. He said he did. She asked him if he could deliver a letter to her brother in Durham, but, rather hungry, he deferred doing it to Sydney. Livia bowed and he left to peck at the food. Before Livia sat down again Sydney entered and deposited her material to the right jar. She said Mel was extra hungry so Livia added more food outside, and asked Sydney about a letter to her brother at his new residence in Durham, which Sydney accepted after she gave Sydney more details. Livia bowed to Sydney and she departed to join Mel, then fly off to Durham with the note. Sevy came several minutes later, after Livia had resumed drinking her tea. Sevy hardly needed to be told where to put his stuff, but Livia made sure. Sevy then flew to where Professor Snape sat, vocalized some whilst the professor seemed to nod a little, then as Livia bowed to him left to join the others.

"What did he say?" Professor Snape asked.

"That he was happy to be of service to you and wished you a good night," Livia replied.

"Well, I think we are done for now. What time do you want to resume?" he asked.

"You're asking me? Didn't you consider me late before?"

"I suppose," he answered. "I just want to know how long you need to sleep."

"Is eight too late?" she inquired.

"No, that is fine," he agreed. "I will have breakfast here. Just bring yourself and whatever you intend to bring to the Silver residence for your trip."

Livia came promptly on time, despite taking a minute or so to read her brother's reply, but the breakfast things already stood in the room. Professor Snape sat drinking some tea. He nodded to her and poured some tea. She took a few sips, re-opened the window and called out to Alastair, Benedict and whatever available friends they could assemble. "Have you sought out your friends yet?" he asked.

"Yes," Livia answered. "They should arrive shortly." Meantime, she put some food on the ground outside the window and sat down again.

"I could show you how to do this whole thing yourself, even though most faculty should arrive before the term starts," he asserted. "It seems to me I am becoming redundant. By the time you graduate, you may know as much as I do."

"Sorry, sir, but I find that a rather silly notion coming from you," Livia replied. "You are either flattering me or denigrating yourself and, based on what I know, I would guess the latter."

"Or maybe I would rather just sleep longer," he stated.

"You had weeks to sleep, if you needed it," Livia said. "I'm not buying this. Something else bothers you, and you will not name it."

"If so, I will not name it," he admitted. He said nothing else then.

About half a dozen crows came one by one through the open window, led by Alastair and Benedict. Livia gave them each a task, reminded them of what lay outside already and bowed to all of them. They each briefly vocalized their consent and set off.

"You could have quite a career just showing off what you can do with birds," he observed.

"I would waste a lot of other things, though," Livia asserted. "Besides, I cannot consider myself accomplished until I get you to laugh – don't tell me how badly I failed last year."

"Okay, I won't tell you," he said flatly. "I could say that you should stop trying, but I know I would not succeed. You seem very determined to find a way for me to laugh."

"Somewhere, your sense of humor cannot have died completely, sir," Livia theorized. "The headmaster must think it exists, at least."

"You draw your inspiration from him, I see," he concluded. "He's not perfect, you know."

"I think he has perfected what he does," she declared. "If his skills match his wisdom, I cannot imagine a more impressive wizard."

Just then, the first of the crows returned and Livia directed him to the right container and thanked him for his diligence. The rest returned nearly one after the other, with Alastair and Benedict returning last, given they had the two tasks the furthest away. She thanked them all and ensured enough food lay outside for them all. Just then she saw Professor Snape bring up a few additional ingredients, gave her a task that she could do from memory and set about doing his own, once Livia rearranged everything in alphabetical order.

Livia took everything she needed out of each container and laid it out next to her cauldron to complete her first task, ensuring she stayed out of his way. He seemed to be doing something very complicated. She finished before he did and watched him finish as she had some breakfast and more tea. When he turned around, she started asking him questions about what he had done, with a specificity he would have thought a graduate might not notice or ponder. It seemed that she sought a theoretical as well as practical understanding of his work, so he carefully addressed both issues. _No, she would waste a good part of herself if she only worked with birds._

"Do you remember how to store these correctly?" he asked. "These are the same as last time, but you should put mine away first."

She went through the steps meticulously but more quickly than before, as she did retain the procedure perfectly well, handling both adroitly and putting them in their proper position in his inventory closet.

"There are two more tasks, but they require a slightly different storage procedure, given the delicacy of some ingredients," he revealed. "I will show you, since some speed is ideal."

They again worked on two potions, same as before, though each possessed a rather equal amount of difficulty. Livia memorized the instructions and laid everything out as before. After several years and only one mishap, they respected each other's space yet seemed to simultaneously inhabit it. One could say from a distance that they took little notice of the other but each felt fully aware, which made the process go so smoothly. They finished at about the same time. Livia backed away so she could closely watch how he stored these potions. He seemed only to make subtle adjustments, intended to better preserve unstable mixtures that needed time to settle together as well as mature. She did not miss anything, but she refrained from asking him a question until the last item went into the closet and he closed it.

They had a brief conversation about the adjustments he had made and the reasons behind them as they finished the remaining food and tea. He seemed so at ease answering questions about his work yet so much the opposite about anything else. The incongruity struck her as odd, given he had to speak to various people every day. Yet she supposed those topics never concerned himself. She wondered if he ever spoke to anyone about that, something she could not imagine, though it would explain what she had felt. She did learn over time that some things existed that one can never say or should never say because they upset people. Others found sharing to be burdensome to hear, whether this marked an issue of self-preservation or pure selfishness. A person swamped in their own turmoil often found himself or herself unable to find an ear, with no other choice than to swallow it all and perhaps try to forget. He could not forget, though she had no idea why. He was stuck. She knew about some of that, albeit for a lot less time in Colindale.

With their breakfast done, he asked her again to follow him to his Slytherin office. He asked her to send something to Shelley to warn her of her arrival. She found she could get a fix on her and sent her a note saying she would be arriving momentarily. Sensing her own success, she bid farewell to Professor Snape, who nodded at her. He told her how to call out for Shelley's residence. She repeated it exactly, in his voice, smiling before she cast down the black powder. Scamp, he thought, shaking his head. Almost instantly, she found herself at the Silver residence.

Shelley had just finished telling her parents about her imminent arrival when she showed up. "That was fast," she asserted. "Your note must have taken time to get here. Where were you?"

"Long story and it involves the headmaster, so I really do not want to say too much," Livia answered. "If you have some paper, I need to send him a brief note confirming my arrival." She wrote it quickly and used only her initials. She then held it and thought of sending it to Professor Snape's desk. He saw it only a few minutes later. Livia then more fully greeted Shelley, greeted her mother and met Shelley's father, Marcus, a rather tall, silver-haired man who remained rather fit for his mid-40s. He seemed oddly the most enthusiastic about Livia's arrival, since he felt he had missed out on spending time with her previously, whilst his daughter and wife had done so.

She found him to be rather jovial, though strictly protective of his wife and daughter. Livia got the impression that the very conflict that caused the Hogwarts headmaster to seek the great improvement of her skills, had produced in him the opposite idea. He preferred to flee the minute the dark forces re-emerged. Indeed, the family home in West Sussex, a grand, impressive yet comfortable manor, did not exist far from the muggle's Gatwick Airport, expanding the outlets to leave fast should it become necessary. Marcus Silver only hoped his daughter would graduate before that day came. It seemed a lot of people his age, having felt lucky to miss the first war basically, would go out of their way to avoid a new one. Just a sense of what the family had and what they seemed to store, as well as the fact that Shelley knew nothing about the past – as did most of her classmates – meant they would scatter and hide until a victor emerged.

Perhaps this approach typified those sorted into Ravenclaw. Livia saw herself more like a Bedlington Terrier – sensitive and lamb-like in appearance but very stubborn, loyal and feisty, when needed. That is, the exterior did not match the temperament and many could misjudge her, to their own peril. Perhaps some Slytherin cleverness existed but at heart lay the Gryffindor lion. Livia finally saw why the sorting hat paused in placing her. She remained studious but, if pushed, she would never back down. She just had to keep that tenacity going when dueling.

They all spent the rest of the day in good spirits, since all remained well. Brontë also seemed happy to see her, expressing that, though she missed the other owls, the Silver family had treated her well and gave her some opportunity to enjoy some freedom, confident she would return thanks to her comportment all summer. Sheila really knew how to spoil children with food and took pride in ensuring Livia as well as Shelley ate well. Both Sheila and Marcus expressed curiosity about the headmaster's interest in her. She told them it extended from him finding her and admitting her as an older student. Shelley asserted something different.

"He knows she is a genius, no doubt," Shelley revealed. "I think he grooms her for something, but she will not say what it is."

"I honestly do not know what he wants, other than me to be able to duel well."

"Duel?" Marcus asked. "That is not a separate subject now, is it?"

"No," Livia answered. "I have been working with Professor Flitwick for some time. I have only a slight idea who he expects me to have to fight. But he wanted me comfortable with a wand, since I started late with one, as well as for me to become potentially lethal."

"Oh," Marcus said. He had some idea. The headmaster had identified her talent and wanted her for an inevitable future that Marcus would flee rather than face. The headmaster thought so far ahead that Marcus had no doubt where that would go. Marcus Silver would only add "Professor Flitwick was a champion duelist. If you can beat him that says something."

"Now that he has shown me his full talents, I cannot as of yet," Livia stated. "I have to rethink how to attack him and keep my ability to protect myself high. It's a balancing act for me."

Livia and Shelley shared Shelley's room that night, and Shelley refused to go to sleep until Livia told her more clearly what had happened with Bill Weasley. Livia did not feel she should say too much. "Bill essentially repeated what he had said at the Winter Ball, and, given his added responsibilities this year in becoming Head Boy, I think the last thing he wanted was a significant relationship. When I tried to get a better understanding of the situation, Helena Ravenclaw told me to ask my mother, as if I could. Instead, I asked my brother's girlfriend to explain it."

"She did?" Shelley asked. "Blimey. He did not change his mind? I was sure he would."

"He may have altered how he saw me, but not how he saw his own future. Call that a partial success. When he is ready, he will meet a blonde who actually for once will deserve him."

"What is it with the blonde fixation?" asked Shelley, apparently tugging one of the medium-dark brown ringlets of hair. "Makes me want to buy a wig or something."

"Beats me," Livia admitted. "Seems to be a common thing with some boys – the blonder, the better. My brother's girlfriend is blonde. Yet I cannot say I had a thing for redheads myself. Dark-haired men like those singers from U2 or INXS are more to my taste, I think – though I am not sure how tall either is. I prefer some height, but I cannot say how much. Taller than me, I suppose. Sorry, Professor Flitwick." They laughed.

"Well, I still don't get it. At any rate, you _have_ to do a new song when we go back. Just Professor Snape doing the Beastie Boys, though, would work. That had to be great. He probably missed it, but he doesn't seem like the type to find it funny."

"We should sleep if we are going shopping tomorrow," Livia asserted. "Yes, I'll do another song, but only if everyone keeps it a secret. It probably should not become commonly known."

The next day the whole family went to Diagon Alley, stopping first at the bank so Livia could make a withdrawal and see what her balance looked like. That bet on Bill Weasley's breakup did more than pay for that dance dress she got, so she felt satisfied. All enjoyed a satisfying day out and Mr. Silver kept hold of the basket collecting the things both girls needed. On the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Livia asked if the innkeeper would mail a conventional letter she had addressed to her brother, already stamped and ready for the post. He expressed surprise that a possibly full-blooded witch knew how to address and apply the proper postage. She told him that she had spent long enough in that world to know how to live there and do what they saw as normal things. The letter simply said she was visiting her school friend and they would travel to school together shortly and that she would send him a follow up note her usual way to let him know she returned to school.

They all got to the station promptly to make the train out on Thursday, 1 September. Livia liked that she did not find herself alone amongst the milieu of students heading back to Hogwarts. Even if she had gone onto the platform alone, she would have found her roommates on the train, sure, but it was nice to actually wave at people who traveled with her there and see them also waving at her, too, along with their daughter. It also meant she did not have to stare at the Weasley family saying goodbye to their eldest sons whilst the rest remained behind.

* Author's Note

The song "What You Need" appears on the album _Listen Like Thieves_ , which also was released as a single in 1986. Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence collaborated on the track.


	17. The Legend of Livia is Born

The train had not even departed when the faculty had convened to discuss the new students and issues carrying over from the previous year. Towards the end of the meeting, Professor Flitwick said he had something on his mind he had to discuss because he did not like the current situation. The topic concerned Livia Woodcock.

"I know what you said, headmaster, that no one should try to draw too much attention to her," he began. "That is why I did not tell her in the spring of any plan to make her a prefect. In fact, I stalled over elevating any female owing to this problem."

"What is the problem, Filius?" the headmaster asked. "Don't tell me that you cannot find anyone to fill the position."

"The problem to me is simple," Professor Flitwick answered. "Most of the Ravenclaws know I work with her and like her. Not naming her a prefect will draw more attention – as in 'How could I overlook her?' – than naming her one. She would accept it, but I think I could not justify it well to anyone who asks me about it, like any of her roommates."

"I see what you mean. That would make for a difficult explanation. Not naming her Head Girl could be justified from whatever outside lessons she would receive beyond Fifth Year, but there does not seem any reason regarding prefect that you could name. I mean, that title would not alter her situation regarding those seeking her help with written assignments, would it?"

"No," he replied. "She has never compromised her own work owing to that, perhaps because she does not plan on sitting for 12 exams this year. I think she wants to do nine, though I think the ninth one comes entirely from zero class time. She felt no need to attend a single one of Sybill's classes, yet thinks she can pass the test."

"Really?" several asked at once.

"Well, if her ability to take money off first-year students is any indication, I would not put this past her," the headmaster observed. "She taught herself second year D. . skills, after all, and a previous instructor of that got her to conjure a full Patronus during his first hour teaching her at age 14. If you think, there will be more buzz about her lack of elevation than doing this, do it, Filius. Just don't make her Head Girl, if you can help it. Name her friend instead."

"Out of curiosity, just what is her Patronus?" Henry Jones, the new D.A.D.A. instructor, asked.

"From what I understand, it is a North American bobcat," the headmaster responded.

"Very unusual," Professor Jones stated. "Her choice?"

"I would think so," Professor Snape offered. "She was given a toy stuffed animal bobcat when very young. Maybe six. She may still have it."

"How do you know that?" Professor Jones asked.

"Infamous episode during her first year here," Professor Snape answered. "To settle it with me, she allowed me to view her memories – some good, a lot not so much, to say the least. I think her past makes her unusual, though she hides it well. Prior experience also forced that upon her."

"I feel it necessary to continue essentially hiding her," the headmaster asserted. "But point taken, Filius. Passing her over, given what her own house knows, would provoke only questions."

"I will inform them after the feast," Professor Flitwick said. "Thank you."

The trip passed fairly well, though for all the students entering the Fifth Year or Fifth Level, concern had creeped in for some because this year ended with formal exams that determined much of what a student would continue doing afterward. No one knew for sure if it represented an accumulation of skill or emphasized mostly that pivotal year. Though Livia expected the formal exams to offer a novel form of stress, she did not feel terribly concerned, given how she felt about her classes on the whole. Even her teaching herself whatever she would need to show did not trouble her much. Only dueling bothered her. She had still not beaten Professor Flitwick, and she considered several different approaches that would give her more unpredictability, which she needed to use against him. She also held some curiosity over how the music club would continue without Bill Weasley. Could they sustain the event without him? She did not need to revisit what happened last time, but she did want another event to take place, rather than that bittersweet night be her last memory of it. She would find out how well she had recovered when she saw him in the Great Hall. She could pull off stoic, but would she feel that way?

All too quickly, the moment of truth had arrived. Their belongings taken to their rooms, the returning students took their places in the Great Hall. She saw him, with his new pin on, she blinked then politely smiled and nodded at him. He smiled and nodded back. It happened very quickly, and Livia felt glad it had come and gone with little fuss or emotion on her part. She did not want to know how he felt. She had to close that book versus dwell on it. She took her seat with the other Fifth Year students she knew and they busily continued earlier discussions of their summers and their expectations for the year. Livia followed in general, but did not say much. Dueling continued to occupy her thoughts.

Professor Dumbledore welcomed everyone back and made a few pithy comments no one knew how to take. After Professor McGonagall led in the new students, he made sure to introduce the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, too, and mentioned any other changes of note. After the sorting took place, everyone enjoyed their first meal and retired to their houses. Professor Flitwick ensured no one had gone to their rooms before telling all that, though an unusual situation had delayed his appointment of all the prefects for the year, he had added Livia Woodcock and Shelley Silver to round out the list. He recommended that they catch up to the others by arranging a meeting with the Head Girl, the blonde, studious Rosalee Richmond, as soon as they could. With that announcement, he allowed most of the returning students to retire to their rooms.

Rhonda Wayne, still a prefect as was her sister before her, was not happy to hear the news, though at least she did not have to attend a meeting with them right away. Their elevation might complicate her desired revenge; she would bide her time. Shelley seemed elated and surprised that Livia did not share her emotion. Livia did not know what really would change. Shelley thought about the school pool privileges and being taken seriously by younger students. The rest of their room's residents congratulated both, though a few privately said they thought Professor Flitwick had named both to obscure Livia some, though they did not understand why he would do that.

Professor Flitwick then came around with the new students and introduced them to the existing residents and, as he had done previously, suggested Livia was the person to consult regarding any issue concerning a written assignment. He also gave Livia and Shelley their pins as well as their schedules, which once again matched entirely, except for the time Livia would continue to practice dueling. Every year that seemed to increase. Livia thought he was giving her ample opportunities to try new things to finally win. It had increased to four sessions a week, though how many battles they had each time could vary, depending currently, on how long Livia could defend herself. The amount of time outside would get cut some, even if the sessions did not take up her entire free time. Livia and Shelley ultimately joined the rest of the student leaders.

The first classes proceeded fairly well, with the exception of the first Potions class. Whilst in the process of laying out the coursework for the year, Professor Snape spotted Livia and Shelley wearing their new Ravenclaw prefect pins and decided to draw notice to how he expected neither to do very well, given the responsibilities of prefects drained from the preparation time necessary for formal exams. He seemed to want his confrontation to escalate, Livia thought. Shelley, sitting in the back, could not figure out how he saw the pins. Her jaw dropped and she was about to sink into her chair. Livia steadied Shelley: she took the bait, thinking he _had_ to have a reason for this. In her best impersonation of Professor Snape, she announced forcefully: "I am feeling rather peeved today because Professor Slughorn never chose me to be a Slytherin prefect." Some students laughed whilst some were simply stunned at both the voice as well as what Livia Woodcock said.

He walked right up to her, perhaps centimeters from her face. "What is the meaning of this insolence, Miss Woodcock?"

She did not flinch and gave him the same stare, contorting her face to resemble his scowl. She matched his cadence, too. "I could ask the same, if you wish to keep arguing with me."

"Hmph. Two weeks detention, 10 points off Ravenclaw and four o'clock my office – you know the drill. I will add a _week_ for every minute I wait."

"If you say so, sir," Livia said as herself, though not breaking her gaze.

He continued the class as if nothing happened. Actually, Livia did not seem rattled even slightly, either. Shelley and at least a few other students found the whole exchange surreal; others could not fathom Livia's mimicry or her attitude, much less why they had drawn Professor Snape's ire for pins they wondered how he even could see.

After class, Shelley worried about the repercussions and Livia reassured her. "Don't worry. Unless he hits me, he cannot hurt me."

Livia showed up a few minutes early, sat on the floor, materializing her Walkman and listened to something she found enjoyable. Professor Snape showed up exactly at four, looking very put out. "Take off those silly headphones," he said. "Inside. Now."

Livia sent the Walkman back to her room and shut the door. "I gathered that was a show, and you have something to tell me," she stated.

"You are scary, sometimes," he asserted. "Can't believe I said that to a 16-year-old girl."

"Not really," she responded. "I logically deduced that you would not pick a fight with me unless you had something important to say and thought this was simply the means to that end. Since we don't have written assignments immediately, you could either tell the headmaster or inform me directly. I think the second is faster."

"True enough, but you actually tried to resemble me," he observed. "Rather unsettling."

"You didn't expect me to back down, did you?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "But that was a better version of me than I expected."

"Practice makes perfect. So what do you want to tell me, sir?"

"It's about your dueling. I wanted to suggest something. Can you enable someone to perceive a lie as truth? Moreover, can you fake your intent but do something entirely different?"

"I have faked sincerity a few times, with one incident concerning you, actually."

"Really? What happened?"

"That time you sent me to the Leaky Cauldron and followed me. A patron there said he thought he recognized you. Something about him did not seem right. I asked him who he thought he saw and he gave your full name, not including your title here. I told him he was mistaken, that you were my uncle, who often gets told he resembles you and that it bothers him. I know he tried to penetrate my mind, and I ensured he got nothing but sincerity from me. He presumed I, as a child, had to be telling the truth. He apologized and said he thought he saw an 'old friend' but, frankly, sir, I did not believe him, so I said nothing else."

"Did you get his name?" he inquired.

"No," Livia replied. "I considered that question too risky in terms of him doubting me."

"You are cautious. I must admit your discretion regarding me is admirable. If you can fake your next move or moves, you might throw Professor Flitwick off and, if you can still perceive his, you can pull off beating him. This may not pay off immediately. You will need to practice to shorten up the time you switch from what he believes will come and what you do, as if working in tandem. I also suggest you do not tip him off about this until you feel you can do it well."

"Makes a lot of sense," Livia stated. "Thank you, sir. How should I practice?"

"Maybe a mirror would help," he suggested. "I would trespass too far on him if you tried to practice this with me. It would also cause a lot of talk here. At some point, though, I might be able to impart some information that you find helpful in many respects, but I doubt I could propose it until after your exams. I also need to know a little more about some of your nascent skills."

"So I should go to detention now?" Livia queried.

"Yes," he affirmed. "By the way, arguing with myself was rather interesting. You really have done a lot of study. I oddly enjoyed that 'show,' as you put it."

"You do seem to take more joy over being annoyed than finding anything to laugh about, sir," Livia asserted. "Can't say I will ever understand that, though it must provide some kind of exorcism. If it did, I take my detention gladly. Good day, sir."

He watched her walk away. _You definitely understand it, perhaps said better than I can. That's also why you're so scary. Albus and I can make you even better, though._

Livia served her time just thinking about how to execute Professor Snape's suggestion. It was like having her mind go one way and the heart go another or working two things in her brain at once. The mirror was a good idea, so she could see if she tipped off what she did or merely what she wanted Professor Flitwick to anticipate. She could see how she could incorporate this with shifting her style, perhaps several times during a single fight or single session. He gave her plenty of food for thought, though for the time being she wanted to limit her style changes until she could master this concept and add it to things Professor Flitwick would not have previously seen. She opted to keep her own best ideas hidden until the right moment came, to maximize his surprise.

At dinner, everyone buzzed about her Professor Snape voice. Some had heard that she mimicked voices but had never heard her do any, let alone do an impersonation of him to him. A few people she did not know well asked her to say something in his voice. She gently said "Maybe later," owing to the fact that whoever asked usually interrupted someone else talking at her table in her vicinity. After she dropped a hint as to not being a dance monkey, the requests stopped coming, though the buzz about it went on and on.

Shelley finally said: "Well, the cat is out of the bag now, Livia. Is the detention worth it?"

"Definitely," Livia replied. "I told you it would be. To me, that was fun." She did not wish to give the entire story.

"I cannot believe you actually twisted your face like his and stared him down like he does," Shelley observed as others nodded in agreement. "You must have ice water running in your veins."

"Now we get it to see if Professor Snape dies from his own stare!" Ted exclaimed. Everyone laughed.

"You just _have_ to do another song," Athena claimed. "I think the whole house would want to hear it, now."

"This will die down eventually and become yesterday's news," Livia suggested.

"No, it will become a legend," Ted asserted. The others nodded.

The faculty had their own uproar over that incident, with the bulk unaware that Livia Woodcock could impersonate Professor Snape in his own class. Professor Flitwick offered his apologies and asked if he should do anything as punishment.

"Already done, not to worry, Filius," he acknowledged. "It will not happen again."

"Very unlike you not to hold a big grudge here, and I want to soften this for her, if I can."

"It's over," Professor Snape responded. "She will do her time. You need not strip her of her position or anything. I picked a fight with her and she did not back down. Sounds to me like she will be a handful to duel in the near future. Better you than me."

"Since when do you admit to starting a fight, Severus?" the headmaster asked.

"I had my reasons," he replied. When everyone else left, he was a little more truthful. "I had something to say to Miss Woodcock, and the quickest way to do it was to stage a fight. Okay?"

"I hope it was worth it," the headmaster told him.

"That is up to Miss Woodcock. Goodnight, Albus."

At least the first Muggle Music Club meeting went agreeably well. Somehow Bill had convinced Percy to join, though he had not gotten to the level where he could take Muggle Studies. Professor Flitwick joyously welcomed another Weasley. Reggie had shown up, too. The group stood, even with the loss of Bill, at 34 members. He had an organizational dilemma, since Bill no longer would chair the event. He did not want to put Livia in the role, since she caused enough of a dust up already. He opted to put Shelley in charge, who decided she wanted her prior Winter Ball date, a tall, dirty blond, blue-eyed curly-haired Gryffindor student named Liam O'Neill, to serve as her assistant. Livia would head the playlist committee, which pleased Reggie, given that he knew she would listen to things he suggested. Since Shelley had played Livia's role partly before the previous year's event, they would have little problem swapping. Livia just had to know what kind of song she wanted first, since she had no idea where Shelley stood with Liam or wanted to stand with him. Given all of Livia's access to equipment, she just had to know if the committee wanted recent songs or how far back should she go – they decided to stick with living musicians but to cover entire careers, even if they went back 15-20 years. So a funky 70s song by David Bowie had the same footing as Run-D.M.C. or Prince. This gave everyone in her committee the ability to go album hunting over the break for potential candidates.

The rest of the semester proceeded uneventfully in terms of academics. Livia had everything well in hand whilst she worked on putting Professor Snape's ideas with her own into practice. She used a mirror and asked Helena Ravenclaw to assess as to whether she tipped off her intent. Helena loved being helpful. Only when the calendar turned to November did Livia pronounce herself ready to try out her new approach. She did catch Professor Flitwick off-guard and, finding himself less able to read her intentions, she finally got him – and more than once that day. He was shocked. He had never seen these tactics and her ability to cover her true intentions with false moves or thoughts. He just had to know what changed her approach.

"I don't know how you came up with this," he began. "I like it! But how did this happen?"

"Don't make this common knowledge," Livia stated. "Remember that fight I had with Professor Snape?" He nodded. "Well, it was a ruse because he wanted to talk to me and he gave me an idea for part of what I did today. He told me to fake my intentions and practice by a mirror and not try this until I thought I had it. Other aspects of changing my style I considered over the summer. I just put those ideas together and held off showing any of it till I could do all of it."

"I don't know what to say," he responded. "Why would he do that?"

"I think we have very similar skill sets so he figured a good part of this out," Livia replied. "Why is a good question. He could have a number of reasons – I will not hazard a guess."

Professor Flitwick immediately set off for the headmaster's office. When he entered, he reported that Livia had finally figured out how to beat him in a duel, having done it twice in a single session. "She developed some tactics in private that she never showed me until now. She may not have them down as fully as she can get, but they certainly did the job today."

"Twice in one day, impressive," the headmaster acknowledged. "So you credit her entirely with this and not yourself, whether you suggested anything or even lost a step?"

"Actually, I think Severus deserves a lot more credit than I do."

"Really?" the headmaster inquired. "How is that possible?"

"Apparently, he baited Miss Woodcock into their spat in class and suggested something to her regarding faking her intentions that she developed on her own."

"Oh," the headmaster recounted. "Now I understand what he said to me about having a go at her. Keep it up. She will need to continue developing as you react to what she now can do."

Professor Snape later was summoned to Professor Dumbledore's office. "You wished to see me, headmaster?" he asked.

"Yes, Severus," the headmaster affirmed. "Today, Professor Flitwick has informed me that Livia Woodcock defeated him twice in a single session. I understand that credit for this feat belongs to you, though."

"Not entirely," he answered. "She had some of her own ideas and just ran with something I suggested. I never directly assisted her, just gave her an idea. She did all the work."

"What exactly did you suggest, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I asked her how she did at lying or faking things to people," Professor Snape disclosed. "I suggested she try sending out clues to actions he would anticipate but she never intended to take, thereby disguising what move or sequence of moves she wanted to use."

"Now if she can add more aggression to her misdirections, she probably could match up one-on-one against…"

"I doubt she is ready for that," Professor Snape observed.

"Well, just in case, I want her prepared for anyone," the headmaster said. "If she had to fight anyone, I would expect it to be –"

"But she's in prison at Azkaban," Professor Snape stated.

"When the dark forces arise again, she will not remain there," the headmaster asserted. "We both know it."

Livia had no clue then about such things, only that the headmaster had made her dueling skills imperative. Initially, she found herself taken off-guard when a tall, dark-haired lanky Fifth Year Slytherin with light brown eyes named Thor Thornton asked her to the Winter Ball, claiming that he found anyone feisty enough to spar with Professor Snape worth asking.

The hairs on the back of Livia's neck told her something else had prompted this.

"You lie to me," Livia said. "I don't like flattery. What's the real story?"

He stammered. "I-I guess that's a 'no' then?" Thor asked.

"Why can't you tell me the truth and start from there?" Livia insisted. There was something he concealed, but he had an honorable goal. It just had nothing to do with her.

"I am not trying to disrespect you…" he began.

"But you won't be honest with me, will you?" she inquired.

He broke, seeing that she wanted the truth. "Okay," he responded. "A couple of housemates put me in a bind. They said they would give me my money back if you accepted my offer and they would pay me an additional sum if I danced with you for an hour. If I got the money, I could buy something for my little sister, Tessa, something I know she would like." Tessa started school in France, he explained, and he wanted to give her something to remind her of home.

"Who are these boys?" Livia demanded.

"Their names are Loki Loth and Tim Yew."

"I think I know who they are. Bullies and thieves both, underweight and undersized one and the other is a huge oaf. Both scared to do their own dirty work, I would imagine. They probably scammed you for this very reason. Why do you consider them your friends?"

"Believe it or not, they are the most innocuous Slytherins right now."

"Give me your hands," Livia demanded.

She wanted to confirm his role in the scam. She did not put anything past Slytherins having an ability to lie to her. She verified his desperation and that he had he had told her the truth.

"Okay," she acknowledged. "Unless you are a master at lying, I have verified your story. I do not need or want any of the money. How long do I have to be there?"

"If we start dancing fairly quickly, shouldn't be much more than an hour."

"I will do it on one condition. If your head of house asks later, tell him the whole story and that you told me the truth and I agreed. If he ever felt like punishing you for this stunt, that will guarantee that he will not do it."

"He doesn't punish Slytherins," Thor asserted.

"And he generally recognizes that I am a Slytherin legacy," she responded. "Did you not know that? He very likely attended school with my father."

"No, I did not," he admitted. "That explains your lack of fear of him, though – even if he punishes you for it."

"Do not say anything about our conversation beforehand, should those two idiots hear of it and cancel their agreement."

The rest of the room was excited for Livia to have a Winter Ball date, though not necessarily thrilled that it came from a Slytherin. Livia opted for something nice but not terribly flashy. They all had their own dates to worry about. She told them simply that her situation was not all it appeared to be. She walked into it with her eyes open but asked them not to say anything about it until afterward.

"Why Livia?" Shelley asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No, more like 'not right', but it is not a big deal. I will tell you all later."

Livia lived up to her end of the bargain. Thor looked like he took the event seriously. Livia wore something appropriate, if on the sedate side. She made small talk and told him to keep his chin up and look like he enjoyed the evening. Only a very few realized Livia was acting, if they looked nice together. When she knew she had passed the hour, she finished the current dance, then bowed to Thor and left the room, telling him to go fetch his winnings just as she left. She returned straight to her room, changed her clothes, put on her headphones and wrote a letter to her brother, making arrangements to return to Durham for the upcoming break. Mel came and, upon him telling Livia he had been fed well that night and felt strong took off with the letter.

Livia kept her headphones on till everyone returned. Only then did she turn off her music, and addressed them all.

"That was a fake date for me," Livia stated. "I know two Slytherins, Loki Loth and Tim Yew, will say otherwise, either now or after break, but Thor Thornton only asked me to get money back from those supposed friends of his. I helped him because they had cheated him, I believe, and they actually offered him more money than he lost if he succeeded. I knew this from the day he asked, which is why I never got very excited about the event. It was staged and I participated."

The others in the room were shocked, but they knew Livia could detect liars. Her behavior made sense, and the others all expressed their regret that she had missed out on perhaps landing an actual date because she had accepted Thor's offer.

"It hardly matters to me," Livia said. "I have yet to come across anyone other than Bill here that I have ever taken an interest in. Of course, I don't really try much. Hey, how about I sing as Professor Snape again?"

They were all enthused. In fact, they had no idea how fitting singing Prince could be. Reggie had gotten Livia interested. She loved how many new things he had added to her collection:

 _I never wanted to be your weekend lover  
I only wanted to be some kind of friend  
Baby, I could never steal you from another  
It's such a shame our friendship had to end*_

Fortunately, the term ended before too much gossip about Thor and his "date" made the rounds, though Livia had figured out that Thor did get his money, as promised. What she did not know concerned the fact that Thor felt rather guilt-ridden as the story started to spread around Slytherin and that he had gone to Professor Snape and confessed to the whole thing. His head of house told him to keep the money. Livia was a big girl who did not yet know about what Loki and Tim had started saying, and the issue probably would straighten itself out next term. Still, he felt like he should warn her, so he wrote her a note, telling her that he needed to speak to her and requested she return to campus the evening of Sunday, 8 January and let him know when she had returned.

Livia found the note odd, given he practically opened himself up to another practical joke by her. She could not imagine his reason. Apparently, some members of Ravenclaw had sheltered her from the initial rumors floating around about her "date" with Thor Thornton or flat out denied that fooling her could have taken place.

Despite the fact that Livia had not exploited the Winter Ball for her financial gain, she had spent her money wisely and had sufficient funds to buy a few presents. Not old enough to apparate to Durham, she had to land by The Sands and walk to Tom's new home with Alice and their cat, Abby. It wasn't too far and shrinking Livia's things made the trip fairly easy. She did not even need a full tape to fly there. Livia found the open parts outside town very inviting, though wanted to visit certain High Street or Silver Street town stores as well as indulge her love of music.

Tom wondered why she looked for things on vinyl as much as CDs, since to his knowledge she did not own a means to play that older format. She explained its use with old turntables the school owned for their dance. He remembered teachers holding onto the use of film strips or overhead projectors when newer devices had started becoming popular. Most people in his profession still used a pad and paper and had used nothing more sophisticated than either a photocopier or carbon paper. He heard about many more things to come and could not wait to see when he could dump his typewriter. So if Livia wanted Run-D.M.C. on vinyl and looked for other artists there, also, he did get it, though he wondered why she could not make her stuff work. Livia explained the room size and acoustics made using her device difficult and, moreover, open to theft if it would become commonly known that she had such things. Still, she knew his point had merit and started pondering if somehow they could use it in the future.

Alice had begun researching where she might qualify for advanced training or advanced study. It depended upon whether she saw herself more as an archivist or a historian. She liked the former but really wanted the latter, which took more to achieve. She made inquiries at Durham University and got some contacts in both Manchester and Newcastle to check out. The latter would work much better logistically, though her relatives wanted her to explore more prestigious options. First, though, came Tom settling in fully, which seemed to be going well.

Christmas Eve included a nice get together featuring many of the couples Tom and Alice knew – Audrey and Jake, Gary and Penny, Adam and Linda, John and Lesley. Tom's father called and Cathy showed up with a new vet at her rescue, who Gary liked to call Doc Dick (a play on his name being Richard, a suggestion he did not seem to mind). Since both Doc and Gary liked Abby a great deal, they had developed a mutual respect that produced a lot of humor at each other's expense. Alice even asserted to Doc and Cathy that she thought Gary visited more owing to Abby. That is, the cat nobody had wanted became the cat everyone wanted. Abby, in turn, had begun to feel more relaxed in her home with a lot of people. It did not hurt that Livia had her own room and Abby could escape there whenever she preferred a nap to a boisterous mass of people.

Sometimes, at events liked this, Livia wondered what it would be like to have someone with her – boyfriend or not. She knew she would never be like them fully and never even hinted that she would have liked it if anyone brought someone to meet her. It seemed a non-starter, since she had never been wholly authentic there. She mostly was, but she lived two lives in two worlds. She belonged more in one, but lacked a real family there. Where she seemed to have some family, she never could entirely belong. Yet she hoped she could share both with someone, still.

The New Year's celebration went pretty much the same way, though Tom had vowed to her that, given his recent accomplishments with Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard, he would be scheduling a formal hearing before the Framlingham Town Council during her spring break to finally get that formal apology from them. Cathy even updated her own affidavit regarding the matter, testifying to her own profound remorse at participating on what became a complete miscarriage of justice. She planned on attending, too, even if she had to change her work schedule to do it. With any luck, the rest of her family would not really know. Rev. Woodcock's job was to ensure his wife's ignorance of it as well as Lydia's.

The holiday had passed well and Livia almost did not want to leave, but she knew better than to question whatever Professor Snape had on his mind. Inviting her was way too unlike him, knowing what she had done in the past. Given what his sparring with her actually had involved, she had to trust that he had something important to discuss.

So she made her excuses, shrank her other belongings and re-sized her broom once she got to The Sands. She left late on Sunday afternoon, 8 January, telling Tom something pressing had come up and she did not know the details, only that the headmaster requested that he see her. She knew he basically liked the mysterious older man, so using him as a blanket story made sense.

She got back around eight herself, composed a note and called for Sevy to take a note to Professor Snape (which she knew Sevy would only be too happy to deliver). She went back to "Purple Rain" and attempted to try Prince's voice, which over recent weeks had grown on her. This time, with no headphones needed, she totally lost herself in the song when she thought she missed the first knocking at her door. The rapping started anew, she thought, so she turned down the sound and opened the door to find Professor Snape again standing outside of it. "Sorry, sir, I guess I did not hear you at first, as I got wrapped up," she apologized.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"His full name is Prince Rogers Nelson but he goes by Prince. The Hufflepuff student Reggie really got me hooked into listening to him."

"I need to tell you something, but I prefer it not to be here. Take my sleeve."

Slowly, Livia recognized the room. It was his. "Gee, I do not know if I am ready for a singing birthday card yet. I don't have my music with me."

"Save it – I have something serious on my mind," he stated. "That Winter Ball date you had..."

"Bogus, it was," she admitted.

"I know," he acknowledged. "Thor Thornton suddenly had an attack of a guilty conscience, as un-Slytherin-like that it is. He told me the whole story. Why did you agree to it?"

"He finally told me the truth about his so-called friends taking his money and having only one means to get it back and extract something from the two who set him up. I verified his story, so I played along. It meant buying a gift for his sister who's at another school versus being broke."

"Kind of you, but this is not over," Professor Snape recounted.

"What do you mean?" Livia asked.

"Those two have already spread it in Slytherin how they bamboozled you, and I am sure they intend on trying to make you the laughingstock of the whole school next term," he answered. "Do you want me to punish them?"

"You never punish your own," Livia asserted. "How is that supposed to work?"

"Well, the headmaster could do it," he suggested.

"Nah, that likely won't work. They'd wonder how he found out. Let me take care of it. I dare those two to say anything to my face. You will probably consider reprimanding me when I get through with them. I do not suffer fools lightly and, frankly, I might relish the opportunity more than you might suspect. You can warn them after that: 1) you know the whole story; and 2) they should not mess with a Slytherin legacy whose powers they have grossly misjudged."

"You have something in mind, I take it?"

"Something I wish I had done to Lydia years ago, if I could have gotten away with it." She paused. "Thank you for telling me so I can be in full control when I pull this off. I have to look up a few things and maybe practice, but I'll be ready. If you happen to see me, you will think I am not in control – and that will be quite intentional." She paused again but once more he said nothing. "So how should I wish you a Happy Birthday this year, sir? You get your last year of being in your twenties."

"I rather you did not remind me," he observed.

"One of these days, I'm going to get you to laugh," she said. She realized no sound carried from his room, she materialized a tape and her Walkman and amplified the volume. "How 'bout this?" She started dancing and singing around him shamelessly, trying to get even get a toe tap from him to Devo's "Whip It." "C'mon sir, it's fun," she urged.

 _If Albus only saw this. He would know why I think she's got a screw loose_. He said nothing and did not move, though he followed her with his eyes.

"I thought you would at least like the idea of whipping students you don't like," she added. "Can't seem to find the right thing, but I will keep trying." She sent the tape player and tape back to her room. "Try to be good to yourself tomorrow. Happy birthday and goodnight, sir."

"Just take my sleeve again, in case Mr. Filch is around," he stated. Once returned to her room, he only said "Goodnight, Miss Woodcock" in his usual deadpan voice. When he returned, he wryly smiled. _It was a good try_.

* Author's Note

"Purple Rain" is the title track song from the 1984 released album that served as the soundtrack to the 1984 film. The group recorded the song, written by Prince and produced by his ensemble, live at a concert in Minneapolis, MN, at the First Avenue nightclub that served as the film's main setting.


	18. Wrath and Surprise

Within a few days, Livia had gotten word to her brother and obtained additional supplies. She had also spent time in the library. Her friends also found their way back to the room and again expressed surprise to see her. She explained that she knew what was going around Slytherin about her and wondered if they had heard of it. A few had. She told them she would take care of this.

"Shouldn't that be the headmaster's job?" Athena asked.

"Really, it should be Professor Snape's job, but he won't do anything," Ted replied.

"I won't let them off the hook and no one will, um, mess with me again," Livia stated. Most of the others knew she wanted to say something else and realized she would deal harshly with those students if she ran across those two spreading that story about the Winter Ball, even though no Ravenclaw student believed it.

The faculty came to know about it, but the consensus that emerged was to let Miss Woodcock deal with the issue herself, for the time being, unless she did anything too outrageous. Professor Snape frankly stated he wanted to see how she handled the matter, given it provided her with a unique challenge – and they would see how she responded. Meantime, the term began and each laid out their plans and ensured the classes had ample information to get started well.

Oddly enough, Livia received a note from Bill Weasley, the Head Boy of Gryffindor. He said he heard the story some Slytherins were spreading and asked if she was all right. He asked her if she needed his help to shut down the two responsible for it, though secretly he chastised himself for letting her go and exposing her to this incident. She wrote him back and thanked him for his concern, but if Professor Snape did not intimidate her, neither would Loki nor Tim. She basically told him "I got this," which made him happy to read. He hoped that she meant it.

Towards the end of January, a notable thaw had occurred, a brief respite when the weather became unseasonably temperate. Livia had exited a side door looking to head away towards the grounds. Loki and Tim followed her, taking this as their opportunity to gloat and try to get Livia Woodcock's goat, essentially taunt her on how they put one over on her with Thor's fake date.

"Funny, since the only ones who lost money in the deal were you," she noted, locating her wand. "Never occurred to you dopes that nothing pleased me more than you having to fork over your money to Thor – more than even you took from him." She made a silent command.

"Nice try, but the only fool is you," Tim asserted. "You fell for a lie. We set you up."

"Listen, you _rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses_ , even Professor Snape knows what you did, and I knew way before him," she stated very forcefully. "Ask Thornton yourselves the next time you actually can speak, you putrid, filthy creatures. And if you bother me again, I will turn you _permanently_ into the little turds that you are, you miserable –"

Just then Professor Snape approached the scene. Though Livia had hardly moved her wand, he saw two donkeys with rat heads scratching from fleas though still wearing Slytherin gowns.

"Miss Woodcock, watch your language." He had some idea where she would go with the end of that statement. He surveyed his two students. "Looks like revenge sure is a cold dish," he remarked. "I think you two better try to clean yourselves of your fleas and hope that the rest of you comes back." The two galloped back inside the school to find a means to bathe.

"You are aware that you crossed a big line already," he maintained, after they fled.

"You mean cursing them dumbasses?" she asked.

"Since they likely lacked a voice and most of them looked like robed donkeys, they could be called dumb asses, but that was not quite your entire intent, was it?"

"If I had five more minutes, I would have ripped the –"

"Language, Miss Woodcock," he repeated. "I have not seen this side of you before."

"Sometimes, I think I should call 'em as I see 'em," she said. "Do you really think with a name like Woodcock, I should remain completely unable to know how to do that?"

"Hmm – fair point," he noted. "I barely saw you move your wand. How long will they remain rat-faced, flea-bitten dumb asses?"

"Rest of the day, sir. They might have to try to sleep that way, but they should return to their normal, snotty selves the next day."

"I will see them then. So you plan on them going to dinner that way?"

"If they want to eat," Livia assented.

The whole school saw them at dinner, eating but unable to speak, scratching themselves and unable to sit like other students, given their hind ends and hooves. They needed others to help them eat, given their inability to hold any kind of utensil. Everyone had a good laugh about it, even other Slytherins. Thor had told them to be quiet, not realizing Livia would force it on them. Every table seemed to know that she cursed them out and turned them into "rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses." Bill got her attention and raised his cup as a toast to her, which his brothers and few other Gryffindor students joined him in doing. Various members of Hufflepuff also congratulated her, including Reggie, Clara and a few of their friends she did not fully know then.

Those seated by Livia at the Ravenclaw table barely could stop laughing enough to eat adequately. They all congratulated her and said, no matter how punished, having done that more than compensated for whatever happened therafter. Shelley confessed to never having seen anything like it in her life but expressed concern over what Professor Snape would do to her.

"Give me detention perhaps," she asserted. "Who cares? They learned their lesson."

The faculty had diverging views on the subject, given that they had let Miss Woodcock deal with the issue themselves. "Since Thor confessed the whole story to me, I am taking the 'tough love' approach – don't expect me to do anything," Professor Snape stated. Some expressed surprise. "Since I did not punish them, she did. She could easily complain that my lack of attention and the fact that they goaded her caused her to act. You talk to her, Albus, if you want to reprimand her. I wish I had done that when I was her age. She barely moved her wand and focused her anger well. They had no idea what she could do, and I will tell both of them that tomorrow."

"I will talk to her, but I do not know if I will punish her too much," the headmaster admitted.

Livia found herself called to the headmaster's office sometime after dinner. She had no clue what he would say. She had defended herself and felt unrepentant about it. If she had to fight for respect, she would. She would never apologize for any of it, not even for calling them "dumbasses." She had experienced enough abuse and bullying to last a lifetime – never again.

She entered and was asked to sit down. Livia told him that she knew why she was there and professed to not care about the repercussions. They got what they deserved, and no one would ever torment her again. She had expected to find Professor Flitwick there, that they might have decided her actions unbecoming to her role as a prefect or worse. Yet other Ravenclaw prefects, outside of Rhonda Wayne, plus the Head Boy and Head Girl all spoke and wrote in her favor. In fact, a few said they would resign if he severely punished her for defending herself, including Rosalee, the Head Girl. Bill Weasley, Head Boy of Gryffindor and his brother, Charlie, a prefect, expressed similar views to their head of house and the headmaster. They all asserted that, if they had her talent and needed to defend themselves against two bullies, Loki and Tim would also have earned a similar embarrassment. They also argued that she should not have had to deal with that, but the lack of action against them by their own head of house had compelled her to act.

"It seems you have some friends here, after all, and that my directive to you to keep a low profile did not eliminate that."

"What do you mean, sir?" Livia asked. "Aren't I here for you to punish me?"

"Only for failing to heed my directive by making those two Slytherin boys the laughingstock of the school," he replied. "I must caution you severely to lower your profile here. As far as the incident goes, several other Ravenclaw prefects, Head Boy and Head Girl told Professor Flitwick not to punish you – with some threatening to resign if he did so."

"Really?" Livia inquired.

"And both Bill and Charlie Weasley, as Gryffindor Head Boy and prefect, wrote letters of support to their head of house and myself. Seems all the student leaders I mentioned think Professor Snape's inaction forced your hand, and those boys got their comeuppance."

"I told Professor Snape not to punish them," Livia revealed. "It would be out of character for him and, if you also recall, you asked me to vow to protect his reputation. No one would understand how he could punish two of his own after we have sparred in his class."

"I see you identified conflicting promises," he acknowledged. "Either you expose him or yourself. Given that, you made the right choice. And you must continue to keep your word there. I cannot tell you why it matters, but you will understand one day. You will be tempted to question him or me but think of a greater good, even though it may take a very long time to materialize. Even if other members of the faculty ever press you, say nothing about him – no matter what. Until you understand why I have asked this of you, continue this way whilst being true to yourself."

She was about to leave and stood up, assenting to his demand.

"Just between you and me, I want to know how you did that," he requested. "I found it very amusing – and complicated – but I dare not say so directly to Severus or the other faculty."

"Mental focus and a silent command started it, which really required little more than touching my wand," she disclosed. "I was warned they would try that so I made myself ready."

"Who warned you? Someone in Ravenclaw?" he asked.

"No," Livia answered. "Professor Snape did it first. Again, no one else knows."

"I wonder if he suspects who your father is," the headmaster mused.

"If he has identified any candidate, he has not shared it," Livia responded. "Speaking of relations, any information about Alice West's family?"

"Yes, I located a relative," the headmaster replied. "He is a great uncle and rarely has he visited family, owing to him living in our world. He has a nice property outside Hogsmeade, on Meade Meadow Lane. He used to disguise mail through owls dropping off items in their postal system at night or using it himself. He has been reclusive since the recent death of his wife. If or when you think introductions should take place, Professor Flitwick can arrange this."

The two bid each other farewell and parted ways. The headmaster pondered her situation greatly. He could not easily see who she resembled among his former Slytherin students. He rarely saw anything in her that indicated a Slytherin legacy. He never saw her speak to snakes and she never mentioned any great ambition, despite being clever and resourceful. Her ideas about self-preservation seemed uneven. Her courage, fairness, individuality and intelligence placed her elsewhere, as did her loyalty and kindness. She would have succeeded in any house, though only one ideally suited her to skip a year to get close to her age group.

The next day, Loki and Tim had indeed returned to their own bodies and Professor Snape called them along with Thor Thornton into his office. First he asked Thor to describe, honestly, what Miss Woodcock said to him the day he asked her to the Winter Ball. Thor, remembering Livia's request, repeated it all, including that she would not cease until she got the truth out of him and said she verified it by holding both his hands. Loki and Tim seemed totally shocked. Professor Snape thus concluded that Miss Woodcock had not erred in rendering them into dumb asses and warned all three that, not only did Miss Woodcock have a Slytherin father, she happened to be a very impressive witch already and took a particularly dim view of attempts to taunt her. In short, he told them they were lucky to have escaped relatively unscathed. He could not guarantee their safety if they attempted another stunt against her, given how easily she had made Loki and Tim "rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses." Next time, he said, a murder of crows or parliament of owls, all wild, might defecate on them or peck their eyes out, since they protected her.

"Then why do you bother her?" Tim asked.

"I am older, stronger and wiser than you," Professor Snape answered. "Yet she does not fear me, which should tell you something about who she is or what she may become."

The rest of the term proceeded uneventfully for the most part. Her dueling with Professor Flitwick had uneven results, depending on her mood and focus – or his. She easily exceeded the headmaster's goal of beating him once a week, but they did go through quite a lot of rounds. Sometimes, she still enlisted Helena Ravenclaw regarding being a better duelist, particularly asking Helena to tell her if she tips anything off visually. Helena usually liked discussing more academic subjects, which they did, but because Livia seemed so at ease with these, she assisted where Livia most needed to improve. She also had more of an idea than Livia did about what the headmaster expected of her. Helena could live through Livia's triumphs and liked thinking that she could help Livia become a professor if not headmistress. Livia thought Helena kept such a thirst for knowledge and knowledge itself that, in a way, she became the type of mentor a female wanted from another female. Livia could confide in Helena, too, and Helena maintained that confidence because it made her feel more alive. Helena liked having a purpose, too.

The playlist for the Muggle Music Club began to take great shape as the potential playlist expanded in various ways. Increased comfort with the dual turntables enhanced the need to have more songs. Shelley, though, still had not given Livia a straight answer about the first song. Candidates included "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones, "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin and even the Run-D.M.C/Aerosmith version of "Walk This Way," or "Fame" by David Bowie. Shelley decided to be less obvious and go with "Walk This Way," making Reggie very happy. Livia decided to follow it up with U2's blues-influenced "When Love Comes to Town," then Prince's "Purple Rain." then a ballad. Livia originally preferred "Little Red Corvette," but Reggie talked her out of using it, letting her know metaphorically its meaning would create more problems than a mere "porno mag" reference, an education that Alice later affirmed. The playlist was coming together. Livia just had to make sure the records would be stored and coded properly. She realized that they did not have enough on vinyl, so she assigned buying a few records to another member of the committee, who subsequently forgot which record to buy and subsequently bought an entire back catalog over spring break, figure one had to be correct. Livia got the Bowie record and Dire Straits on vinyl herself, since she wanted "Sultans of Swing" somewhere, though she though Donna Summer's "Last Dance" would end the night.

Everything seemed well in hand for Livia's spring break and she returned to Durham promptly. Tom, Alice and Abby all were glad to see her and over the course of her time there, various people they all knew dropped by for dinner or to hang out or to do some tours around the area. Everyone enjoyed walking the grounds on the Wear near the castle and cathedral as the water rushed around the old part of the city. Gary had taken on extra responsibilities at one the city's best hotels and, as he considered a switch to a rival, he wound up with a promotion instead. Like Tom, he also contemplated buying a small property, with the goal that it would be close to his job and to wherever Tom settled. Tom's career had taken shape, giving Alice the chance to explore her options. Contacts in Durham had arranged for Alice to meet some people at Newcastle University, given where she was and what they might offer. Because they did not quite have the traditional standing of Oxford and Cambridge, they might jump at the chance to work with her, especially if she took a social or cultural look at materials she could access. They could make truly more of a family historian, based on that. Still, any applications would wait till much later that year, if she could find the right advisor interested in what she could offer as well as do.

Tom told Livia that he drew closer to getting an actual home to buy, perhaps not exactly where he wanted, but the size and features made it so nice that he wanted Alice to consider it seriously. He thought if they settled upon a house, at that point she could consider her own future, including theirs together. He took Livia to a jewelry shop to show her a ring he considered buying and wanted her opinion. It was an emerald-cut diamond with several baguettes and had a matching band set. Though the diamond was not particularly huge, the quality seemed quite high and all of the bands platinum. Livia thought Tom must be doing very well, but she asked him if this and a house would be too much to get at once, given that they had only recently obtained their own car. He said the rings could have their own payment schedule in terms of buying – and he need not get all three at once. Moreover, he knew Alice's father would throw a lavish wedding, and he had to get something that they would accept as fitting, with the stone's quality more than compensating for its somewhat modest size whilst the composition of the band would satisfy them.

He did not know the exact timing but he guessed maybe it would come together in 2-3 years, if the current trajectory continued. Livia asked if she could give him any money, which he thought most bizarre, given her age and status. She explained it may only be £500-£1,000 but if it helped she could probably pull it off. He thanked her for such an extraordinary offer, but he felt that if he could not manage it himself, he had no business proposing to her. Besides, he was not ready yet. He had to see what a house might cost, what kind of down payment he might collect and if he could expect any raise or bonus from Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard.

Soon after, the day for the hearing before the Framlingham Town Council took place. Tom had supplied them with additional information, including an explanation of his father's absence (to keep Lydia and their mother away). Tom, Alice and Livia made the trip. Cathy showed up as well as Livia's original solicitor Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Harrison from her old school. Livia's case got a significant boost in the fact that the dissenting judge, the well-respected Martha McDonald, now stood as a valued member of the council. She remembered Livia's case and had maintained her suspicions about Lydia's story. Tom presented his credentials from his Durham firm and reminded everyone of the information he had supplied. One council member confirmed that he has spoken to Rev. Woodcock on the phone, who confirmed what he opted to do instead of attending. Another councilor, also a member of St. Michael's congregation, confirmed this account. Alice asked to make her own remarks, after briefly outlining exactly who she was and the role she had played in the last years of Livia's life.

The council seemed very interested to talk to Cathy, who read a prepared statement that included what she currently did, and how she attempted then to minimize her role in what happened to Livia. She told them that indiscretions as a teen had given Lydia the means to compel her to support Lydia's account, though she intentionally tried to say so little about it that she had thought someone in addition to one judge, the present Hon. Councilwoman McDonald, would not find her support credible. She further stated that others who could have supported Livia's account got bullied into silence, which in part explained why the Hibbert family moved. She had said she had apologized to Livia some years ago and their shared compassion for animals helped them to repair their relationship, which had dwindled to nothing whilst Livia resided at Colindale.

Another council member took the statement and recollections of Mrs. Harrison and compared it with other inquiries of Lydia Woodcock's career at school, noting that these all matched. Tom had additionally submitted documents from former residents in town, his now adult-aged friends Adam and John, as well as several other friends, who all testified to Livia's caring nature, solid relationship with her brother and other upstanding qualities. Tom then requested that the town formally apologize for having wrongfully sent her to Colindale and referred to copies of medical reports also submitted as proof of the harm she had suffered there. They did not seek damages, merely a formal apology, and assurance that the case no longer existed.

The council retired to consider the matter. Tom's current standing held a lot of sway and they recognized his legal career emerged from this matter, so at least something positive occurred owing to the incident. Livia's medical records from the first and last attacks proved eye opening, especially the last with the footprints on her nightgown speaking to a very vicious assault. They returned to say that, though they would send formal letters to Mr. Wilson and Mr. Woodcock, they could say that these should resolve the matter fully in favor of Miss Livia Woodcock. Thus, they all left the hearing and Livia hugged everyone who came. They all enjoyed a nice dinner with some catching up, joy and toasts of congratulations at a nearby tavern. Shortly afterward, Cathy's boyfriend Doc, after meeting them all there, took Cathy home and Tom, Alice and Livia returned to Durham. When he got home, Tom rang his father to say simply "Mission Accomplished," in case anyone else overheard the conversation. Alice had made and stored a red velvet cake for the occasion, too. Though tired, everyone enjoyed their sleep that night, expecting a letter from the town. The notice took several weeks and Livia had already returned to school by then, but Tom informed her that the case finally and formally had ended.

The spring terms seemed to go very quickly, as Livia had her eye on the formal exams and made sure she had prepared well for each, including the Divinations test no one expected her to pass. Still, the headmaster suspected she would do well, since Livia made herself a good student, if she never gave it the time she had devoted to dueling. There she made strides in varying tactics and countering Professor Flitwick's efforts to catch her misdirections. She varied by sometimes tips being accurate and sometimes not, making anticipation very random. She often did better with sequences of unanticipated moves, however. They resembled set plays with occasional variations. She had become competitive with him and the headmaster considered if he should take turns with Professor Flitwick, so he could judge her progress for himself, as well as change the nature of who she faced. Some powerful duelists just reacted and he wanted to gauge her on that ability.

With only days before the end of the term, he and Professor Snape began discussing how she should begin formal training on her nascent Occlumency and Legilimency skills. To the headmaster's relief, he did not object to tutoring her, but he said he did not really know where to begin because he had only a limited idea about her skills. He did not want to waste his time or hers relaying technical aspects of things she already could do. The headmaster agreed but wondered how he could discover her level of sophistication in this regard. Professor Snape had an idea, but to do it, he wanted the headmaster's complete permission to do it. Professor Dumbledore found himself oddly taken aback, if intrigued, at his proposal. Yet he realized that, if Miss Woodcock had the powers Professor Snape suspected, the lessons might benefit both of them, as the abilities of the latter required mastery and vigilance to maintain. Because the action had obvious pitfalls, too, he made Professor Snape swear that he would tell her what she needed to know afterwards, though they agreed not to tell her until after she took her exams. After they bid each other farewell and left, the headmaster wondered how this subterfuge would work out and made sure he would check to made sure Livia knew everything about it before she left for the summer.

Only too quickly the night of the music club dance took place, with obliging staff member Zach Hawthorne thoroughly ready to retrieve anything on the playlist or even requested, if they had it. Bill Weasley had sent a good luck note to Shelley and stopped by beforehand to briefly look everything over and speak for a few minutes with Livia, a gesture she appreciated. She considered that she might not ever see him again and wanted to remember everything about their conversation before she hugged him and said farewell. He then left to continue studying to facilitate his own graduation. Livia left to change into something more suitable, though not better than the dress she wore the prior year. It was black, lacy and clung to her tightly, with one arm and much of the opposite leg of a more transparent lace backed by a netting, not a jersey fabric like the rest. Her hair featured a large, silver butterfly-shaped marcasite clip with a tiny black and white diamond inlaid pattern.

Promptly at eight o'clock, Shelley got everyone quiet and welcomed them to the event, their third. The attendance looked similar, probably more. She expressed the hope that her event would turn out as well as those organized by Bill Weasley and acknowledged her committee chairs, including Livia. With that, she invited her assistant Liam to the floor and the song "Walk This Way" began. When Livia took the floor, she first danced with Reggie, who thanked her for working in his suggestions and making the mix strong, educational and, above all, danceable. He just had gone to find someone else when a young man Livia did not think she had ever seen approached her. He seemed about a head taller than her, with dark hair that framed his face in waves, with the back pulled into a single band. He had dark eyes and wore a dark, fitted waistcoat. He addressed her by name and asked for the next dance, to which she agreed. She thought he looked familiar but considered the subdued lighting in the room might have distorted her view.

She confessed to not knowing his name, and she could not pick up anything about him that gave her a clue as to his identity. He told her that his name was Christopher and that he was related to someone at the school. She felt intrigued, though perhaps it had something to do with the U2/B.B. King record. She could not detect a resemblance to any of the students. He explained the reason for that – he had no tie to any of the students. Now Livia felt totally baffled. He told her he had come in part to judge her guardedness, fairly high at school in general, which upon being told that, spiked even higher. Silently, he continued to speak. _He gave me a specific task to do and already you have shown part of it – I feel that you have heightened your guard against me, which seems high, anyway. He wanted me to determine how much control you have over your emotions, how you control them and how well you can perceive things about me._

She read little about him other than being able to sense that he said nothing entirely false. She briefly looked over towards the door and saw what looked like Professor Snape saying something to Professor Flitwick about minding his nephew for the night, then left the Hall. Livia then realized who this Christopher had for a relative, a point he confirmed. He continued speaking to Livia. _You always seem on guard, anyway. Do you ever lower it much? How much control do you have over regulating it? Are there levels below what you first showed, or does it just shut off?_

Livia did not know what to say. Personally, she felt like completely shutting down or that she already had, because he knew a lot and she knew nearly nothing. _I cannot read you at all and this concerns me. How is it that I draw a blank regarding anything about yourself?_

He saw that she had considered moving away from him, and he slightly tightened his grip. _Don't try to run. There are reasons why you cannot penetrate me. I am focused entirely on answering his questions right now. Frankly, the sooner I understand the answers, the sooner we can just enjoy the rest of the evening, if that suits you. I did not know what to expect when I accepted this task, and I would rather just dance with you than upset you. Okay?_

Livia answered his questions regarding her general state of alert and a higher form she takes when feeling threatened but admitted that it seemed after that she only could turn it off. A large gap existed between "off" and "on." Under specific circumstances, she found a higher threshold against perceived problems or anything remotely stressful, though she often found reading the intentions of people could get her to turn it off in specific situations. He asked her to lower her guard, to see what he might read from her. For good or ill, he found that she thought him attractive and intriguing, two things that might create issues later, though he had to admit his opinion matched hers entirely, which made him want to cast aside these questions quickly. He wanted to know how quickly she raised her guard, as well, and he could verify what she said by what he felt. He felt she had answered everything to his satisfaction. He gave her a few tips or exercises for better modulating her emotional control, like dials on one of her musical devices.

Just before "Purple Rain" fully began, he had walked over to the DJ and said something to him. He walked back and told her that his uncle had said that, when he had completed his task, to do something pleasant and suggested a song to request. The only question he had concerned if the DJ could find it and when he would play it. They did not have to wait long. The DJ, Zach Hawthorne, who had become a school-wide tutor, used a microphone to tell everyone he had a request for a song that he would play it immediately. Another student's overbuying for the collection had yielded a successful request.

The choice was an older song Livia had sung to for a long time at Colindale called "Tiny Dancer."* She found it feasible that Professor Snape remembered it but felt surprised that he would suggest playing it. _I understand that you know this very well. Sing it in my ear quietly, since I do not know the words._ He had guaranteed that she had to be very close to him to do that. She found it rather surprising the tug she felt to get that close to him, particularly near the chorus:

 _But oh how it feels so real  
Lying here with no one near  
Only you and you can hear me  
When I say softly, slowly_*

Having gotten closer, she recognized his resemblance to Professor Snape as well as his tremendous grace. He seemed to know how to talk to her and make her feel at ease after an awkward, rattling conversation. He had a bright smile and seemed to enjoy their interaction. She thought he had to be about her age but wanted to know more. He told her his full name: Christopher Prince. His father had been a cousin to the professor's mother, so technically Professor Snape was not his uncle. Given the age difference, resemblance and that Professor Snape tutored him, owing to the late emergence of his own gifts, calling him "Uncle Severus" made sense. At 11, he could not enter the school. It seemed a great arrangement to receive private lessons from him than go elsewhere. Livia found the explanation credible but had stopped doggedly trying to evaluate his sincerity. She got lost in him, totally smitten. Bill Weasley had not been "her type," but Christopher was. She could not have drawn him up much better. _Still, how did I miss the similarity_? Did that factor in her attraction? What a strange thought, she pondered. She rarely considered Professor Snape a male exactly, given his age and position.

Both of them stayed together the rest of the evening. Shelley found herself slightly jealous that this mysterious young man had made such an impression on Livia, though Liam had kept her quite entertained that night. Other than a few looks from various people she knew, no one bothered them. Professor Flitwick saw no reason to say anything about it, though he did watch them at times, given what Professor Snape had said to him.

Christopher had no problem with changing tempos or really anything, though playing "Take My Breath Away" seemed a little too poignant for either of them, though neither showed any discomfort to the other, probably because he had put his face over her shoulder and she had put her head onto his shoulder sideways. Every now and again she tried to understand something about him but could not perceive very much. Professor Snape must have taught him well regarding things he intended to teach her about masking herself that lay beyond her own nascent skills. She had never met another person her own age who could pull off what she did, not to mention surpass it. He must have advanced very quickly. Still, he seemed more a blank than blocking her.

Finally, came that "Last Dance," and he seemed entirely comfortable with such an upbeat, if suggestive, tune. He seemed rather agile but disciplined in leading her. She could even spin her off her feet and ensure she landed appropriately. Everyone clapped and seemed ecstatic that the night ended on such a good note. Livia felt unsure if she should bid Christopher good night from the Great Hall or not. She finally sensed something from him – an unease related to Professor Snape. She surmised that he needed to mind his behavior, since his favor did not include treating her like his date. Still, she walked out with him as various staff, including Hawthorne the DJ, took responsibility for clearing the Great Hall. He seemed to be heading back towards Professor Snape's quarters and she volunteered to accompany him at least as far as she could go. She somehow did not expect that Christopher had the means to get there so easily and seemed unconcerned that she had followed him to his uncle's door.

He bowed to her and wished her a good night when she pulled him towards her. She gave him a big hug and he returned it, if a little carefully, especially at first, as if he feared Professor Snape would hear him and open the door at any moment. She took the matter into her own hands quickly. She kissed him, tenderly, but not for an extremely long time, shorter than the first kiss Bill Weasley had given her. He looked shocked.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"Because I knew you wouldn't," she answered. "Most everyone fears your uncle. I don't."

Just then the door to his uncle's room opened, he whispered goodnight and went inside. Livia returned to her quarters. Everyone there had plenty of questions concerning the young man she had danced with almost the entire evening. She did not know how much to say. She told them his name was Christopher, he attended a different school but had a relative there who had suggested attending the dance with him. Silently, she told Shelley to back her up on whatever she said and she would try to explain later. Shelley affirmed that he had a distant connection to Liam O'Neill, which everyone accepted. Later on, Liam agreed to assent to whatever Shelley said as a favor to her. At that point, though, Shelley took Livia aside and begged to know the real story.

Livia silently told her she would not believe it. The young man actually had a job to perform for Professor Snape and that he tutored the young man who called him his uncle, though their relationship did not quite match that, being a little too far removed. She wondered if he felt somewhat bad about that whole Thor Thornton incident though he also got answers to his own questions, should she take on advanced studies with him the following year. Christopher ultimately showed that Livia was not the unemotional nobody that Professor Snape's house members tried to make her out to be. Shelley found the whole incident that evening strange. She did not understand why Livia hid this tie, either.

Livia posited that she did not entirely get the motives, either, except to say that Christopher decided to stay of his own accord and not at Professor Snape's request. That is, he made his own choice once he had ascertained what he needed to find out. Shelley seemed to find that acceptable, given that young men might have their own desires or agenda. In her mind, he seemed to totally enjoy himself, almost as much as Bill Weasley appeared to do the previous year. Livia did not know what to make of that comparison, given Bill had started out as a willing accomplice, although at some point he had become something else entirely.

The next day Livia had returned to full-on exam study mode and felt extremely focused towards what she had to do. She had no luxury of time to dwell on Christopher Prince. She was surprised to receive a letter addressed to her that afternoon. It came from Professor Snape, requesting that she see him as soon as she took her last O.W.L. exam. He needed to speak to her. She presumed he would reprimand her.

Livia's exams went very well, receiving perfect marks in Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies. Her History of Magic, Herbology and Transfigurations exams all rated as easily Outstanding, though not flawless. Most surprisingly, she clearly earned Exceeds Expectations, and nearly Outstanding, on her Divination exam, though she never attended a single class. She could teach herself still and bypassing her Second Year did not represent a fluke. Her error in the history class seemed minor to her and she thought the Transfiguration grading represented a matter of taste, hers not fully agreeing with Professor McGonagall. Livia thought it a trivial issue, rather than a substantive one. Livia preferred pleasing herself first and most of the faculty knew she had some non-conformist ideas that she kept to herself, not unlike her Patronus. She now had a bobcat animagus she liked, too, but did not feel it made sense for Scotland. She knew she had to alter it but she had not chosen a form.

The headmaster asked to see her also before she left, but Livia felt she should honor Professor Snape's request first, since he had sent it first. She arranged to see him at his faculty office. When the door opened and she entered she appeared shocked that Christopher Prince had let her inside the door.

Just sit here for a few minutes, he said. She had no idea what awaited her until before her eyes Christopher Prince no longer sat before her. She instead saw Professor Snape. She put her hand over her mouth and her eyes grew very wide. She did not see this coming – at all.

"I must explain this to you," he stated. "I did not intend to trick you. I wanted to find an objective means to assess what you knew about emotional control, since it relates to what we call Occlumency, or thought concealment, and through it Legilimency, the ability to penetrate the mind of others. Let me show you this…" He pulled a parchment with two sets of handwriting, one she knew as his and the other, probably younger, but possessing some similarity. "This is how I know what happened. I basically used a potion to alter myself to appear to be someone else. I had to take a lot of it, I rightly believed, so that you could not detect my identity. You are very good at that typically. I know you tried and extracted a few small things."

"But I saw you that night talking with Professor Flitwick," she said.

"That was a misdirection of mine having transformed another object into impersonating me," he said. "That figure did not stay long or say much, just enough to convince people that I had made a brief appearance. Because I took an ample amount of what I made, I did not really recall what happened, which I anticipated with these questions and answers. Have I upset you?"

"Some," Livia admitted. She dare not say how much. If he did not know that she had kissed him, she sure did not want to tell him. "I am very disappointed that I did not meet your nephew – that he does not really exist. I am glad, sir, that you did not tell me this until after my exams, though."

"I realized that this could create a problem, and I regret if it has," he stated. "I would like to work with you next year so that your skills more closely match mine in the areas I have mentioned, which should also enhance your dueling abilities. Will this episode create an obstacle?"

"I suppose not," she replied. "I will need the summer to digest this."

"I will try to answer questions about your parentage – would that help if I did?" he asked.

"That should – yes," she answered.

"Would it be too much to impose on you to assist me again with my inventory?" he asked.

"No," Livia recounted. "I could probably do that in my sleep by now."

"I rather you not be asleep given what I will need to have made," he asserted. "If you wind up coming on the 28th, I will try my best not to annoy you."

"Okay," Livia agreed. "I guess I know why the headmaster wants to see me now."

"Yes," he affirmed. "He allowed my attempt to understand your skills better, but I do not know what he wants to ask you about it – probably he wants to ensure that I told you."

Livia then went to see the headmaster, who just had given out instructions regarding the upcoming graduation ceremony. He put aside a few things, warmly greeted her and asked her to sit. Livia told him that she knew why he asked to see her. He seemed relieved to know that Professor Snape had kept his word.

"So he told you, did he?" the headmaster inquired. "I did not know entirely if he needed to do that, but I agreed, so long as he told you about it and did not upset you before your exams. And by the way, your exams are most accomplished. Congratulations."

"He told me after the exams," Livia responded. "And thank you, sir."

"I thought he should tread very carefully, though I think he proved to you how much more you can learn and develop regarding skills you have acquired on your own. Once trained, you should have ever greater advantages over others, and I mean against adults, not against children who usually do not or cannot disguise their feelings, especially from you."

"Yes, he did prove that by making me think a young man could be as skilled as himself," Livia stated.

"Did he hurt you? That was what worried me."

"The only thing that hurts me is the fact that Christopher Prince was not an actual person that I met," she disclosed.

"Hmm." He paused. "I am not sure if I should tell you this, but I know you kept quiet about Christopher's identity and got Miss Silver to ensure that everyone bought your story. I think you have the right to know this and will keep it to yourself. Actually, you have met the real person."

"What?" Livia asked. "I am not following you."

"You have met that person – it's just that his name is Severus Snape, not Christopher Prince."

"Wait – are you pranking me?" Livia inquired.

"No," the headmaster replied. "Who you met is the person Severus might have been, had he been sorted differently, for one. I think the best way to explain this is that you met him as a blank slate – benefiting from the wisdom he gained in life without experiencing any of the grief or struggle that accompanied it. He could forget his own past yet have insight from it. That's why you could not read him. You met essentially an idealized form of himself, but he was still there."

"You mean he remembers everything that happened that night?"

"I believe he does – though he may not want you to know that," the headmaster admitted. "I think you should know. You will still maintain your silence, regardless. He is more vulnerable than anyone here would guess, in more ways than one. But I think you have realized that."

"I have," Livia affirmed. "I have known for a while. He protects himself well owing to it."

"And you have protected him and yourself from the slightest sign of it. I appreciate your sensibility and your discretion." The bid each other farewell and Livia headed back to Ravenclaw.

Livia bid the rest of her room goodbye from the room. She had to travel to Durham, which made the train unnecessary to use. She packed up what she needed to take home, shrank it to fit well and be easy to transport and took off for Durham early in July, already with something in mind to get her brother in town before she showed up at his door. She had plenty to think about, but decided that, for the time being, she would bury herself in some music instead. That she kissed Professor Snape, and he knew it, would not be an easy or quick thing for her to handle. She knew why he would not admit to remembering it. She could not do that. Still, what should she do?

*Author's Note

The song "Tiny Dancer" features lyrics by Bernie Taupin with music by Elton John. It appears on the 1971 album "Madman Across the Water" though also was released as a single in 1972, the year of Livia's birth. The character developed a close affinity to that particular song.


	19. A Summer to Recover

Livia gave herself an opportunity to buy a stylish tie and jeweled clip before she arrived at her brother's rented semi-detached home. Some guests already had begun arriving for his birthday, having taken some holiday time to spend in the area. Some even got a good deal to stay where Gary worked. Everyone seemed to welcome her joyously. Alice judged her arrival right on time. A large buffet-type spread occupied an entire side table, some of it home cooked and parts Gary brought from his hotel's kitchen. It seemed hard to believe Tom had just turned 23, since he had so much going for him. He had proven himself as hardworking and capable at Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard and they deemed their investment amply rewarded. One of the main partners briefly stopped by to drop something off to him and wish everyone well. He seemed to pick Livia out of the entire group and congratulated her for the successful resolution of her case and thanked her. If it had not been for her, Tom would never have found them nor would he have achieved so much.

Livia figured that Tom kept a picture of her in his office. Otherwise, the middle-aged, tanned, greying Mayhew Hubbard probably only saw documents. Livia could not remember that photos existed in her medical file, for one. His greeting to Alice seemed a bit perfunctory, and he said little to the rest of the group. He had tried not to become obtrusive; he wanted to enter and leave quickly, rather than disrupt the party. He seemed professional, Livia supposed, except that he had taken notice of her, which struck Livia as odd until Tom later explained that Mr. Hubbard had a young, teenaged daughter. Whilst Tom did have a few photos on his desk, Mr. Hubbard had reviewed all of the items he submitted to the Framlingham Town Council and found the medical reports rather upsetting to read. He apparently had become the most supportive of Tom's efforts to go there several months ago, having made a point to draw attention to why the firm should back Tom entirely. He had taken interest in the case even before that, too, Tom claimed.

At the time, Livia did not know what to say, other than finally saying "thank you" and insisting that Tom's merits entirely belonged to him. Alice hoped that he would stay for a piece of the cake or coffee but he graciously declined, saying that he needed to return to the office. She gave him a few slices to take with him, since she had made more than one cake to accommodate a large group. Everyone seemed to have big news: Jake and Audrey had recently committed themselves to starting a family, Gary had gotten engaged to Penny, with both of them eying running their own small bed & breakfast or inn together. John had changed record labels with a significant promotion yet similar duties and the bonus of working alongside Lesley. Adam, with Linda, had moved closer to County Durham, specifically to York, where he worked on historic preservation of the old city as he pursued some of his own artistic interests the city had inspired. She had taken an administrative positon regarding the management of local facilities, including the municipal crematorium. Livia could only partly recount her academic success, received perfect scores in five of the nine exams she took, with three of the others still considered outstanding and one nearly so, the last which she confessed to having taken without attending a single class. She opted not to bore anyone with the details, only that she found the results satisfying because they pushed her to taking more advanced studies in a number of areas that she found interesting.

Fortunately, the group felt far enough removed from schoolwork not to press further and cared more about celebrating Tom's day. Cathy again had shown up with her beau Doc, who apparently only recently learned of Alice's background. He seemed a little intimidated by her, though he began to relax after Gary started teasing him about something involving spaying and neutering cats, calling him Doc Dick Killer. Gary knew how to make people laugh, making him a perfect host for some kind of holiday lodging. At least, Livia could understand this type of joke now. Gary then wanted to know if Livia had gotten over her redhead boy and found someone else.

"Maybe, maybe not," Livia responded, figuring she should maintain the façade, odd though it was. Gary could not let that go. "It's complicated. He is related to a faculty member."

"Who disapproves?" Gary asked.

"More or less," Livia stated. "That is, as long as I am a student, it would remain difficult." Impossible, to say the least, Livia said to herself.

"Well, how much longer is that?" Gary asked again.

"Two years," she answered.

"A lifetime for a youngster," Tom acknowledged. "There has to be someone else."

"Well, maybe, but if there is, he's hiding," Livia stated. "Or I am. I guess I am picky."

"Nothing wrong with that," Alice said. The other young women agreed.

After everyone left and the day wound down, at least until lunch tomorrow, Livia asked Tom about his house hunting. He saw a nice property with a glass-enclosed space in the back called a conservatory, though some Americans would call it a Florida room, which he thought Abby especially would love, since it would remove any desire on her part to go outside. Cathy told him how often cat owners let them outside unsupervised; he did not like it himself. Her story of caring for a FIP cat (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) made him want to keep a cat indoors, if it at all helped. Moreover, since Alice did not even like a Barn Owl at first, he could not imagine how she would like Abby bringing in a bird or mouse as a "gift." Other than that additional room, he found the house somewhat modest but rather delightful. Alice, though, had not seen it yet. He felt that she did not want to move too soon, even if only a couple miles away. They had spent less than a year in their current residence. Packing – even with help and the time afforded by a local move – still involved stress.

"If it stays on the market, why not show her near Christmas?" Livia asked. "You might get a better price then, if the owner overpriced it. Then perhaps you could put off a move until 1990."

"It could work," Tom replied.

"Which comes first, ring or house?" Livia inquired.

"Good question," Tom answered. "I don't wish to ask her, but I would like to know."

"Maybe you should ask her family," Livia suggested.

"They might say 'both'," Tom acknowledged. "Maybe if Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard give me a bonus, I could swing at least one and give some indication the other would follow."

"Seems worth a try," Livia asserted. "Maybe a promise ring for Christmas with the house, followed by an actual ring?"

"That's reasonable, especially with needing to buy her something for the holiday or her birthday, anyway," Tom said. "Since the house would be ours, she cannot call it a present, exactly."

Meantime, Livia called out for Brontë, who Shelley had taken home. Brontë convinced Shelley to let her fly and she came to Livia later that day to fetch a letter about meeting her at the Leaky Cauldron again, or her home, on 28 August again. It seemed Shelley wanted to assemble the other girls that year, to make it possible to all meet early that afternoon there. As far as she knew, Athena and Selene had agreed and thought one o'clock would be a good time. Ultimately, Livia said she would try hard to get there by that time, if she could get her brother to celebrate her birthday on that Sunday instead of Monday. Given his own case load, this idea worked for him.

Meantime, Livia helped Alice put together her application for a DPhil program in Newcastle. Alice had met with someone interested in her work as well as the materials she could use. Livia essentially proofread her essays and pointed out any discrepancies or points she had not thoroughly covered. Livia had some idea that once someone stepped forward and became a useful mentor or ally, gaining acceptance might not pose as heavy a burden. Still, Livia felt that Alice's credentials and materials submitted would get examined closely by others who had no stake in that. A few even might have wanted to find an excuse to reject her, seeing her as a mere well-to-do dilettante who lacked a serious intent for the degree. They would misjudge her, but Livia knew too well how that went. Of course, admissions people would take her money or her family's money only too gladly, but Alice had no intention of trying that. If her family wanted to do that, the money would probably not go to Newcastle University.

At about that point, they discussed the song Livia wanted to play at the dance, which Reggie persuaded her not to use. Alice told her that her friend had correctly told her not to play "Little Red Corvette" at a school function. The song had created enough controversy given the lyrics barely seemed figurative. Even if some faculty might not have a clue, someone would understand the song's references, certainly. Alice had to explain them. She found that a little odd that Livia had not followed them closely. Besides, Prince had something of a reputation for lyrics that pushed the envelope on being suggestive, which John knew well. How did Livia miss this?

Alice tried to get more out of Livia regarding this new boy she seemed to like, but Livia did not wish to say much. Livia claimed that she probably had trespassed on something and had to watch her step, give the power of the person she would offend if she pursued anything.

"But what about the boy," Alice maintained. "Doesn't he have a say?"

"I think he fears his uncle more than I do," she answered. "And the professor may just tolerate me, anyway, rather than him consider me 'good enough' for his nephew."

"That could be untenable, especially right now," Alice suggested.

 _You're telling me, Alice. I still can't believe it and I saw it myself._ _I wish I had not. He sure fooled me. I can't have that happen again, for any reason._

Livia spent a good deal of time outdoors, so Alice could put together her materials in peace whilst Livia walked by the Wear and explored the walkway below the castle and cathedral. Every now and again, before heading back, she would spend time at the Venerable Bede's chapel, pondering what to do about her future. She knew he could never fathom her dilemmas. She had several, and secrets followed all of them. She did not know what to ask, other than for a continued good fortune of avoiding the "sister" who had never really wanted to be one. She felt she had gone past dread or fear – she only worried that she might do something that would hurt Tom or someone else. She could not imagine how to address any other issue. Bill Weasley had gone, perhaps forever. What could or should she tell her brother about herself – and when? Christopher Prince remained unreachably unrealistic for the most obvious reason. Yet he occupied much of her thoughts, for good or ill. She wondered if that was why she even mentioned him, except that making him sound credible could have a future purpose. What was left?

She still had to process her own shock. She still could not wrap her head around the problem she essentially created. She had to own that, even though Professor Snape thought it best to ignore entirely. She had agreed to meet him again, though he had a clear reason to avoid her; she attributed that to the skills she had that he lacked. Maybe he figured it more normal to ask and would appear suspicious to her if he did not. She considered asking Sevy about him, though owls had such straightforward relationships that she doubted he could understand her. Maybe she could get a more precise answer as to why Sevy liked him, given his taciturn, moody or biting interactions with students. She knew only too well how belittling and bullying could twist someone into the very thing they themselves had feared and loathed once.

On the way back to Tom and Alice's home, Livia stopped by a record store and went through the various formats and artists, particularly those she had not explored. She liked some for her own use and some she though dance-worthy. These often became two different things. She got a sense that the group Cream or the individuals in it would suit her more than any dance event (with perhaps a few exceptions), whereas a single she found called "The End of the Innocence" would make a good song for the event, even if the nostalgia and political references went over everyone's heads. Livia watched too much news programming to miss its allusions. Tom and Alice had staked their lives essentially on being aware of such things, even if they did not affect them directly. Alice definitely had no great affection for Margaret Thatcher, no matter what impact she may have had on events unfolding in Eastern Europe. So its oblique swipe at Ronald Reagan did not surprise or offend her in the least. Not everyone of any wealth or rank were ardent Tories, she said.

Yet she only found that song and its album on CD, which caused her over time to widen her search for potential tracks, if the club would continue their event another year. No one transferred CDs onto vinyl, and she did not think she should risk making her player visible. She contemplated how they could hide it in an expanded DJ table in a larger, enclosed space. That would widen her choices more, including perhaps a remastered "Wonderful Tonight," should she get the chance to put together a new playlist. Still, instead of a complete boxed set of music, which seemed a good purchase, she bought "Graceland," being especially taken with the song "You Can Call Me Al." She simply lacked enough funds on her for a boxed set right then, so she put it off for the time being. She would need to consult some in the club if another event took place, as far as using her CD player and hiding it. Livia never took anything for granted. She had a vague notion that the event might not outlast her tenure as a student, and that the club would wind up simply playing things for each other's amusement, with perhaps a little education thrown into the mix. Actually holding a dance event would require someone with her passion, knowledge and an ability to motivate others. She did not know if anyone could do it. Without Bill Weasley's support, the first event never would have occurred, much less a second or third.

On another trip to the cathedral area, she found herself thinking about and hearing in her mind the Byrds's "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and wondered what season she had left or entered. A time to refrain sounded most prudent, but other than that, she did not see the way clear. That brought her to the U2 concert staple "40," that not seeing straight made her go straight to the plea sung by the crowd as the band exited the stage: "How long…to sing this song?" Weeks had gone by and she still contemplated what else she could do beyond trying to elicit more information from Sevy.

She came to figuring out that, if she had to practice Occlumency and Legilimency skills with him, she might wind up understanding precisely what he went through. That could explain why Christopher Prince lived inside of him, but Professor Snape never inhabited or exhibited that sort of character. She wanted to know the story, especially since she never would fully know the man he may have become. She supposed that was who he had wanted to be for someone else, too. Slowly, after hours of off-and-on sitting in that empty chapel, if occasionally besieged by some tour group or another, she came slowly to make her peace and hoped someday she could find a real Christopher Prince. Like Bill told her, she would have to wait. Of course, she also remembered that question posed to her several times about whether or not she gave up too soon regarding Bill. Still, what did she give up here, exactly? What could she ever hope to gain? Nothing tangible seemed feasible; she tormented herself in an entirely futile indulgence. This had to cease.

All too soon August had come and nearly gone, and a party assembled to celebrate Livia's birthday on 27 August, since the lot of them had to work the next day. Livia said, in fact, she had hoped to leave to spend much of the following day with the three girls living in a dorm room with her. They would then get the train back to school together. Tom did not know if Livia made these arrangements to suit herself or him. He knew he would think a lot about her on Monday, regardless of her location. His strongest early memory concerned finding her baby basket outside St. Michael's, and he wondered if either the girl who had left her there or her birth mother had any care or idea regarding the baby they had pushed away. He often wondered how that rejection had not left a permanent scar on her. Yet he noticed she never seemed to show any interest in her mother, even as she bought music from American recording artists that this woman had to have heard at some point. Livia, he thought, seemed to wonder more about her father, only because they both knew nothing about each other, as far as Tom could tell.

They had a lovely dinner at the hotel where Gary now served as a manager. He had a room set aside for the occasion and various people Tom knew came for the meal, like Jake and Audrey, Gary and Penny, Adam and Linda, John and Lesley and, finally, Cathy and Doc (to them it was his name). Rev. Woodcock sent something via Cathy: a card and £170 along with a gift card to a chain record store. He still had his hands full with Lydia since he largely helped her move out, finally, though not into the spacious flat she wanted for herself. She already began working on him and her mother regarding getting a car when she passed a driver's test. Rev. Woodcock tried to say he would base it on her behavior as to whether she deserved one, whilst also pointing out that he neither bought cars for Tom nor Cathy. Still, his wife, Emma, again undermined his efforts to improve his daughter's behavior by silently giving Lydia the sense that she would get a car.

Gary apparently had given the dining staff particular orders regarding the menu and service. They seemed to go out of their way to make a tasty filet mignon meal, the side dishes top notch and the cake festive to both eyes and palate – the cake in multiple colors but inside red velvet, known as a great favorite of Livia's. He even had a champagne toast for Livia's last day being 16, since at some point overnight she would turn exactly 17. All brought little gifts, some intriguing like an aromatherapy diffuser or jeweled accessories for her hair, some whimsical and sentimental like a cat charm bracelet, others more geared to Livia's musical interest, with John actually giving her the boxed set _Crossroads_ she had thought about buying. She told him she had considered getting it. He expressed great pleasure that she hadn't done so and told her that the artist had a new album coming out soon that he would have to send her, since what he had heard suggested a new and excellent phase in an already remarkable artistic career.

Tom tended towards the practical gifts, given the cold he expected to come as Livia would ultimately head northward. Above all, he felt protective of her since she essentially remained in his custody as a student. All seemed thoughtful gifts and Livia thanked everyone profusely. Even if she might have considered Tom's gift the least heartfelt, she knew better and further recognized that, without him, none of those other gifts ever come to her. He had made her life possible or at least viable. Livia contemplated that she had never really done much for Cathy's birthday in February in some years and that she should remedy that, given how Cathy had more than attempted to make up for the past. She finally let that sliver of a grudge go because enough distance separated her from the young girl sent to Colindale who only knew that she did not belong there, regardless of how outsiders saw her then.

After the dinner, she returned with Tom and Alice to their house and she prepared her gear for her trip. She ensured Abby felt good and she would see her in a few months. She bid everyone goodbye and headed out towards the Wear where she could expand her broom without anyone seeing her and take off. She got back to school just after 9 pm. The staff had grown so used to her early visits that they stopped asking why she had come. Even house elves knew what an ugly sibling relationship looked like and, if she preferred Professor Snape's company to a sister, that girl had to be the most vile creature alive.

Livia wrote a note to Professor Snape asking for the time she should come and called Sevy to take it to him. Before Sevy left, though, she ensured Sevy felt good then decided to ask if there was anything more specific he could tell her as to why he had a fondness for Professor Snape, since most of the students did not. Sevy affirmed that he thought that she read the professor well but added a few things of his own. He knew through other owls that came before him that Professor Snape had some horrible experiences there as a student. His ambition that he would show those people how powerful he could become resulted in more antagonist incidents and ultimately the loss of the one real friend he seemed to have. Livia asked who she was. Sevy did not know all the details, but it seemed to him that, from what he heard, she had cared about him like a best friend yet paired off with someone else. He probably had different feelings that he kept to himself, even though no one ever walks or reads alone in nature. Birds see everything, especially keen-sighted raptors. Her death, he believed from what he heard, somehow gave his life a great burden. Sevy did not know much about his troubles because he seemed so isolated that he shared virtually nothing with anyone. Indeed, other than the headmaster, Sevy relayed his belief that Livia knew more about him than anyone else. Livia found that surprising. He told her that he believed this knowledge carried some sort of danger with it, a point Livia said she already knew from the headmaster.

Livia gave Sevy a little treat then the note to take to Professor Snape. She decided to empty her mind of at least what Sevy said then by playing some music. Needing something mindless and energetic, she chose "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince. She got through the whole song feeling pretty good and did not detect – or perhaps missed – any noise outside. Then again, she had the volume at a good level and had gone through her own metamorphosis of crazy to cut herself some space to let go of any residue of last spring or what Sevy told her. Not every recording on the album had that effect on her, but this was the right choice at that moment.

Only when the song ended did she hear a knock, and she resisted the cheekiness of using a Monty Python voice to say "Who is it?" Who else would knock – though sometimes she wondered if he actually could apparate there then didn't he just apparate into the room. She didn't understand his movements at all. Did he maintain propriety, her privacy or maybe even his own? Clearly, she never knew when he showed up before his audible knock. She wondered how much he had heard but would never know unless she propped the door open the entire time.

She opened the door and nodded her head at him and said she hoped he was well. He looked perplexed. "Prince again?" he asked.

"Yes," Livia answered. "That song is outrageously good. Wish I had seen the film. His album represents its soundtrack. I believe he won awards for it. I was too young to see the film and also incapable of going anywhere to see it when it came out."

"I see," he responded. "Do you want to start working now or tomorrow?"

"Whichever suits you, sir."

"I rather start now and sleep later," he said. "So take my sleeve. I sometimes can do this out of term. Next year, you won't need me for this, if the headmaster allows you access this way."

Again, they were next to his inventory closet and she set up her lists as she had done before. One by one he went through everything and called out where to place which item. At least Colindale had compelled her to write neatly, the one thing they drilled into her. Sometimes, she wondered if her handwriting helped her grades, though no one had ever indicated this. She never would have given them much credit for anything there; she needed distance and time. Of course, that did not mean a fondness for that portion of her life would materialize – ever.

They both had the routine down and completed everything in about an hour. He emptied several containers and handed her a few as he brought some to the classroom in front. She handed him his re-ordering list with items that took longer marked by an asterisk. Those things appeared on the second list, and the now emptied, refreshed containers put in the front of the room. He looked at the second list and marked an "O" for the owls to retrieve. Livia opened the window, put some food out and called to her friends. Since this year there were four owl-designated items, she asked if another could join them so all would have one task. Sydney, Mel, Sevy and a fourth Barn Owl – named Sarita, she said – came through the window. She greeted all and asked if all could fetch one thing apiece. All assented and said they felt good. She gave them each an assignment and set the four containers in one area where they would go. She alerted them to the food left for them outside the window and bowed. Then each disappeared into the night.

Professor Snape sat down to watch and poured himself some tea. Every year he found himself fascinated as to how wild creatures responded to Livia so easily and how all exhibited a mutual admiration. Livia gave what she thought might be the easiest task to Sarita, and Livia had perhaps only a sip or two of tea before she returned. Livia directed her and inquired a little more about her – she apparently had just grown up from Mel and Sydney's last clutch and had not gone too far from their home yet. Gratified to know, Livia bowed to her and thanked her and wished her well wherever her life would take her. Sarita chirped, essentially saying the same before leaving.

"What was that about?" Professor Snape asked.

"Sarita is the last owlet of Sydney and Mel to leave on her own."

"Impressive," he stated.

"Well, I did try to give her the easiest of the four tasks, but obviously she had no problem in executing it."

Soon thereafter, Mel and Sevy entered; Sevy let Mel go first. They both had completed their tasks and Mel asked for a little more food. He was hungry. As Livia bowed and upped the food amount available outside, Sevy had flown down to Professor Snape again and vocalized, almost exactly what he had the year before. Professor Snape seemed to remember, so Livia did not need to translate what he had said. Oddly enough, Professor Snape extended his arm and nodded to him and Sevy went onto it. "What should I do now?" he asked.

"You could gently pat his head with your other hand, sir," Livia answered.

"Okay, but you did not see this," he asserted.

"When did I ever see anything?"

Sevy then left the room just before Sydney entered it. Livia directly her to the last empty container of the four set aside for the owls. Livia conveyed congratulations on Sarita's success as well as her own. Before Sydney left, she stated, "That's my girl! Her name also relates to your feline friend no longer here." Livia smiled at the thoughtfulness behind the gesture.

Livia again sat down and finished her tea. "Well, part one is done. Sydney said she was so proud of Sarita. Her name derives from my cat. You want to start the next phase at eight again?"

"Make it 8:30, he said. Bring your stuff for your trip. Where are you going this time?"

"The Leaky Cauldron," she replied. "I am supposed to meet Shelley, Athena and Selene from Ravenclaw there. I guess we will get ice cream again, too."

"See you tomorrow," he stated. Then he was gone. She knew how to get back to her room but his quick disappearance seemed odd. Livia found herself at a loss to explain why he left as he did, so abruptly. Did Sevy cause that or did she? A mystery wrapped in an enigma he was.

Livia wanted to shake off his strange departure somehow. She ultimately settled on the box set version of "White Room" done by the group Cream:

 _In the white room with black curtains near the station._  
 _Blackroof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings._  
 _Silver horses ran down moonbeams in your dark eyes._  
 _Dawnlight smiles on you leaving, my contentment..._ _*  
_  
Livia really cranked the volume. She just had begun learning the lead voice, which belonged to Cream's bass player, Jack Bruce. She seemed to be getting better as the song continued, so much so that she played it again, to get the feeling and the sound to match. Thinking about perfecting the voice took away from dwelling on other things. The lyrics possessed a certain ambiguity in some places, though overall it possessed a desperate, empty and downtrodden sort of charm, or at least the music itself had charm. It fit a mostly empty room and a vanishing someone with dark eyes, obviously. Livia usually had an audience for such things that she never saw or necessarily detected fully when outside. He consistently preferred listening or watching anything, not participating – not as he was, at least. The exact moment of Livia's birthday passed with her peacefully asleep.

The next morning, she arrived a little early with everything she needed for her trip to meet her Ravenclaw roommates. No matter, Professor Snape had already arrived, as had breakfast. The house elves included a small cupcake with the number 17 in red frosting over the cream color, with a single candle on top. She later discovered that the cupcake itself represented their version – quite nice, in fact – of a red velvet cake, something she greatly liked that Gary had staff prepare the day before. She had no idea how they had known about her fondness for red velvet cakes.

Professor Snape merely watched as Livia opened a window again, left food and called to Alastair, Benedict and their crow friends who had helped before. She sat down and had some tea and tried looking at Professor Snape. He seemed to find his saucer more interesting. She could not remember him often looking straight at her unless it involved some sort of glare or something very impersonal. Finally, he looked up and saw her looking directly at him. "What?" he asked.

"Hellloooo in there," she stated. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Miss Woodcock," he said flatly. "Happy Birthday. And no, I won't sing. You could do that for me."

"Thank you, sir. Indeed, I could but not to myself – too weird even for me."

The first few crows had started to return and Livia took charge of ensuring everything they dropped went into the proper container. Those had to get another round of the same material, they knew and whilst she still thanked them, both acknowledged that more would follow. Afterwards, Livia returned to her chair while they refueled outside for a few minutes before heading back towards the forest.

"I presume that does not represent the total they will bring?" he asked.

"They know. You'll see."

"So did your brother get you something nice?" Professor Snape asked.

"Actually, he buys practical things, like a new coat or gloves, given he still sees himself as my guardian," Livia recounted. "His friends buy really nice things. Last night I played a part of a boxed CD set of an artist considered a 'Rock God'."

"What is that?" he inquired.

"He is a legendary guitar player," she replied. "Graffiti in London started referring to him as God as early as 1965, I believe. Tom's friend John tells me he has a new album coming out later this year that is expected to be excellent. I have a collection of his work to date."

"What makes him great?"

"I think you can only get that by listening to his best work," she replied. "His nickname is 'Slowhand,' I think, which is some kind of pun because he does not play slowly. I would have to play you something I listened to last night. I am learning the voice of a former bandmate of his."

"No need," he responded. "A few of the crows are back."

These had a distant task and completed it in one trip, though they both said they needed a breather and more food, which Livia provided, as she secured each left their catches in the right container and bowed to them just before they departed.

She sat down again and ate some of the breakfast fare sent. She knew he rarely initiated conversation, especially unrelated to his position. Yet Livia felt unsure about trying to get him to talk. She considered her words carefully. "Do you feel ready for a new year or wish you had another two weeks away?"

"I never think about that," he answered. "I take what is and deal with that, which has enough challenges. I rarely try to wish to change things I cannot alter."

That latter statement rang a little hollow, though not glaringly so. Livia did not want to challenge him on the point. It seemed a little dangerous, even if she was doing him a favor.

"I thought that was a universal problem," Livia asserted. "You know, having regrets. Wanting to change the past, even if it is nothing more than an exam question. I mean, earlier this summer, I found I did not have enough money at the time to buy that boxed CD set, though I wished very much to have it. So I was hugely happy that John gave me it yesterday."

"There are much bigger issues than those, Miss Woodcock."

"I know very well. We do not need to refer to Bill Weasley or anyone else again, do we?"

The first two crows had returned and deposited the rest of what they agreed to retrieve. Livia assured they got placed appropriately and thanked them again for their diligence and hard work, ensuring sufficient food remained outside. Only Alastair and Benedict needed to return.

Livia said down and took the cupcake down from the tray. Professor Snape lit the candle by just gesturing at it. He told her to make a wish, since the elves clearly wanted her to do so. She blew it out, then asked if Professor Snape wanted any of it, since, judging by cutting into it, they have made it like a red velvet cake. He agreed to take a portion and asked her about her wish. She found his curiosity strange for a number of reasons but tried to overlook it.

"Isn't that supposed to be a secret?" Livia asked.

"You already know a few of mine, so fess up," he put to her.

Just then Benedict and then Alastair entered with the last two items. Livia again confirmed their placement and that they had ample food outside the window to reward them after a somewhat long journey. She got her assurances, then bowed to them both and they departed. By then, Professor Snape had begun retrieving additional items from his closet and Livia began reordering everything to be alphabetized properly.

"So are you going to play dumb now or what?" he asked. It seemed like he sensed her discomfort over saying anything about her secret wish.

"I will tell you later," she answered. "We have work to do, no?"

"I will hold you to that," he responded.

Again, he gave Livia a potion she had done for him a previous year, laid out the ingredients in order, while he worked on his own. This time, he only watched out of curiosity, since it seemed she had gotten more comfortable and faster in completing her task, though she remained meticulous and sensitive regarding her actions. As with the prior year, she stored both of them. Meantime, he set up for the second pair. Everything appeared ready to go by the time she walked back from the closet and made sure her hands were clean.

The second set went about the same way. The headmaster may have joked about her future, but he could see it grow ever more clear. She would have his title someday, if she wanted it. There were graduates of the school who had taken advanced studies with him who could not match her skill set or meet the standards she set for herself. He told himself that alone justified him watching her work. She gave no hint as to what her wish involved. He told her to store her second potion the alternate way he showed her as he did the same with his. This made both go more quickly.

They had finished earlier than the previous year, a testimony more to her increasing comfort level and speed. He knew she did not take less time out of a desire to confess her own wish. He thought her reluctant about it and could not figure out what she had wanted.

He sat down and poured the last of tea, into both cups. "The moment of truth has arrived, Miss Woodcock. What did you wish?"

She exhaled slowly and a bit loudly. "I don't think you will like this, sir."

"You are going to tell me, anyway," he stated. "Stop hiding it because I will know if you lie to me or not."

She put one hand on her face and seemed to look at the ceiling before she finally said anything. "I wished I could have another dance with Christopher Prince."

"Oh, you have got to be toying with me," he proclaimed. She had lowered her defenses entirely and he knew she had told the truth.

"That is rather dangerous, Miss Woodcock," he asserted.

"I told you that you would not like it," she stated.

"Hmph. So you did."

"So now what?" Livia asked. "I guess we're even."

"I did not expect you to say that," he confessed. He disappeared.

"Great," Livia said, muttering under her breath. "Guess I will have to break into his office to get to the Leaky Cauldron now. I wonder if the headmaster could get me there. I should have lied." Livia stewed for another minute or two wondering how she should have handled that.

He reappeared. "Consider this a huge indulgence, birthday girl. Take my sleeve again."

They were back in her room. "Put on something you like – but try to make it at least somewhat tame."

There was so much to choose from. She had several CDs in her player. She picked the song, "The End of the Innocence." When she turned around, she saw the young man she knew as Christopher Prince.

"Here I am, and your wish is my command," he maintained.

He was every bit the same as she saw last spring. He could twirl her or dip or do anything that went with the melody. He also smiled, broadly, as if glad to see her. It almost seemed real. He had a memory that went on the night of the dance, though little else.

She thought only of the moment, for as long as it would last. Of course, the song ended, though he indicated he would be there for another. Livia had the machine on "shuffle" she told him, so she had no idea what would play next. It turned out to be an up tempo, but, well, somewhat "dangerous" tune, U2's song "Desire." Yet it seemed like so much fun. If this had happened last spring, she would have sworn he had become quite taken with her. Of course, that was the entire point then – that she did not know. Now? Maybe a reflex? The incongruity had no clear explanation, except as a favor to her. Or perhaps a form of torture for not accepting "what is." Who could tell? He wouldn't. She found his emotions beyond annoyance extremely difficult to extract.

"Let go now," Christopher told her. Livia went to turn off her player and maintain its protection. When she turned back around, she again saw Professor Snape.

"We must go back. Take my sleeve."

They had returned to the potion room. He said nothing about that short excursion. He sent the breakfast tray back and simply, as before, asked her to gather her things and follow him to his head of house office. Livia silently complied. She knew she need not bother to ask him anything or say anything. He would not answer.

When they reached his office he gave her something – what looked like a stone paperweight. He told her to send it back him as proof that she had safely arrived. He would not risk another anonymous and possibly problematic patron seeing him there.

Livia nodded. "Thank you, sir. Enjoy the rest of your free time. See you on the first." She took the black power and distinctly announced her destination and in a flash she vanished.

 _Might be too soon for me. At least, she had not done anything too ridiculous._

Once again, Livia showed up a bit early, but first she had to send the paperweight back to the Slytherin office. Given the distance, she had to focus greatly. She closed her eyes and could feel the pressure on her hand lighten, though she did not open them until she visualized it back on the professor's desk. He saw it and picked it up. _She is strong to cover that distance so fast._

Livia pulled out some of the money her father had given her and asked the innkeeper what amounted to a fair lunch for £20. He tried to say he could not take that much, but she told him that she expected to be joined by three other girls in the near future and whatever he thought fair could cover something for them, too, or he could just feed her a bit later, too. She seemed not to care, so long as she did not shortchange him. "It's my birthday money, so just think that I am sharing my relative wealth."

He gave her some soup and said he would keep a running total. "Are you expecting Shelley Silver again, miss?"

"Yes," Livia answered. "Shelley and two other girls. I'm not sure if they will come alone."

"You are all of age?" he asked.

"Today I am 17, actually."

"Well, let us have a toast to you then. I'll join you when your friends arrive. The £20 will be more than fair for that."

One by one Shelley, Athena and Selene arrived and each had come alone, with their families later reassured by the innkeeper that all had arrived safely. Livia greeted them all warmly and told them how glad she was to see them. Before they departed for Diagon Alley, she informed them that the innkeeper had suggested a way for what she paid him for her soup to be fair – he wanted them all to have a toast for her birthday.

The other three loved the idea. The school greatly discouraged the consumption of intoxicants, unless in carefully-managed situations where only students of the appropriate age attended, though no one discussed it openly. They generally remembered that 28 August was her birthday. Shelley's birthday came during winter break, in late December, whereas both Athena and Selene had theirs during spring break, the middle and near the end of March. So none had ever really done a toast or anything special, other than the ice cream Livia and Shelley had with Shelley's mother that one year. The innkeeper's participation made it official, in a way. No one told him who was 16 and who was 17. Given that Livia received a meal, the innkeeper did have a case in terms of the legality in muggle law. He seemed to want to re-live being 17 enough that he became the "adult supervisor" as far as that law went, anyway. He served a fairly tame chocolate liqueur, so no one would really make trouble over it. Everyone drank it quickly and the glasses removed before anyone even noticed.

The four had just set foot in the row of shops when Livia announced that she had to go to the bank first, to exchange some of the money given to her and to see if she would have enough to buy the supplies she needed. She wound up exchanging £100 and taking out some of the funds – if a smaller amount than usual – from her account. For a virtual orphan, the account looked healthy. It seemed that they managed her funds well, or that she generally spent less than the school allocated per year.

She and Shelley expected to have similar, if not exact, schedules again, since Shelley had earned eight O.W.L. scores. Whilst both Athena and Selene earned high "Exceeds Expectations" scores on their potions exam, Professor Snape cut off students who had not gotten "Outstanding," which Shelley had received. The rest of their classes had a number of similarities, though Livia figured she could do without "History of Magic" or "Herbology," given what she already knew and expecting to need time for dueling or Occlumency/Legilimency lessons. Athena and Selene would be taking the courses Livia cut and Shelley only took the latter. Fortunately, no one had a need to purchase an owl. Livia did not enjoy going in there because she felt sorry for them being pets. She realized that she could say a similar thing about house elves, though she had tried to treat them with respect and kindness. They deserved no less than any other creature.

Shelley had already informed the others that Professor Flitwick likely would elevate her to Head Girl next year whilst Livia remained a prefect. Livia realized it before Shelley told anyone. She had some sense as to why he would do that. Silently, she told Shelley she need not try to hide this from her. She understood the situation and had no complaint. Shelley then told the others that Livia seemed to already know about Professor Flitwick's decisions. Athena and Selene wondered why he would pass on elevating Livia and why Livia had no objection. Livia told them it involved the extra work he expected Livia to undertake over the next two years. She would continue not only working with Professor Flitwick but also would begin extra lessons with Professor Snape.

They all expressed shock and terror at the thought of working privately with the latter. Livia reassured them that it had to do with a particular skill Professor Snape performed at best and that the headmaster requested he formalize Livia's knowledge of these things. They had no idea what she meant. Livia decided to be blunt: "You know how I can take money off students at the Winter Ball?" They nodded. "That is, I essentially know what those students are thinking. Professor Snape is going to help me be able to do that with adults as well as conceal my own thoughts from anyone."

"You already do the latter," Shelley asserted. "No one ever knows what you think until you say something. How can he improve that?"

"He can," Livia answered. "He has much more developed abilities in both things. Frankly, in this area, we have very similar talents, though he trained to expand and deepen his. I have not."

"The headmaster wants you to work with him?" Athena asked. "But he doesn't like you. How will that work?"

"He may dislike what I do at times, but he begrudgingly respects my skills and potential," Livia replied. "Trust me. You will not see me running from him shrieking in terror anytime soon."

"I hope so," Selene said. "I frankly am glad to not be eligible to study more with him. I think I made a few mistakes intentionally to ensure I did not even have a choice." Athena nodded.

After they gathered everything each needed and put into a cart Shelley pushed, they all enjoyed some ice cream together. Livia confessed that, before the train came for them on the first, she did not know where she would go for the last three days. That is, she figured all planned on going home, but she wondered if they might stay in a room at the Leaky Cauldron together and see London together. None of the rest had everything needed for the school year, but each liked the idea of staying together. In fact, Selene confessed to never having spent any time in London among muggles whatsoever. "It is not really about them, though," Livia asserted. "It concerns the four of us having fun together. Maybe your families would object."

"My parents like you," Shelley acknowledged. "They would probably want to come not to chaperone but just to visit themselves and see us off."

"If you swing it, I probably can also," Athena affirmed.

"I must say the same thing," Selene said. "Obviously, my parents shelter me, and they might be tempted to come, too, but I think they would feel I'm safe within a group."

The plan took shape. When they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, Livia asked the innkeeper if he had a room available the four girls could have for the next three nights. Though the rest needed to go home and return, she did not. He had no problem accommodating the girls. He asked if any parents would want their own rooms.

"Possibly, but I do not know who or how many," Livia responded. "They would have to negotiate what you have directly with you."

Whilst the other girls took their things back with them, Livia shrunk her own acquisitions and carried them to the room the innkeeper had in mind. It contained three single beds and he added a fourth. It looked appropriate. Livia paid for the first night, since she did not know when the others would return. Shelley's parents did arrange for their own room and one by one they all came less than two hours later, the parents with a weekend-type bag and Shelley with everything she would need for the school year., including her owl. The innkeeper wanted to store at least some of Shelley's things but Livia shrank them enough to fit under her bed and thanked him for his concern. Brontë got her own perch and sat quietly. Once Athena's parents, Aphrodite and August Anthony, learned that Sheila and Marcus Silver had arrived, they sent Athena, as they had another engagement preventing their participation. Selene's parents, Sigmund and Semele Landers, also wanted to come but a sick relative made them decide against it. They trusted that Shelley's parents would keep everyone in check. Because they had hesitated, Selene trailed the rest by nearly an hour. Nonetheless, by that evening, all four girls had a room together. With Sheila and Marcus Silver, they dined in Chelsea that night. Livia chose the restaurant, which gave the Silvers assurance that Livia knew what she was doing and had a firm command over negotiating the muggle world. Livia understood maps and transport schedules and the layout of the city, things longtime residents took for granted whereas newer inhabitants often found these daunting for months. Sheila and Marcus found it hard to believe that Livia had not lived there her entire life.

Sheila and Marcus insisted on paying for the rest of the girls's stay as well as their own room. They also made sure Shelley had enough money in sterling for her time there. In fact, they over-estimated Shelley's expenses and gave her ample currency basically to cover all four girls for the entire stay. Livia had thought she would need to get more money until she saw that Shelley's parents had given her over £500 just in spending money. Athena and Selene did not understand this until everyone saw that sum in £50 and £20 bills. Livia said, "Shelley, your parents probably just paid for all four of us for the full three days. We might have to work hard to spend all of this."

Shelley had no idea and just gave the money to Livia. "You keep it, then, and figure out how to take care of us. I have no idea. They probably don't, either." The other girls did likewise.

Livia bought travelcards for each day up until Friday, giving them an unlimited ability to negotiate London. Emphasizing that they keep the card on them and handy at all times, she got them little sleeved pouches they could easily wear around their necks. Livia took them to places she loved and, even showed them where she first met the headmaster and where her brother had lived for a year. The enjoyed the Tower of London and the National Portrait Gallery, also. She even managed four tickets to a weekday showing of Les Misérables. They met Shelley's parents for dinner each night, including at the Italian restaurant where Livia had celebrated her birthday. One waiter seemed to remember her and inquired about Miss West, especially. Livia made sure they all found acceptable food, enjoyable activities and none ever got too run down. In any needed a break, she knew they could sit for a time inside a church, like St. Martin-in-the-Fields or St. Paul's Covent Garden, also called the Actor's Church. Livia paused at the latter for a brief biographical sketch of Ellen Terry, proving that the little box with Sarah's remains did not represent something terribly extraordinary – in fact, Terry's cremation only somewhat pre-dated its growing popularity by a few decades.

For unusual, Livia showed the three other girls the "Auto Icon," or the remains, of Jeremy Bentham, giving a short historical account of what everyone except Selene found rather creepy. That Livia had gone up to the campus guard and said, "We all want to see Jeremy," seemed oddly amusing, after the fact. The legend of students stealing his desiccated head seemed a bit too much, in particular, given that they had supposedly tossed it around a pub. Still, Selene's desire to learn things canceled out feeling too disgusted. Livia thought Shelley would have had that response, but the "yuck" factor sometimes went or did not go to strange places. After that, no one but Selene had a care to think about food. Livia and Selene found a Cadbury snack at a convenience shop whilst Shelley and Athena gave them the "how could you" look.

"You would think I showed you a Holocaust film," Livia asserted. "Now eating during or after _that_ is quite a feat."

"What's that?" Shelley asked.

"Oh, a wartime systematic attempt to brutalize, starve or otherwise exterminate a group of people based on their religious beliefs and a twisted ideology that demonized these people as if a separate race that somehow did not deserve to live," Livia explained. "It occurred decades ago. I can eat during it but, as you said, it takes a certain amount of ice water in one's veins not to find the images beyond disturbing. I cannot tell you I did that the first time I saw those images. The potential for the cruelty of people towards one another seems rather universal to me, so though that episode is powerfully upsetting –"

"When did you see those things?" Shelley asked.

"My brother's girlfriend studied modern history," Livia explained. "I had a number of chances. And I am sure the dark forces in the wizarding world have their own biases."

A few looked at each other. Shelley spoke. "She means the wizarding war and the possible return of a very dark, powerful figure. My father has told me to prepare to flee the country should that ever happen."

"I am glad he felt open enough to discuss it with you," Livia stated. "The rest of you know little about this? Your parents might object that I have told you anything."

Selene and Athena seemed to only know bits and pieces, mentioning an infant boy who lived despite the fact that this dark wizard had tried to kill him. Something marked the child as a distinct threat for such an attempt to be made, as well as his survival, and many wondered what he would grow up to become – that perhaps he would defeat or surpass the Dark Wizard. Other followers of this figure tortured another couple to the point of insanity. Their crime involved having a son the same time as the other boy, who he decided was not his future rival. They all seemed curious, wondering about where Livia would be, should this confrontation occur.

"I have no idea," Livia said. "The headmaster has something in mind. He wants me to be able to defend myself. That much I know. If this boy can grow up to defeat this wizard, I am uncertain as to where I enter or why. Makes me rather superfluous if he succeeds, no?"

"He has invested too much in you for me to believe that," Shelley asserted.

"I would like to believe there is a reason why I exist," Livia responded. "But as you all know, my mother abandoned me almost as soon as I was born, and my father knows nothing of my existence. This is a sore point for me. I do not know what I have accomplished, other than turn a few nasty good-for-nothings temporarily into rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses."

"That was priceless," Athena claimed. "I can't believe Professor Snape didn't punish you."

"Maybe he thought she'd do the same to him!" Shelley said. They all laughed.

"Ted's sense of humor is rubbing off on you, Shelley," Livia declared. "He would be very proud of you for saying that."

"Professor Snape had to know that Loki and Tim are not exactly good students," Selene offered. "I understand each got no more than four O.W.L.s each – and none very distinguished."

"Guess we will not be seeing too much of them, then," Livia stated. "Shelley, I presume you are taking advanced potions with me. Do you know how many students the class will have?"

"I believe just eight," Shelley responded. "Liam got an outstanding, and I admit I helped him. After us, I think Reggie comes with a housemate and the other three are Slytherins."

"Cozy, I suppose," Livia stated. "No place to hide. I can only try to help you silently. Professor Snape will hear anything I try to tell you, no matter how I attempt to do it. We must stick to subtle hand signals, though your mark should suggest that you do not need me."

The last night, everyone took dinner at the Leaky Cauldron itself, in order to get everything prepared well for the next morning, Friday 1 September. The Silvers had no idea where King's Cross was in relation to it, or how quickly they needed to set out to get there. They had arranged for the innkeeper to hold their things until they got back from the station and returned home, so they could help the girls. Livia informed them they could travel by underground train or by taxicab. Marcus and Sheila liked the latter, in that they could see more as they traveled to the station. Such a large city seemed quite unfamiliar to them and quite a sight that such a massive population went about their daily lives knowing nothing about people that existed almost under their noses. They all had their own concerns to address. Even tourists seemed to move hurriedly, though the number of them dwindled as the summer had virtually ended.

Fortunately, a driver on his way to the Charing Cross station had noted the group, with Livia's hand extended to flag him down, another thing no one there had seen done. He used the station to turn around and head northward. Livia gave the instructions, asking for King's Cross Station, which usually required no more extensive information. Still, the driver, a young man of Scottish heritage, asked if he should use Tottenham Court Road to get to Euston or use Shaftesbury Avenue and then go around part of Russell Square. Livia asked how he thought traffic moved that morning. He thought both roughly the same, with some potential for more side street detours doing the latter route. Livia suggested he go ahead with the second and take any detours suggested by the drive, if he felt comfortable doing this. The driver, a cheerful, strawberry blond man with a license reading Dennis McHugh, thought the latter might be somewhat easier to negotiate that morning in addition to being more direct, if slightly convoluted. He assured them that he knew the route well and could improvise, if needed.

Livia assented, finding his answer satisfying. He seemed experienced enough, if young, and very focused and capable of getting through one of the world's busiest cities. Meanwhile, everyone else in the car had raised their eyebrows. None had any idea what the two had discussed and probably would have sputtered a "whatever you prefer," if they could say anything useful. Apparently, Livia had learned quite a lot during the brief time she lived in London. Shelley was the least surprised, though the details of the conversation seemed rather complicated to her, too.

The driver actually got onto Euston Road from a Judd Street not far from the station. It gave him an easy route into the area where passengers could exit and retrieve some carts to remove the students's luggage and Shelley's owl. Livia paid the driver, still with money left over from what Shelley Silver turned over to her. She made sure to tell Marcus and Sheila Silver how to get back to the Leaky Cauldron if they wanted to head back that way, giving them advice on tipping and the approximate cost of the fare. She started giving them back their money, but they only opted to take enough to cover a return trip by taxicab. Strange though it had seemed to them, the trip had an intriguing thrill to it, since they never had experienced such a thing before. They had never seen so many people, structures and vehicles like they had during that one trip. They found it quite eye opening that people without their talents had so many unusual things. They opted to get back versus having to find another cab, fearing that they would not know what to tell the driver.

"It's overcompensating, don't you think?" Shelley asked just after they pulled away.

"Ted is smiling somewhere in there right now – again," Livia replied. They both laughed. Inside the station, everyone knew how to proceed to an elevator to platform level, then get to their own platform. Whilst they had arrived in good time, the train already sat on the platform with its doors open. The four girls started placing everything alongside the compartment where they could all comfortably sit together. Soon thereafter, Ted, Don, Barry and Terence had joined them, apparently eager to tell a story about what the four of them had done together during the break. They waved at Reggie and Clara who had offered their greetings before moving past them to sit in a car with some of their own housemates.

Ted made a point of telling Shelley and Livia that two more Weasleys would be making their first trip – twin boys named Fred and George. "How do you know so much about that family?" Shelley asked.

"Charlie told me," he answered. "Anyway, I told you that seven Weasley children would attend the school. Fred and George's arrival mean that only two remain too young. I think the next brother starts in the fall of 1991 and the girl starts a year later."

"Is that all you know?" Livia inquired.

"No," Ted replied. "I understand Fred and George love to play jokes on people. They often try to switch their identities just to confuse people. Apparently, Percy thinks they cannot accomplish much, but Charlie and his other siblings are all very fond of them."

Those on the platform waved to everyone as the train started pulling out of the station promptly at 11 am. They had barely left when Ted started talking about how he was going to try out for the Quidditch team, after spending time working on his broom skills with Don, Terence and Barry. They had spent about two weeks together at Don's home, with some of Don's extended family helping them train and practice. He did not know how he would manage that with some of his advanced classes, but substituting Quidditch for Potions seemed a grand bargain in Ted's mind. "I get to play a game and no more scowling Professor Snape," he asserted. "What could be better?"

"Then you ought to feel very bad for Livia, especially," Shelley stated. "We are still taking Potions, and Livia is supposed to get some sort of tutelage from him – _privately_ , in fact."

"Yikes, what did you do to deserve that, Livia?" Ted queried.

"Don't know," Livia answered. "I guess my mother blessed me with certain skills that I have no formal training in using. So blame her."

"Yes, I remember," he acknowledged. "What was wrong with her?"

"Not a clue," Livia answered. "It seems to me she wanted to learn things from a student in his last year and she orchestrated some sort of affair with him to get whatever she sought. I just came along for the ride, though she dumped me and returned to America shortly after giving birth. I do not know anything else – just enough to say I know enough."

"Was she a witch?" Ted asked.

"I think so," Livia replied. "But not one trained in a school. She got what she wanted and I got left behind. Some friend of hers just left me on a parish doorstep when I was a week old."

"That's not a good story," Ted responded. "Can't imagine what she was thinking."

"Neither can I, so I choose not to dwell on it," Livia said. "She's dead to me."

"You must have something good to report, no?" Don interjected. Something about catching that "dead to me" line caught his ear.

"Oh yes," Shelley revealed. "Livia, Athena, Selene and I spent the last four or so days at the Leaky Cauldron and Livia gave us a pretty good tour of London."

"Cooool, I remember that," Ted told them. "All the parents were okay with this?"

"Well, I think Athena and Selene's parents thought my parents would act as chaperones," Shelley responded. "Actually, they just gave us money, let us do what we wanted and we just met up with them for dinner. I think the way Livia took charge of the taxi ride here showed why they did not misplace their trust."

"They gave us way more money than we needed," Livia asserted. "I should give this extra back to you Shelley – indeed, all of you."

"Eh, keep it," Shelley stated. "Maybe you will need it for a Winter Ball gown." No one wanted any money, figuring they could ask the bank of Livia for a bit, if they needed something.

"I highly doubt I'll need a gown," Livia responded.

"What about that boy you danced with last spring?" Ted asked.

"Can't see it," Livia asserted. "I have zero expectations. He's not even a student with us."

"Boys, we can't have Livia reliving last year's Winter Ball," Athena maintained. "I am holding you _all_ responsible for this if it happens again, even though we so enjoyed seeing those two 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses.' The ball essentially became almost a failure."

They all agreed that somehow they would ensure that did not happen again, regardless of what it would take. "I would rather see her with Professor Flitwick than relive that," Selene stated.

"No! Make it Professor Snape!" Shelley and Ted said in unison. Everyone laughed.

"Well, that just might be another good excuse for a 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbass' conjuring," Athena declared. Again, everyone laughed. Ted seemed particularly impressed.

Good thing, Livia thought, no one could read her. _If they only knew._

For the rest of the trip, everyone anticipated where they might end up, given what their exams had shown and what coursework they might undertake. A little nervous tension pervaded the train yet some excitement, too, especially for the students in their early part of their careers.

At some point, the Head Boy of Ravenclaw, an impressively handsome, tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed young man named Ben Spence,* asked Shelley and Livia to join them for a brief meeting. There they saw the Head Girl was Rhonda Wayne, the stout sister of the prefect who tried to protect Selene's bully years ago. Livia did not trust her whatsoever. She sat by Ben and said little. Since Ravenclaw students generally remained an orderly lot, the meeting did not take long and felt more like a formality of explaining what they should do in extreme cases. They indicated where they would be should anyone need them and conveyed their expected schedules. They emphasized that they liked knowing about anything before Professor Flitwick had to deal with it.

The meeting took no more than 20 minutes when Shelley and Livia left. When they returned to their own compartment, Livia told her roommates if they wanted to do something regarding the upcoming Winter Ball, get the soft-spoken Ben Spence to ask her. He would do just fine. A few looked surprised and Ted murmured about a possible obstacle existing to that happening. Ben was a good student, but like Livia, he did not draw attention to himself. Athena finally said, loudly, that this looked like a good challenge and, if they swore to help, they would.

* Author's Note

The Cream song "White Room" originally appears on the group's 1968 album _Wheels of Fire_. Songwriters for it are Jack Bruce and Pete Brown. A remastered version of it was released as part of the 1988 _Crossroads_ boxed set, a retrospective of Eric Clapton's work to that point.

I have a specific reason for this character's name, which I elaborate on in a subsequent chapter which provides more information about him.


	20. Private Lessons and Personal Favors

Livia had no idea how difficult a task she had set up for herself and her roommates. Ben Spence had a perfect combination of Gemini smarts and wit – with a stylish exterior to match. Yet he kept mostly to himself. Born June 6, she learned later, he definitely enjoyed some popularity at Ravenclaw, though he was not hugely known overall. He seemed kind hearted, if brooding. Many girls who knew him thought he was a "good catch." Livia did not think of that as much as avoiding the prior year's disaster via someone who easily rivaled how Christopher Prince had appeared to her. Since only two young men ever caught Livia's eye, perhaps only someone like Ben measured up. Livia did not take the enterprise too seriously. Ben did not know her well, other than by reputation regarding a few incidents that showed her to be feisty, unflappable and skilled. He knew Ted much better, despite his father's disapproval, and understood that Ted liked her enormously. Ben also saw that Professor Flitwick thought highly of her and practiced dueling with her weekly, which seemed odd, unless someone like the headmaster had some plan for her after she graduated.

He had also heard some discussion of a few events where she caught the eye of Bill Weasley, not an easy thing to do for a non-blonde, as well as a dance the previous year, which apparently attracted some friend of another student. A few boys had seen something in her, but he could not say what that was. He had his own dates at the two previous balls and never attended those other dances. She clearly did not play herself up to be noticed on a daily basis. He, along with the rest of Ravenclaw, took great delight in her spell against those Slytherin boys who tried to make her the laughingstock of the school. That did not bode well for anyone who got on her bad side. He wondered how Professor Snape had survived her mimicry of him, rather than the other way around. Maybe they were too much alike, except she helped anyone who honestly asked, including Thor Thornton. He did not know if the professor ever helped anyone outside of Slytherin. Still, he could not remember speaking with her until that recent meeting on the train. He rarely tried to stand out, for reasons he never discussed. He seemed rather serious and modest.

Finally, the train stopped at the depot and students gave various staff members their belongings. Once again, Livia did not seem to have much, though some of her things already existed in the room she would share that year. It had become routine for her not to seem to bring much. Apparently, shrinking one's belongings did not come easily to most people or they just did not concern themselves with it, whereas Livia tended to find a great advantage – even necessity – in it. The students again got divided up and the returning ones led into the Great Hall, where they would take their place at their respective tables. For the first time, Livia need not look for Bill Weasley, a somewhat sobering thought. Yet she had to get on with things, as he did, somewhere.

Livia took her place with the students with whom she had now spent several years – eating, studying and living. They all knew each other pretty well and enjoyed an easy rapport with each other. Livia never gave much thought as to whether any of her roommates would end up with each other, though thought it possible for either Athena or Selene. Livia thought Shelley and Liam might work out, though their relationship seemed to have its ups and downs. Liam seemed interested enough. Shelley seemed very cautious, perhaps overly so. Livia did not feel in a position to advise her, even if Shelley wanted it. Livia, after all, had no idea what a successful relationship looked like, at least from her own experience.

Once again, Professor McGonagall led the new students into the hall towards the stool and sorting hat. A few announcements concerned things like room changes, and yet again, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Mary Donahue. Every year a new instructor: someone must have hexed the position badly. It surprised Livia that no one ever spoke of it. She knew Professor Snape wanted the job, but with five different teachers over five years, the headmaster must have known and must have wanted to keep Professor Snape around, even if the students rather have someone else teach Potions. The way he went after students blinded almost all of them to what they could learn if they could just listen to the content, not the static. They took it all personally, whether he meant it that way or not. He could not stop himself any better than they could stop themselves. Only Livia seemed to understand the dynamics of teaching, ones in which she refused to participate. She knew if Christopher Prince had emerged and taught that class most of the time, the students would benefit and he would enjoy it. She also realized any successful instructor had to at least show annoyance strategically, if not issue warnings of dire consequences, to keep order, whether it involved detention or something else. She knew that even from her own little teaching presentations – despite them being novelties when students perhaps paid attention to catch any mistakes. To actually run an entire class for an entire year required significantly more. For a woman, it required a careful balance between strict authority and a motherly concern.

Slowly, the sorting took place. Livia easily picked out the Weasley twins, both put into Gryffindor like Bill, Charlie and Percy before them. Not much else got her attention, so she missed whatever prank they pulled on their brothers. Soon enough, everyone ate their first meal together and retired to their respective houses and rooms. Professor Flitwick again came around with lead students and the first year students, taking Shelley and Livia with him. He went through the usual introductions, listing resources at Ravenclaw, including students like prefects Livia and Shelley, as well as the members of the house Quidditch team. He distributed the schedules and pulled Livia aside to note that her days working with him on dueling would now be split between himself and things Professor Snape had to teach her. He asked if she felt ready to handle him.

"Yes, sir," Livia answered. "I think I may end up overlapping the things I gain from both of you, as strange as that sounds. If all goes well, he will make me a better duelist, and you will make me better at practicing Occlumency and Legilimency. That is my guess. Already he has told me a few helpful things, strange as that sounds."

"Should make for an interesting year," Professor Flitwick mused.

Livia asked him to give her information about the subject of apparition and how she could take classes. Professor Flitwick then remembered that she had turned 17. He told her how she could sign up for a course to fit with her schedule. She needed to devote several weeks to it before she could take an exam, then likely a few more weeks to obtain her license should she pass. Livia resumed the tour discussions with all. Rhonda ensured that she kept her distance from Livia and Shelley, using Ben as a shield. Her father seemed happy to learn that Ben had become her counterpart. Rhonda did not know why fully. Ben's father had expressed a similar view to his son.

The students had an entire weekend to prepare for their first classes, unpack or just unwind. Livia took it as an opportunity to visit Hagrid and let Brontë get reacquainted with Sydney, Mel and Sevy, who all reported themselves to be in good health and spirits. The owls typically had lots of things to do or say, it seemed, whilst Hagrid and Livia chatted about magical creatures or other things happening. Livia kept wondering why Hagrid never taught that course. He thought that he would be too idiosyncratic or undisciplined to teach properly. Livia thought his enthusiasm and knowledge should count a great deal, though she admitted that course structure mattered given students needed formal evaluation eventually. Hagrid essentially fit best talking with enthusiasts or dealing with issues informally, but that did not mean he could not achieve the rest, too, if he put his mind to it. Livia basically thought that she'd rather learn from someone who greatly loved a subject than someone who knew how to run a class but carried only a little enthusiasm for it. Livia had someone in mind – the current subject's instructor. That surprised Hagrid, since he saw that professor as competent. Even more surprising to him was Livia's comment that she rather listen to Professor Snape upbraid someone because it showed a concern for the subject, though not a child's feelings. Standards mattered as did knowledge but so did passion. In Livia's eyes, Professor Snape, though he fancied another position more, actually cared, if in a weird way that students never could fathom, being they were too unsettled by him to think straight. Hagrid realized that she had made an excellent point, though one that never occurred to him. He considered the possibility that he could apply for a teaching post if the current faculty member vacated it.

Livia still on occasion brought her music outside, particularly the stuff her CD player did not handle. She still loved twirling in the grass as if she were Maria in "The Sound of Music," though in her case she had an audience of hungry birds. She had started doing the vocals from Talking Heads, though singing "Psycho Killer" or "Burning Down the House" or even "And She Was" might have disturbed a few if they followed the lyrics. She just told the birds that they were silly and insignificant in and of themselves. Any potential darkness just started to go through her like it did not exist. She definitely went above it and stayed there.

Livia also renewed her visits to Helena Ravenclaw, who also seemed pleased to see her again. Helena expressed gladness that Livia had worked out her previous issues regarding various boys around the school. She seemed to think Livia would have a good year overall and offered her assistance, should Livia need it for anything. She somehow knew Livia had done well on her exams and would enjoy her new challenges, ultimately. Livia could not help herself in asking why she remained at the school so long, wondering if she felt trapped. Helena said she had loved learning and liked seeing how children matured and left the school wiser for having gone there. The newness of each story unfolding kept it interesting, so she never got bored with any part of it. She also felt she had some unfinished business from her past that, when the time came, she hoped to judge how to resolve correctly.

Livia entertained her roommates with her new music and showed a few the art of the "air guitar," a muggle practices most found amusing, as a pastime for the untalented. Since Livia never played an instrument, she sympathized. She had no idea if she had any talent there since her so-called mother never tried to bring out any she may have had. No, only the bratty daughter Lydia learned piano and never wanted to be any good at it, anyway. Mrs. Woodcock never bothered to see if any of the other children had an interest or aptitude for music, as if she only had one child.

After breakfast on Monday, Livia began with her advanced classes, of which she had a number, including Charms, Transfigurations, D.A.D.A., Care of Magical Creatures and Potions. The last one took place rather early and started with Professor Snape actually congratulating those elite eight students who managed to earn an "Outstanding" on their O.W.L. exam. He noted that, whilst the class would not get any easier, one student had achieved something unprecedented in his years of teaching – earning a perfect score on his formal exam. The students looked at each other. Liam knew he did not do that because he owed being there entirely to Shelley. Shelley knew who it had to be but said nothing. Each of the Slytherin students, greasy, dark haired, short Bryan Stoddard, lanky blond Cliff Grand and slightly less thin Thor Thornton, tried to take credit for the feat. Professor Snape reported their less-than-perfect results: Bryan and Cliff had made three minor errors, Thor had made two mistakes, one more serious than the other. In that respect, he said, Shelley Silver had beaten all of them by committing two minor errors. Two Hufflepuff students in the class, Reggie, who Livia knew, and a girl who preferred her last name Tonks over her first name, which she sometimes revealed as Dora, said nothing. Livia did not know her well, but Reggie liked her greatly. Livia recalled that she sat at that table with him the one day they toasted her. Nonetheless, Professor Snape walked up to Livia as he made his warning about overconfident students in general – they should take nothing for granted.

"You see, the first student to ever earn a perfect score on my O.W.L. exam is Miss Livia Woodcock," he declared. "Don't let it go to your head, Miss Woodcock."

"I won't, sir," she responded.

The Slytherin students looked shocked. A perfect score from a non-Slytherin seemed impossible, outrageous, but he said it. From a female, especially one who argued with him, they found it all quite ridiculous. "Maybe you should have checked it again," Cliff suggested.

"Oh, I checked," Professor Snape told him. "Do you doubt that? Or is your ego talking?"

Cliff did not reply. He was not used to Professor Snape speaking like that to a member of Slytherin house. Of course, when did a Slytherin ever question him? New territory on both counts, probably. The other Slytherin students bit their tongues.

Now came the serious work and the difficult tasks all lie in front of them, he announced. Let us see if you eight can survive new challenges though first he wanted to review a prior one. He gave Livia the assignment right away – making a potion in front of everyone that no one else had remembered correctly in its entirety. It happened to be a potion she had made for him – more than once. Putting her on the spot made no difference, nor did the fact that he maintained a running commentary accompanying everything she did, noting things others had not recalled correctly. The other students, except for Shelley, expected her to falter somehow, given the time that had passed and her lack of preparation. Yet he really did not expect her to be rattled, so he, like Shelley, was not surprised in the least that she acted calmly, efficiently and effectively. She finished it perfectly and with plenty of time to spare that allowed the professor to present what he expected each student to be able to do for the next class as well as in the coming weeks.

With the class dismissed, the three Slytherins still muttered to each other as they left. Actually, Bryan and Cliff did the grumbling. They could not accept what they heard or had seen. Thor did not agree with the other two, and in a way, found the shock and arrogance of the two amusing, though he kept his feelings to himself. Liam seemed a bit surprised, assuming Professor Snape's favoritism would always carry the day, but since he knew Shelley and Livia were tight, he could not say he felt completely taken off-guard, given what Shelley knew had to be assisted by Livia. Livia left slowly because she had one question. "Professor Snape, where do I meet you for the other lessons?"

"Here will be fine," he answered. "Be ready. I will not go easy on you to lull you into any false belief regarding your abilities, like Professor Flitwick first did. It does you no service here."

The other regular classes held few surprises. Professor Flitwick did not make a show out of Livia's exam performance, nor did the other three instructors where Livia earned a perfect score. Shelley and Livia met up again with Charlie Weasley for the advanced Care of Magical Creatures class. Livia knew Shelley would ask about Bill, though she told her not to do it. "Oh, he's fine," Charlie stated. "He's gone to Egypt to do advanced work for Gringott's Bank." Both nodded at him. "Why did you not inquire, Livia?" Charlie asked. "I thought you might be more interested."

"Well, there is a simple explanation," Livia replied. "He is there and I am here. I doubt he dwells in the past. I do not think it does me any good to do so, either. I was very fond of your brother. I still am. But the past is gone. I need to live right now. So does he. You must miss him, but you probably know you will see him again. I cannot for certain say the same."

"I understand what you mean," Charlie responded. "I do miss him. Though nothing is guaranteed in life, I feel I will definitely see him again. But I do know he was very fond of you and probably still is. To what end that means anything, I have no idea."

Her class in apparating gave her insight to the technique from the perspective of taking charge rather just going along for the ride. A number of students did get sick when taking their first lesson. A few seemed surprised that Livia seemed to have no problem, especially against the backdrop of a few students repeating the class or at least in their final year at the school. Ben Spence, who revealed he had turned 17 in June, took the class for the first time. He was surprised to see her, until she told him when she had turned 17 herself – which came less than three months after him. The few experiences he had with apparating had not made him fond of it. He wound up asking Livia how she handled it so well without getting nauseous, and she gave him some ideas to minimize that until he felt more in control. She likened this travel to the motion sickness some feel as a passenger versus a driver of a vehicle. He only vaguely understood the comparison.

Livia promptly showed up for her first lesson with Professor Snape, who explained the stakes involved when someone could penetrate another's mind and, if fully successful, control that mind. He first reviewed techniques to modulate or enhance her self-control, in part because he wanted to see what he got from trying to read Livia through a command through his wand. She felt the stress behind the command but found a way to ventilate it from her body until she could find a Zen-like state where she could handle it without much pain, twitching or anything else. By the time Livia found a more comfortable means of handling the pressure, Livia had decided to just focus on one thing: the last time she had hugged her brother to say goodbye. Given the height difference and Livia's sideways gaze, Tom's face could not be seen. He got nothing else out of her. He found her response and what she concentrated upon mostly worked.

"That's effective to a good degree," he asserted. "I cannot see the detail to know who that is and that was all you gave me, in focusing on that one thing. If I had to guess, it was your brother."

"Correct, sir," Livia affirmed. "If I obscure his face, no one can identify him, right?"

"If they do not know anything else, say through torture, it could work. Love has its own ability to defeat those who would try that, though. It is a powerful defense mechanism."

He also tried to see if she could focus on just nothing, which proved harder to digest as well as yielded up a host of flashing images, from Live Aid, to a toast on her birthday, to some private moments in various places with Bill Weasley.

"Not nearly as good," he pronounced. "I can now say I understand why some girls develop a weakness for Mr. Weasley. Seems he had quite an effect on you."

"Gee, thanks for reminding me – I must have forgotten," Livia said, rather sarcastically and coldly. "So when do I get to turn the tables on you?"

"I am not done yet," he stated. "Take a detail, like a hairpin, flowers or similar detail, from one of the memories I saw and let me see only that. Obviously, I will not get the context otherwise, and it can obscure any real access to your memories."

The hairclip she remembered best came for the last dance, the marcasite diamond butterfly she wore whilst dancing with the young man she had learned to call Christopher Prince. So in trying to penetrate her mind, her hair in that accessory was all he saw.

"You did not wear that with Bill Weasley," he observed. "You wore flowers, I believe."

"Correct, sir," Livia confirmed. "Do you not know it?"

She tried to trap him regarding this. Could he admit to knowing of it without admitting to any memory of that night?

"You are trying to be cheeky with me, I gather," he observed. "Therefore, I have to guess that you wore it last spring to your dance."

"Yes, I did," she responded.

"Okay, I know where to go with you," he asserted. "Eventually, we will get to you being able to control what you show to include false memories. Say you make your hated sister your favorite person, so someone who hurts her is not really hurting you. That in an extreme case would spare your brother. Now you try to work on me."

She tried it, and he proved to be even more stoic in handling the stress. She could not figure out how he accomplished this stillness, except through a great deal of discipline or tolerance. She got a cloud that obscured everything. She poked the cloud, as if a balloon being popped with a pin and she saw two children laying side by side next to some sort of stream.

"That was intuitive and impressive, though I cannot say I am pleased entirely."

"Reminds me of something I did with my brother. She is not your sister, though, is she?"

"No," he said, coldly. "I was an only child. Try again."

She did and found a brick wall. She drew a door on it and opened it and saw them together as students, still very young, but differently sorted, noting the crests on their robes.

"Also impressive and a bit unnerving. Try again."

Livia did and found only blue sky. Nothing else. She tried adding a diving peregrine falcon to reach closer to the ground and ultimately land in a tree, which seemed to be at the school. Livia could not find the memory tied to the sky because she kept looking on the ground as the falcon and saw only some other students, who she did not know. Nothing made sense, though she thought she briefly saw the same girl again, older. She had not deciphered what anyone said.

"That almost worked for you but did not in the end. One for me. We shall stop here today. I will also be able to use some of your techniques on you, and you will eventually see how you and I can counter these in more complex ways. One other thing…"

"Yes, sir?" Livia asked.

"Mind what you say about these sessions after you leave. You know why."

"I do," she acknowledged. "You already know I am extremely careful. Goodnight, sir."

She left for dinner. He watched her. _She is innately, insanely gifted – clearly more than me. This will not be easy. But if I can stymie her, no one else can view these things unless I permit it._

At dinner, people talked about the usual new class challenges, though Shelley brought up Livia's unique schedule. "So Livia, how did your first lesson go with Professor Snape?"

"Yeah, how mean was he?" Ted asked. Everyone else around wanted to hear.

"Not too bad, except for one thing," Livia revealed. "He got out of me the whole of my private interactions with Bill Weasley."

"Oh, yuck," Athena groaned. "What a thing for him to see. That's rather personal."

"It sure is," Selene agreed. "I would've run off screaming or just died of embarrassment."

"I definitely would have keeled over on the spot," Shelley added. "What did he say?"

"He said: 'I can now say I understand why some girls develop a weakness for Mr. Weasley'," Livia replied, using his voice: "'Seems he had quite an effect on you'."

"Eeeek," Athena squealed. "Hope he was jealous!"

"As if," Livia asserted. "He figured he would rattle my cage over that."

"Did you let him?" Ted inquired.

"Probably not," Livia answered. "I think I said, 'Gee, thanks for reminding me – I must have forgotten'."

"You didn't mean that," Shelley offered.

"No, I was being sarcastic," Livia said. "I showed him I can be annoyed and can push back, too. It guess I sparred with him worse than with Professor Flitwick."

"I don't envy you there," Athena asserted. "He may be smart, but he can hurt you big time."

"But I can do the same to him – and he knows it already."

"Are you two really waging war?" Ted queried.

"In a way, probably, I guess," Livia surmised.

Before dueling for the first time, the Muggle Music Club met for the first time. Professor Flitwick seemed greatly pleased with the event and thanked the committee heads and the chief organizers, Shelley Silver and Liam O'Neill. The group remained at 34 members, with only minor changes in membership. Continuity would help produce another event, if everyone remained committed to doing it again. Still, he asked if anyone had ideas for improvements and Livia indicated that she wanted to say something.

Livia told the group that the style of records they tended to favor now contributed to a limitation in terms of anything newly issued. They could either look for older material, which they likely would find, though it would require some additional research in getting good songs. Otherwise, they had to find a way to safely use something she owned that she had kept hidden from everyone except those with whom she shared her room. This meant, in her mind, fully enclosing the area used by the staffer playing the songs – what muggles call a DJ or disc jockey – in order to obscure the equipment from everyone's view. She remained protective of it and did not want to invite harm to it or theft to occur.

Everyone wanted to see what Livia owned, so she retrieved her player and showed how she both protected it and powered it. She removed one of the CDs in the player and replaced it. She played an item from it, randomly choosing the song "Crossroads" from the boxed set that, she later told them had come to her as a birthday present from a friend of her brother. She also explained that she did not think this dance-worthy but enjoyable to hear because only three virtuoso performers played the whole thing.

The members agreed, finding the whole thing stunning. Only three? A few wanted to hear more from them, though Livia looked to Professor Flitwick first. He asserted that could be done later, though first they needed to address the group's organization and decide if they wanted to add Miss Woodcock's device in the manner she requested. He agreed that a risk of theft might exist, if left exposed. Someone claimed the unlikeliness of theft, given that Slytherins never came. Everyone laughed. Professor Flitwick said he understood, but did not want the school liable for dealing with any problem arising from using a student's personal property. The leadership and groups, once retained as they existed the prior year, accepted this statement, and the committee leader in charge of the room, including ambiance and the station for the records and equipment agreed to make something with shelves to conceal the equipment, specifically Livia's CD player.

With that accomplished, Livia said she had a few ideas for songs to play, such as "Wonderful Tonight," "Let it Grow" and "I Shot the Sheriff." Reggie liked the last one, different than Bob Marley's version, but with similar charm. Then Livia played "The End of the Innocence." She recognized aspects of lyrics may not be obvious, but no one really worried about knowing who the elected king was, so Livia let that all go. Everyone seemed on board with the new format, recognizing it had the potential for more potent sound, even on an older recording. Since everything was agreeable and seemed set, a few people pleaded with Professor Flitwick to allow Livia to play something else from by that trio that seemed so accomplished. He agreed and asked Livia to find something. She decided on "Sunshine of Your Love," which had a more uplifting feel than "White Room." Only a few people, including Professor Flitwick, realized that Livia could replicate both vocalists completely. She did not merely move her mouth in time with the song, but she had not sung too loudly, as would occur when she only had birds in front of her. A few thought it deserved consideration for the playlist.

During her first dueling session, Livia tried to associate objects with move sequences, though she changed what equaled what enough that he did not know. This round lasted a long time with no obvious winner, then Livia switched tactics briefly to what worked the prior year, then shifted back to something similar to how she began. This fluidity helped though Professor Flitwick had excellent tools to defend himself as well. Despite nearly delivering a knock out, it became a draw when both decided to regroup. Livia still had to remain mindful of not tipping actions visually or mentally. Later, she found singing whilst dueling (even in her head) worked because she reacted without a lot of forethought and he could not anticipate her. Though he liked this device of hers which made her completely unreadable, if a song could not be equated with specific moves, it might work better on someone who has some affinity for music who gets distracted, or conversely, someone who strongly hates it, and thus gets so annoyed as to become sloppy. Livia would have to know something about an opponent first or be ready to quickly have another strategy in mind should she duel someone deaf to it or indifferent.

"What if I sang out loud then?" Livia asked.

"You could do that?" Professor Flitwick inquired.

"I think so," Livia said. "We should try it."

So Livia launched into something she knew well, a song she had sung at least dozens of times. But the emotion detracted more than enhanced things, so Professor Flitwick suggested trying something mean sounding to behave more angry, aggressive and focused. Livia did better with "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" as well as the refrain of "The Bitch is Back," the latter Professor Flitwick especially liked because it suggested Livia would become more hard-nosed at dueling and natural at doing things without any forethought. The repetitiveness helped her, too. If she had enough in her repertoire, it could make her lethal.

Livia finally felt comfortable in her classes, challenged sufficiently, but neither finding the material too difficult or too easy, which she told her brother in an early November letter. She still had time to tutor students who asked for her help on their writing assignments. As a prefect, she knew Ryan Matthews would never try to insult her again, though she realized he still felt a bit stung that she had rightly judged his work and he had been too stubborn to listen. She vaguely noted this as other students kept asking her to read their papers or to help them organize their papers. With her own work finished, Livia headed back to her room.

At that moment, several members of the room eyed her CD player but did not know how to operate it. Shelley knew more or less but let the boys fumble with it until Livia returned. Shelley asked Livia to show them and play something she could sing. Livia figured she might as well do "White Room" this time, since Shelley had not heard it and she could perform the voice perfectly by then. When Livia got wrapped up in the song, she looked more towards the window curtains than the door and had not realized that Ted had opened the door, which enabled the whole of Ravenclaw potentially to hear her, if faintly given the distance of some rooms. The upper level students in nearby rooms could hear her pretty well, if they sat in their residences rather than in the common room. Shelley had just begun begging her to sing it again as Professor Snape when Livia spotted the open door and the Head Boy, Ben Spence, standing in the doorway. Livia froze and turned the player off with a motion of her hand.

"I heard about this, but never witnessed it myself," Ben said. "Who opened the door?"

"I did," Ted confessed. "Sometimes I feel guilty we get this all to ourselves."

"It's a good thing we have a common room for studying," Ben asserted. "Did I understand correctly that Livia can sing this in Professor Snape's voice?"

"Oh yes," Shelley affirmed. "Her version of another song is a must-hear. It's hilarious."

"This one will suffice," he stated. Directed at Livia, he asked: "Can you do it?"

"I cannot recall doing this as him, but, eh, here goes nothing," Livia declared.

Livia did something between speaking and singing, and it worked. Livia took it seriously, as he would, which to them just made it all the more funny. Livia felt him doing it too keenly, not his disapproval – though of course he would say he disliked it – but rather how he would inhabit the song. She just knew a little too much. The song allowed his dour nature to come through honestly, though they missed her inherent sympathy for him.

"Very credible," Ben assessed. "Ted, I think you should keep this to yourselves, anyway, in case someone complained about the noise or worse. We don't want this to bother anyone, lest he or she tell the head of house." Ben then exited and closed the door behind him.

"Why did you do that, Ted?" Livia asked.

"You wanted him to notice you, so he did," Ted answered.

"Oh, I see," Livia responded. "I did not know Professor Snape could attract boys."

"Like any of us know if he could charm anyone – ever," Shelley claimed. They laughed.

Livia did not have a response. _They have no idea, and I have to keep it that way._ She just went into her normal routine to go to sleep and greet her subsequent challenges. She continued to keep her sparring with Professor Snape separate from her potion classes, never asking anything related to one whilst engaged in the other. She compartmentalized her thinking, which he respected, since he did not wish the whole of Slytherin house to find out that he worked with her.

He ultimately taught her to discipline her mind in various ways to resist access to it, such as using a nesting doll technique that took time to find little of substance or memories involving her eyes being closed or focused on an object that said nothing by itself. Still, she had managed to learn the name of the girl who seemed very close to him and central to who he was and who he had become. She did not get all the pieces, but when he tried mixing in false memories, she could distinguish truth from falsity when they involved her. That had nothing to do with her skills as a witch. It merely involved her sensitivity as a person thwarted in her own desires a few times and knowing how others felt when they experienced deep loss. It was one of the few times she could fully sense his emotions. She did not want to confess what she had figured out, since it had no bearing on her lessons. He still had enough of an advantage in terms of experience to know she did not want to tell him what she concluded, which he somewhat appreciated. It may have been about a decade ago, but his emotions remained raw to her – he realized that she knew this, too. He had reconciled his problem in his own way, if at a great cost. His issue with her consisted of the fact that she thought she could get away with omitting the truth, even if she felt it polite to do this.

When they got to her projecting false memories, sparring with him became fun. She teased him when he got a memory of hers that Christopher Prince had kissed her, and he vociferously protested such a stunt to her. Did she want the headmaster to fire him, he asked. She smiled – calling it even for him seeing her with Bill Weasley. Besides, she stated, to anyone other than the headmaster, she might need to convince them that Christopher Prince existed, so such a memory offered proof of it, if forced to reveal something. He had no answer to that logical assessment. He had her darken or colorize memories to make details difficult to distinguish or distort how people appeared to disguise someone's identity, which helped if a cloud or wall was dispelled. Some of those things could be achieved in real light if a room appeared very dark or someone wore a mask, which would make even truthful memories difficult to decipher fully, though his ultimate goal was to get her mind controlled enough on command that she had no need to protect anyone that way.

Of course, no technique was foolproof if caught off-guard. When performing Legilimency, dropping one's abilities to practice Occlumency can occur, if for a moment. He gave her full examples of that when he countered her doing Legilimency by having it rebound to show something of herself, though he never revealed what he saw or made a vague comment that he had seen it already. Livia later considered the matter and figured he saw her kissing Christopher Prince and did not want to admit it even then, let alone remembering it before. He sidestepped it, disclosing that practicing Legilimency whilst dueling had advantages and disadvantages. Becoming more skilled in reading body language as well as thought would make her more competent. "I know you have a temper when pushed, but are you now able to kill if ever necessary?" he asked. "I think that might be a weakness, even if we maximize your skills here and with Professor Flitwick. If rare, you may have to do more than anticipate and block a killing curse."

"I do not know, honestly, about killing," she answered. "For Tom or Alice, definitely. I would not think twice. I guess it depends on the situation. If I was protecting something or someone, I think I would do better versus if a bunch of people just set out only to get me."

"You have to think that, even if alone, your life fills that role, even if it seems abstract," he put to her. "If you cannot value yourself, the greater good of surviving to fight again for something or someone has to matter to you. That is why we both are doing this. Remember that."

"I understand," Livia responded. "I'm trying, though I'm glad it's not a routine situation."

Livia did make progress whilst still engaging in tutoring and all the other things she enjoyed in addition to doing her schoolwork, be they outdoors or inside. Livia continued to flat out dominate her classes, if in her own quiet way. She did not insist on showing she knew all the answers. She knew she did and the faculty knew she did, too, and some preferred to hear wrong answers or partially right ones first. Even where she did not score perfectly, she distinguished herself far beyond anyone's doubt. Meanwhile, her papers continued to show excellence, even improvement, when no one could anticipate room for such a thing. Professor Snape no longer stood alone in writing a great deal on her assignments. They took her need for utter mastery seriously, as the headmaster wanted. More and more every day they could see her prove him right that her future lay within the school walls, though few fully considered that she could replace him someday. Many of those told seemed to forget because he seemed too vibrant to ponder that. Sometimes, someone just stood out for all the right reasons, and though she became no one's "pet" exactly, she succeeded in such a way that no one on the instructor's side of the desk doubted her.

She had passed her apparition exam on her first try, reaching her target, though not quite dead center on it. The instructor felt she would only become more precise as she continued to do it. She learned the rules involving its use and that she would have to wait several weeks for her license application to be processed and to receive notification that she has earned her certification to practice it. She was the first at her level to pass, given classmates typically turned 17 during the year, not immediately preceding it. Ben Spence also passed and gave her credit for his success.

The doubt of the semester once again involved the Winter Ball. Thor once again actually had the nerve to ask her. She thought he was crazy, though he said he did it of his own volition and wanted to make amends for what happened the previous year. She said she just couldn't do it. She wondered if he wanted help with his potion making, but even if not, she did not want to revisit that disaster, even if he sincerely asked her this time. She declined and told Shelley she had done so. Shelley thought it rather outrageous that he asked in the first place and thought it right that she said no. If he wanted a second chance, Livia felt no desire to give him one.

Nonetheless, the four girls bought dresses together again, repeating the pattern they used before. Livia went through the motions. For her, the others picked out a ruched, velvet princess gown, quite sophisticated with its long line of jeweled buttons in back to counterbalance its shape. Its midnight blue color also seemed to accent her hair, eye and skin tone well. She found large, matching tear-drop earrings that pulled everything together, too. The point of this did not seem clear to her, since she had rejected Thor and no Bill Weasley stood in the wings anymore.

As the girls occupied Livia with their dress-buying excursion, the boys became intent on assuring that Ravenclaw's Head Girl had a date, and the Head Boy had no other obvious person to ask. Don casually mentioned to Ben that Livia had turned down Thor Thornton, who had the nerve to ask her again, showing how annoyed he was at the prospect that she rejected the only offer she had received. Ben did not know if Don told him this as a favor to her or to himself, since, as Head Boy, he would have asked his counterpart had she not accepted star athlete Don asking her himself. Rhonda thought she had gotten the greatest date ever, one superior to even Ben. She gleefully told her father, too. Since Shelley would go with Liam, Livia seemed the appropriate girl to ask.

When the girls returned from their trip to town, Livia had a moment alone in her room, oddly, since the other girls had left on some errand. Livia had put in her music player a new CD her brother had just sent her via John when someone knocked. It was Ben and that's when he asked her to attend the Winter Ball with him. She seemed honestly surprised, but the lack of anyone else in the room told her that a few people wanted to give him this opportunity. She realized the girls wanted her to buy that dress for a reason. She accepted Ben's offer.

He then asked her what music played in the background. Livia told him her brother had just sent _Journeyman_ to her. The album represented the latest work of the guitarist he had heard previously. He wanted to hear the first song fully, so she restarted the disc to the song "Pretending." He seemed to like it and moved with the tune, like he already wanted to start dancing with her.

Livia wondered if she fit the title, though she did not pretend to love him, of course. She did tell her roommates to get Ben to ask her. She legitimately thought he would make a nice date, if such a thing existed for her. What she did not know concerned how enthralled she might become. Perhaps not risking too much too soon, like Shelley had done, worked out for the best, regardless of the actual outcome. Ben clearly looked to be everything she could want. Still, she tried to keep in mind that he would not be a student there much longer. Besides, she did not know him too well.

Shelley and Athena told her they would come through for her, and all the girls congratulated her, saying they knew she did not buy that dress for nothing. That year they all the girls had legitimate dates, not merely anyone asking out of pity or some other motive. She again would use the marcasite and diamond butterfly clip for her hair, since it seemed well paired with her earrings. She also had butterflies in her stomach the night of the event, too, even as she told herself not to get too attached to Ben. She refused to imagine what other issues might come up in addition to the fact that he would leave school a year before her. Too risky, too presumptuous, just too soon. She learned from being with Bill that enjoying the moment had to come first.

Livia managed that without trouble. Ben looked dashing in his formal wear, and their outfits meshed well as did their dancing. Truly, she could put Thor as well as Bill in her rearview mirror, at least then. No one who saw her that night could accuse her of pretending anything – neither did he as far as she could tell. The hairclip may have sent a very mixed message were one to think of it as such. To Livia, she knew she could use it for Occlumency without anyone knowing when she wore it or with whom. She thought that useful.

After the Winter Ball, Ben and Livia went outside to the courtyard towards the bridge. Livia tried not to equate it with any other situation. Ben wanted to know something about her background that puzzled him. He did not understand how she could be raised by muggles and know their music yet be a half-blood or pureblood witch. Livia explained her birth mother's deception and that Professor Snape accepted as truth the likelihood that her father had resided in Slytherin during the 1971-72 year. Given Slytherin's tendency to admit witches and wizards of such status, it seemed logical to think that her father held that trait. Her mother remained a mystery, though for reasons hard to explain, Professor Snape wanted to verify her status, perhaps because she had some uncommon abilities. Ben seemed satisfied, though he apologized; he queried only because his father would ask if they ever met. Ben then kissed her, more akin to how Bill did during their Winter Ball half-date. He asked if she would see him again.

Livia wondered about that, since being Head Boy often possessed great responsibilities. Obviously, she remembered what Bill had said.

He claimed that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff rarely experienced as many issues that require the sizable attention of the Head Boy versus what the same role in Slytherin or Gryffindor could involve. Ravenclaw students tended to monitor their own, he indicated, regardless of how ruthlessly, academically competitive some students might be. That was why the Ryan Matthews incident went nowhere. Livia realized why he would know about that.

Thus, she said yes, she definitely would want to see him again. He kissed her again, a little longer this time and walked back inside with her, returning to the Ravenclaw house with her. Just before they left the stairwell to enter it, he kissed her on the landing, since he did not know how busy the hallway would look once they entered. Turned out, it was vacant. He hugged her before he let her enter her room and kissed her close to her ear. He whispered how glad he was that Don had taken the Head Girl instead of himself and that he looked forward to seeing her again.

The room in general seemed pretty happy. Even Don had a good time though he had not grown very attached to the small, stocky Rhonda Wayne, even if Rhonda had tried to entice him. Rhonda had played Quidditch, though an injury had forced her to quit a few years prior. Everyone else saw something possibly continuing. Livia had to admit that her date had gone successfully and that he had asked to see her again. She had a question about Spence's father, though, given Ben had asked her to explain her background because he would ask about it if they ever met.

"Oh that," Ted stated, exhaling. "Rodrick Spence is a trip since he agrees with those who maintain strict vigilance about their family's heritage or blood purity. Not sure why he would have an issue with you, outside of your brother. He is very controlling of Ben and was disappointed that Ben did not get sorted into Slytherin. My background is slightly dodgy to him yet there is not a lot of muggle in me, less than him in fact. He got upset that everyone in my family loves my muggle-born grandmother, so he discouraged Ben from being my friend. Yet a child of mine may well have pureblood status. Anyway, I think this issue is why Rodrick hates his muggle-born mother."

"I'm not seeing how Slytherin would fit Ben, though," Livia asserted.

"I'm sure he cared more about Slytherin serving some goal _he_ has for his son," Ted said.

The term wrapped up on a good note for Livia, and she had given notice to Tom and Alice via Sydney as to when she would arrive. Livia also made progress with Professor Snape and had become more consistently competitive with Professor Flitwick. She had a good handle on her work. The headmaster checked in with her to see that she felt comfortable with her progress and that her alternating lessons with Professors Snape and Flitwick did not create problems. She expressed no complaints. She also received notice from the headmaster that her paperwork had gone through and could apparate as needed, though the school frowned upon doing it there. Doing it alone or off-grounds would work. Given her great discretion, he gave her a special dispensation to use it on occasion when school was not in session, if unseen. He knew of her prior visits.

She picked up a few gifts for the holidays, including for Cathy and her boyfriend as well as Tom's friends. Livia knew how to make shrewd purchases of seemingly simple items that would appear valuable to them. She brought a shrunken broom for backup but this time found the path to Tom's house a lot simpler. Livia just appeared amongst the trees by the Wear late in the afternoon, then walked to his residence, after buying some boxes, cards and wrapping materials in Durham.

Tom, Alice and Abby were thrilled to see her, especially that she had not come nearly as late as she often did. Livia quickly noticed that Alice wore a tiny sapphire on her ring finger and inquired about it. Tom said he had shown Alice the house that he liked and presented her with this as a birthday gift and a token of his future intentions. Alice loved the ring greatly. "So what did you think of the house, Alice?" Livia asked.

"Very cozy," she answered. "I like it. It has a certain historic or old fashioned look to its exterior but the glass enclosed addition in back is amazing. I think it will become Abby's favorite room, if we move there and find the right cat tree or perch."

"I had to make sure your family would like it, too," Tom declared. "I sent some pictures and spoke to your father on the phone. He seemed okay with it as a first house."

"Hmph," Alice responded. "Like he ever had to buy a 'first' house. He had to be joking."

"So, is the deal done?" Livia asked.

"Not yet," Tom replied. "Still negotiating. The estate agent who found this place is using another house closer to the Wear as leverage, since I initially prioritized that, and it has just gone up for sale. It's a bit more than I want to commit to a house right now, though. The other seller will contemplate our offer over the holidays. He may counter with something we can accept."

"That's very exciting," Livia said. "You will have to drive past it one day so I can see it."

After dinner, Livia set upon wrapping the things she brought and labeling each. At some point, Tom found her with a bunch of things and could not fathom how they had all come with her. Livia tried to say that the paper and boxes were flat in her bag, but he seemed puzzled. Finally, she told him she had a few tricks up her sleeve but would not show him just yet. He had to wait. He ultimately would understand how she managed this.

Fortunately, both he and Alice had a bunch of things to do to get the current home ready for the guests who would come on Christmas Eve. They both wanted to have lots of food and a festive atmosphere. Livia attempted to help with the former as Tom dealt with the latter. Since Rev. Woodcock had services both then and Christmas Day, he would not make the trip, but sent Tom some things and called beforehand. Tom's mother wrote a note and yet still seemed bewildered as to why both he and Cathy did not seem terribly close to her. "I wonder what it will take for her to open her eyes," Tom stated, as he hung a wreath and retrieved some red stockings.

"I do not know, except that I cannot imagine it being anything good," Livia maintained.

"I hope not," Alice said. "Maybe if I have to force her and Lydia to leave our wedding, it might wake her up. Based on what my cousin told other members of my family, I trust they will not indulge her in the slightest. If the present earl and countess of my family attend with his sons, one of whom by the way might find you attractive, Livia, there will be a big foot put down on her."

"Bigger than a Monty Python foot?" Tom asked, recalling their opening montage, whilst putting the final touches on hanging red stockings on a mantle over a blocked off fireplace.

"Indeed, and without the funny sound," Alice answered.

"I think that would shock Mrs. Woodcock but not wake her up," Livia asserted.

"Maybe pushing Lydia in some water with a fish like the Pythons did would be sufficient," Tom suggested. "I doubt it, though. I believe she already bought a car for Lydia, though not a new one like Lydia wanted. Apparently, she set aside money for it, and my father couldn't stop it. Lydia still hasn't even passed her driver's test. My mother uses it for her lessons."

"Cathy cannot be chuffed to hear that," Livia declared.

"She's okay because she's with Doc still," Tom said. "They now work together more often, so she has little time to contemplate the family drama. He seems very good to her."

Everyone Livia expected to see came, including a now pregnant Audrey, Jake, Lesley, John, Adam, Linda, Gary, Penny, Cathy and Doc. He showed them a picture of the house he hoped to buy and Alice proudly showed her little sapphire ring, noting it as a little present because the house would require a sizable down payment. Alice offered to help, but Tom refused to accept the money because if he could not buy it with his bonus money, he had no business trying to get it. Alice had submitted her application but had not heard back, so she put it out of mind with so many other things to do. Alice fussed over Audrey a great deal, to ensure she had enough food she could tolerate well, since she still had issues with food and indigestion or some morning sickness.

Livia made sure everyone left with a small gift she had gotten. Everyone seemed astonished with what appeared to be antique craftsmanship even over things like an ornament or a small landscape painting. Livia explained that she had a good eye at thrift stores and antique shops for items that looked good, regardless of provenance, so she had no problem buying these. Alice, familiar enough with antiquities of a luxurious variety, did not think them necessarily old so much as expertly made. She had a bit of a problem reconciling the two but figured as facsimiles they may well not have proven too costly whilst looking exquisite enough to seem like antiques.

Gary could still not resist asking about anyone Livia might be dating at the school and if anything became of her date with the faculty member's nephew. She indicated she had not really seen the nephew but did enjoy a nice time with the Head Boy of her house at a ball just before winter break. He indicated an interest in dating, though often Head Boy types did not pull off a social life too well, so she felt cautious about it. He seemed nice enough and sincere, though. Gary asked for a description, which she gave as: tall, somewhat muscular, dark hair, fair skin and blue eyes. The main problem Livia indicated concerned that, though only a few months older than her, he would graduate in 1990, a year before her. So she tried to lower her expectations. Alice heard the description and looked quizzically at Tom. He opted to play bartender after whispering something to her that made Alice laugh. He had said something about his sister having good taste.

Since everyone was staying locally till the morning of Wednesday, 27 December, Tom had a chance to drive by the house he hoped to buy. Everyone liked its stone façade, though Tom told them the interior did not lack for most modern comforts. Tom called it a little castle. The home interior likely had undergone a recent remodeling so that it possessed things like a washer and dryer not added haphazardly. By touring it recently with Alice, he had verified it would not prove terribly drafty in the winter, a problem typical of older or larger homes.

Everything had gone as well as Livia could expect. Even Abby had made herself a bit more visible, as she knew those who came. She also got a free checkup, since both Cathy and Doc looked her over and felt for any signs of distress, be it trauma or disease. Abby kept quiet, since Livia told her it would go easiest on her if she did not move much, though Abby did tell her that she did not like it. Livia replied that she understood, but they just wanted to ensure she remained healthy; since they could not hear her, they had to confirm her status manually.

Livia liked her presents well enough, but she remained easy to please. Anything pretty much beat used clothes, if attractive on her, or most certainly some prison school uniform. Tom knew that when he bought his "practical" gifts – she once had rarely possessed these things exclusively as hers. Therefore, she would never complain about them. The intention of buying something specifically for her mattered to her greatly.

New Year's Eve went pretty quietly, given the anticipation of too many things. Tom and Alice preferred to watch something silly on the telly than even going to a local celebration, like the one Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard threw annually a few days prior. Tom told them they were too anxious to be fun right then, and they did not know if Livia would fit in with all those attending. It seemed like they held the event for adults, and Livia was younger than their youngest administrative employee. Tom considered that next year might be better for everyone.

Tom's estate agent called on Wednesday, 3 January with the other side's counter offer, which the agent thought he could budge a little more, so they agreed on a new offer. Tom hated haggling, which did not often happen; in this case it seemed to unnerve him a little. He tried to bury himself with work whilst Alice and Livia went to a local record store to see if she could find anything. Livia went with several choices that seemed oddly put together _Turnstiles_ and _Storm Front_ , _Let Love Rule_ and _L.A. Woman_. Livia was thinking of the dance as well as stuff she might like for herself. She figured Reggie might have some other ideas, too, though he would appreciate at least one of those.

Whether at home or the office, Tom just tried to bury himself in work and find something amusing at night, either a film or something else – even a board game or cards would do. Livia could feel both of them on edge, if Alice's concern revolved around her application for advanced study as well as the house. Nobody spoke a lot unless in involved something inane or comical. Those two days seemed like an eternity.

Finally, on Friday, 5 January, the agent rang up Tom to tell him he had a deal. They just needed to finalize the transfer of ownership and put the financing into place and set a schedule to complete everything. Looking at everything, Tom and saw the best way forward involved moving after Livia's spring break. The owner did not mind putting off his own move until April, as he needed to finalize his own situation. Tom and Alice also had to contemplate what they could store, what they could pack early and when they could begin as well as had to end transferring everything. They also had to give notice to their landlord and 90 days or so seemed more than sufficient. He also contemplated that, if they finalized plans quickly enough, they could enjoy a brief respite away from Durham before the move. Tom asked Livia about it. She thought it a great idea. She figured Tom also had another motive.

He admitted it. He wanted to be able to buy a proper ring for Alice and give it to her on holiday at some picturesque location that she would not easily forget. One of the benches on the grounds of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, might do, or Queen Charlotte's Cottage on the Kew Gardens grounds or even during a Thames boat tour of the city. Livia liked all of those ideas. Her only trepidation about the third involved the remote chance of the ring falling into the river. He also admitted to wanting to be able for her to show some of her London-based relations it and presenting themselves together formally. He knew elements of her family liked those things and might want to throw a party for her. Livia suggested tipping them off ahead of time so that they could put together whatever they thought appropriate. Perhaps they could reserve an entire restaurant and put on a special meal there, as a surprise.

This made sense to Tom, though he knew he needed to have a lot done ahead of time to make the trip seem organic as a nice break, rather than a planned contrivance. He did not want her too suspicious. Of course, she knew it would happen – the first ring indicated as much – but she did not have to know everything beforehand. Tom figured he would give her the impression that the formal ring would come after they moved. That way he might surprise her.

Tom told his father the next day that he had struck a deal on the house he had eyed for himself and Alice – as well as Livia, Abby and possibly some future child, if and when Alice finished her studies and wanted to go ahead. Rev. Woodcock offered a hearty congratulations that his son had become so successful so soon to be able to manage this before even turning 25. He assumed Alice's family had not supplied any funds. Tom happily stated that he had done this himself because, as he told Livia, if he could not do it himself, he had no business doing it – her family would want nothing less. Rev. Woodcock felt so proud of his son for having the drive to do so much. Tom said he had clear motives for that, chronologically speaking – first Livia, then Alice. Rev. Woodcock wanted to get a look at the house fairly soon. What he did not plan on was that his wife and Lydia would also want to take the trip. He rung back to tell them that it looked like three would come, most likely early on Monday, 8 January.

Of course, Tom had to tell Livia and Alice that they would come. Alice steadied herself, at least glad none of her relatives had to deal with Lydia. Livia wanted no part in this event. Livia confessed to Abby that she might get angry and do something that could hurt Tom. Abby understood, confirming that Livia warned her to hide from this sister. To Tom and Alice, she simply told them she had no desire to see either Lydia or Mrs. Woodcock and would rather head back to school, where people generally treated her well – even Christopher Prince's uncle, perhaps because nothing had happened there and she started dating someone else. Privately, she told Alice that her presence would likely make the trip worse, and she had some pent up anger that she had not yet dissipated. Until she could trust herself better or had a buffer, she felt better leaving.

Tom seemed to understand, though he hated to see Livia go. Her time at home with him came and went very quickly. He knew she had her reasons. Indeed, Alice ultimately told him what she had said, which did not surprise Tom at all. He still resented Lydia, too, as well as how his mother continued to make her grow more petulant and spoiled, despite the fact she was 18. Livia told him she would send him a note after she thought Hurricane Lydia had left Durham.

Livia herself had packed up the night before and left early on the Monday, finding a wooded area where she could not be seen as she apparated to the area just outside the school grounds. She stopped to see Hagrid on her way back and explained her early return. She checked to see that Sydney, Mel and Sevy all remained in good health and good spirits. She then made her way back to the school, once again explaining that a pending visit by her sister to her brother's home had made it necessary to return. She still could not trust herself there.

Once back in her Ravenclaw room, she listened to some music for inspiration. She figured, since she already was there, she may as well prank Professor Snape again. Nothing seemed to beat doing his own voice, so she stewed over what to do. Well, she had not sung his voice in the hall, but he would know who it was and the disguise happened to be a major part of the fun. Nonetheless, she went with that, though she thought she needed to speak as Professor Flitwick if she really wanted to surprise him – or maybe Professor McGonagall. She decided to try "Wonderful Tonight," though knowing what she saw, the woman would have long red hair, instead.

She again picked her way through the security. She saw no sense trying to apparate when she could still do this and not stir up too much trouble. The system did not seem terribly different. Apparently, Professor Snape never tattled on her to Mr. Filch, the building manager.

So she got to his door and knocked. Once more, he told the headmaster to leave him be. That became Livia's cue:

 _It's late in the evening, she's wondering what clothes to wear_  
 _She puts on her makeup and brushes her long red hair_  
 _And then she asks him…*_

He opened the door just after the reference to red hair. "Is that really how that song goes, Miss Woodcock?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "In the song, the woman has blonde hair. The singer-songwriter married her and later divorced her. So much for happy endings."

To that, all he said was: "Hmph."

"I figured the change suited your voice," Livia said. "Hurricane Lydia chased me from Durham again, and I couldn't come up with a better idea."

"I see," he said. "Since you obviously have seen that particular girl, do you know her voice, either singing or speaking? Would you have sung her question in her voice?"

"I've heard her but not enough, especially singing," Livia replied. "I wouldn't have tried it, since I have not practiced that."

"Could you do it?" he asked.

"If I could listen more to her, probably."

"Do you have your wand?" he asked.

"Of course I do," Livia stated.

"Then try to pick up her voice," he said.

She was able to find it and heard a young teenaged girl singing "Happy Birthday" with a cake exactly like she had seen in his room that one time. She realized why it was there and that it came every year, maybe from the headmaster or the house elves – or both. She listened carefully, though this female had a higher-pitched voice. She remembered the girl's name but kept that to herself. Given some of her repertoire, she figured she could mimic this voice, too. So, she put her wand away and started singing. He closed his eyes, as if trying to relive that moment. She only had done a few words when it occurred to her to question if she should authentically call him by a version of his first name, like the girl had done, or if that was a bridge not to cross. Given his response, she figured she should address him exactly as the girl did. By that point, Livia had come extremely close to replicating the sound of her voice.

"You got better, nearly perfect, by the end," he pronounced. "That was truly a gift."

"Except you do not look happy, sir," she stated. "I am extremely sorry. What you see as a gift I see also causes great problems. Her voice pains you, doesn't it?"

"Nothing extraordinary," he maintained. "You can go."

"No, not yet," Livia asserted. "I don't like this. She hurts you. Give me your hand."

"What!? Miss Woodcock…"

"I said give me your hand." Livia more emphatically insisted. He showed no inclination towards complying whatsoever. She just hoped she could do it well.

Livia reached out and put her left hand over his right hand with her thumb underneath. She held her right arm towards the window. Livia closed her eyes. She was trying to draw as much of his torment out of him and release it through herself so she did not have to take it on herself. She found doing this draining but kept going. He blankly looked at her. He did not know what to say or do and did not really want to say what doing this accomplished. Yet she had dissipated a lot of the things churning inside him, especially around this time of year, when he could only stew over them. These things would come back, of course, but she did lighten his burden for a time. She did this for at least five minutes until she nearly had exhausted herself.

She let go and opened her eyes. "Any better, sir?"

"For now," he answered. "It will come back."

"But so can I, if ever you want," she offered.

"Not necessary," he said. "You can go, though I will tell you one thing first."

"What?" she asked.

"I learned things about your mother by locating the woman who left you outside of St. Michael's Church," he pronounced.

"Do I want to know?" she queried.

"Doesn't hurt," he replied. "The young woman who left you, Elizabeth Sloan, said the birth mother went by the stage name Rosamund Crown, though her actual name is Bessie Croton. She grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. I figured out that she came from generations of witches, with other skills similar to yours. She was in a London theatre programme. She tried using mimicry to get other actresses to turn down roles so she could land them, since she failed to win them on her own merit. She excelled in mimicry more than stage acting. Ultimately, she got caught trying to deceive those running her department. That is probably why she wanted some rich muggle to take care of her. She may have realized this whilst still conning the programme – she needed whatever potions your father possessed. She otherwise knew nothing about our world or this school."

"Well, didn't you suggest she acted like some sort of parasite?" Livia surmised.

"Seems her father also had wizardry in his background, but I did not get to see into his long family history," he revealed. "It may not matter, though. Parasite is your term, I believe, though I think it a fair term, if harsh. In any case, do you want to know more about any of this?"

"Doesn't it feel tawdry?" Livia asked. "Could you tell me why she chose to have me?"

"Best I could figure is that it gave her an excuse for her lack of acting success here. She worked as a costume dresser and similar, behind-the-scenes functions that summer."

"Overall, I feel very indifferent right now about this," Livia responded. "Since I will never meet any of them, I probably should maintain this apathy. I would like to know who my father is, since this wannabe parasite fooled him for her own gain as well as treated me like nothing."

He nodded. "Okay." He could not disagree with her assessment, hard-nosed though it was.

"Thank you and good day, sir," she stated. "Try being kinder to yourself tomorrow, please." Livia withdrew and went back to her room, feeling rather weak. If he had any potions to make, he either had done them already, or could handle them himself, since he did not ask. She went back to her CD player and used the shuffle button for various artists and songs the rest of the weekend. She rested in bed for at least several hours, trying not to think about anything else but the music. She needed time to recover.

* Author's Note

The song "Wonderful Tonight," originally written in 1976, appears on the 1977 album _Slowhand_ by Eric Clapton. Also a single in 1977, Clapton penned the tune himself for future wife Pattie Boyd, who he married in 1979 and divorced in 1989. The 1988 box set _Crossroads_ features a reissued version of the song.

Talking Heads band members David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth wrote the song "Psycho Killer," which was first recorded for _Talking Heads: 77_ in 1977. It has appeared in several subsquent records, including the live 1984 seminal album _Stop Making Sense_.That work also included "Burning Down the House," originally released as a single form the 1983 album _Speaking in Tongues_. All four band members, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison, received author credit. The Talking Heads 1985 album _Little Creatures_ features the song "And She Was," composed by David Byrne.

The 1988 box set _Crossroads_ features a number of songs by the band Cream as a retrospective of Eric Clapton's guitar work. This also includes Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," written by Clapton, Jack Bruce and Pete Brown, which originally appeared on the 1967 album _Disraeli Gears_ and their live version of "Crossroads," the Robert Johnson composition, originally issued on the 1968 Cream album _Wheels of Fire_. The song "Let it Grow" is a 1974 Clapton-penned piece from _461 Ocean Boulevard_ appearing on the box set as does the track "I Shot the Sherrif," written by Bob Marley and first issued on the same album. One song that Clapton issued later, on his 1989 album _Journeyman_ , is its lead song "Pretending," written by Jerry Lynn Williams.

The 1989 Don Henley album _The End of the Innocence_ features the title song, composed by Henley and Bruce Hornsby.

The song "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," penned by the duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, first appears on John's 1973 album _Goodbye Yellowbrick Road_. They also collaborated on "The Bitch Is Back," originally released on John's 1974 album _Caribou_.


	21. Dates, Warnings, Meetings

Livia had recovered her energy level and appetite by the time the rest of the students returned, with her roommates not altogether shocked to find her there. They had grown accustomed to this, strange as it seemed. She told them her brother had just bought a house and Hurricane Lydia had come through town, so with less than a day's notice, she left. They understood her disdain by now as well as a temptation to practice things in the muggle world that could hurt others, though no longer get Livia strictly into legal trouble. Some of them considered it kind that Livia had never lashed out at that rotten girl, whereas Livia said she felt sorry for those left to deal with her. Ben also stopped by, having not seen her on the trip northward, and the others explained how common this had become. He had thought that maybe she missed the train.

"Sorry, no," Livia said. "I did not need the train to get here from my brother's home and when I found out that my awful, alleged 'sister' would visit, I left before she arrived."

On their first trip together to Hogsmeade, Ben asked Livia as they walked to explain the dynamics of her family. Livia told him that her brother meant everything to her, and the first sister had briefly conspired to get Livia removed from the family home. The second sister, who thought the world revolved around her, had made life horrible for her for many years. Livia avoided her, still following, if by choice, the edict of the Youth Court by maintaining a separation. Livia had reconciled with her first sister. She never could do that with the second, an unrepentant girl who had made herself practically the source of everything odious that ever happened to her.

Ben found this all curious, first trying to understand the younger sister's motives. Livia thought jealousy or feeling somehow Livia had taken something away from this girl, which never really happened, could factor into her bullying, her lying and her cruelty. Livia rattled off several incidents in her past that made Ben cringe, especially the thumbtack torture.

"If you think that is bad, you should have read the medical reports from the juvenile prison this girl got me sent to by lying," Livia stated. "If it wasn't for the intervention of some crows and owls, I may have been hospitalized, some there believed. Those thought I was lucky to have escaped with no serious injuries." She held back a little about herself and her wandless skills.

Ben did not want to know the details of the assaults on Livia. One story sufficed. They had reached their destination and he said little as they took a corner booth. Only then did he ask her the question that concerned him – why did she get sent there in the first place.

"Three judges reviewed the situation and they all agreed that this sister and I needed to be separated. Two blamed me and one thought her the more likely liar."

"Why was she believed by the majority?" he asked.

"She got her other sister to be minimally supportive – just saying 'whatever she says' – and she intimidated other possible witnesses to remain silent. One family ultimately left town to keep their kids safe. I think the outcome came down to the fact that these older men wanted to believe a minister's actual daughters over an adopted one of unknown, illegitimate parents."

"So that's why you do not know your parents," he asserted. "Is what Ted told me right – someone just left you?"

"Basically," she acknowledged. "I have learned a few facts from someone who looked into my story. He found out the name of my mother, why he thought she had an affair with a Slytherin student and why she probably gave birth to me, even though she had no intention of keeping me."

"Wasn't she a witch?"

"Yes, that is what I learned, with a little more detail recently," she affirmed. "The woman faked being a muggle in the hope that the student would try to slip her some potion that she could figure out how to duplicate. It seems she wanted to be an actress but never got very far. So she decided she wanted to prey upon wealthy muggles so she never had to do any real work."

"Why did she not study and do something in our world?" Ben asked.

"She did not know much about it," Livia replied. "Apparently, she descended from a long line of witches but only received private instruction. I really did not want to know more, though I was offered that chance. Right now, I prefer my indifference to a group of people who either rejected me or never knew about me. I would like to know more about whoever my father is, because he has no idea that I exist – this woman put herself ahead of both of us."

"How do you know he was a Slytherin?" Ben asked.

"Do you remember what the sorting hat said about me?" Livia responded.

"I do not recall offhand," he admitted.

"The hat spoke of a legacy that I represented to the school, but I rejected having the hat take that into account," she revealed. "There is also the fact that the young woman left to deal with me wrote a note and described school colors on a robe crest and tie that my birth mother saw. Those colors fit one house only – Slytherin. Professor Snape agrees with me, even if I am not his favorite person. Given my birthday, he dated my conception as being fairly early during the winter break of the 1971-72 school year, which likely means he met whoever it was. He began here that year."

"He has no guess on the identity?" Ben asked.

"If he does, he has not told me," she answered. "I have not pressed him hard, though."

The rest of the evening they spent discussing other things, like how he fared on his apparition test or Ben's plans after graduation. Ben detailed how he passed his test fairly well; he said the idea she gave him about avoiding nausea helped a great deal. He still preferred the chimney floo network to apparating, but he realized that it had its purpose and being able to do it held great advantages, since it offered both speed in travel and flexibility between locations. It might even become necessary at some point, which for Ben became all too obvious years later.

They each revealed their full names and the stories behind them, hers as Olivia Mary, his being Benjamin Taylor.* Ben was named for two grandfathers. Livia only knew the actor references regarding herself. As far as his plans after graduating, Ben has no obvious path forward. He thought about a variety of things: working for the newspaper or maybe work for the wand maker away from his main shop. He would rather work with training fledgling owls for delivering mail than what his father preferred. He liked all animals but owls especially.

"You must have some grander ambition, though," Livia asserted. "How could you become 'Head Boy' if you had not distinguished yourself here, especially if you aren't attention seeking?"

"It's a fair point," he replied. "Yet I'm sure my father donated for that to save face from my sorting, though I do set a good example. The latter could not have escaped Professor Flitwick's notice. I achieved a high number of O.W.L.s, even if Professor Snape refuses to allow 'Exceeds Expectations' students into advanced study. I favor almost any other subject, though, because his insensitive, demanding nature reminds me enough of my father to prefer other things. So had I received Outstanding – and I did not miss by much – I might have declined to pursue it, anyway."

"You know, I don't think the 'Head Boy' title really fits," Livia mused. "I'd rather call you 'Talon Boy,' since you're a Ravenclaw." She laughed. "Anyway, what does your father expect?"

"Hmm, interesting name. Well, my father wants me to work for the Ministry of Magic in some capacity or perhaps the bank," Ben stated. "In his mind, doing either of these would distinguish me greatly. I thus would bring honor to the family and enhance its standing among the more elite wizarding families." Yet Ben seemed to be torn in two directions and did not know how to reconcile them. He wanted very much to find a path satisfactory to both.

"I can't help you there," Livia said. "Never had such expectations. Indeed, when I first seemed in line for a scholarship, that's when the aforementioned sister decided to act. She wanted to thwart that offer, and her lies put me in a prison school for nearly two years. That's why I started here when I was 13. I did not meet the headmaster until my brother Tom got me out of that place."

"Yes, I remember that sorting now," he recalled. "That one year, one student seemed a lot taller than the rest. That was you?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "To prove to everyone I should be here I went from my first year straight into my third. I did a lot of independent work to pass all my final exams to jump closer to those my own age, though as you know, I am less than three months younger than you."

"Seems to me you have plenty of reasons to resent muggles and witches," Ben declared. "Where do you belong?"

"Beats me," Livia replied. "The headmaster has a better idea than I do, but he has not shared this entirely with me. I guess we both have to stumble some to find our own way."

That last idea resonated with Ben greatly, as they sat in the tavern booth together. He thought he might have to speak a long time with those who counselled graduating students. He considered the fact that, if he found temporary employment in the village, he and Livia could stay together if – the big _if_ – his father accepted her. He did not know exactly how his father would act. The man had strange standards in handpicking Ben's friends. Yet Ben knew she was hugely talented and likely had a solid, if uncertain, background. She also knew far more about the muggle world than his father cared to know, since he resented his own mother for being born one. Still, if any child took after Livia, he or she would possess great talent. Wouldn't that be enough?

His instincts told him that it should be. If the headmaster had plans for her, he must value her. He asked if she dueled with Professor Flitwick. She admitted that this had started when she moved up to Level Three. Few students ever got singled out for that. He asked if she would compete professionally, but she doubted that was the goal. Ben wondered how important a role the headmaster envisioned for her. He also heard that she was the first student to score perfectly on Professor Snape's O.W.L. exam. She told him that she had done that, too, though the headmaster already had, if humorously, told Professor Snape that she would replace him someday. Now it no longer sounded like quite the same joke. Ben did not see it as a joke, not at all.

He asked if she wanted that. Livia did not know yet, because making potions well was one thing whereas lecturing or grading others quite different. The responsibility took the fun out of the process to some extent, which is why she liked tutoring students who asked her for help. Ben had never heard anyone talk about making potions for Professor Snape as fun – he did not miss that. He understood that this marked her as a Ravenclaw, but no one ever called his class fun. No wonder why she did not fear him, or the repercussions of impersonating him or of turning two of his students into "rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses." Yet she was generous with herself, so much that he could not help but feel smitten. Perhaps she could pull out of him something resembling his father's ambitions, and he would see it as a huge point in her favor. He wanted to try saying that.

In her mind, Ben or "Talon Boy" came across as honestly interested though she felt the underlying conflict he discussed, too. She saw him as earnest and endearing, if a little reserved. Everyone in their last year must undergo a host of problems to figure out what came next. The lack of a life structured by a routine dictated by the calendar and the clock could feel like a rug pulled out from under one's feet. He did not feel swallowed up by it, at least not yet, but he definitely wrestled with related issues and had not figured out what to do. Livia wondered if he needed more time to decide and six months might not prove long enough. In the meantime, she did feel drawn to him, no matter how his struggle turned out. His father seemed to weigh a lot on him, however.

He told her he was glad that he could talk to her, and she felt at ease to speak to him. They walked back to the campus holding hands, though before they got too far inside the grounds, he started kissing her again. He slowed himself down before he too much happened and they either lost their footing or their way back. "You will do this again with me?" he asked.

"What, you mean kiss you?"

"That too," he stated. "I mean, let me take you out."

"Of course," Livia affirmed. "If I can call you 'Talon Boy,' okay?" She laughed.

He kissed her again and led her back to her room. She had to get a grip on herself and refocus, pronto. Fortunately, upon heading to the common room, a few questions about various subjects put her back into the present moment and helped her be ready for the new term. Feeling confident and comfortable with her academic bearings, she returned again to her room.

Shelley wanted to know how her date with Ben went; Livia told her it was fine. Shelley pressed her for more information, but Livia said she would tell her later. She had to write to her brother and go to sleep. She wrote a quick note to Tom. This time Sevy agreed to carry it, though it seemed for a minute or so that he wanted to visit Brontë first. Livia wondered if he was a bachelor looking for a new partner but decided against asking, given Shelley's inclination to take Brontë home, making Sevy's intentions moot. Livia inquired if he had eaten enough for the trip and provided more at his request. After he snacked, he took the letter and flew off into the night. For the time being, Livia let that question leave with Sevy and settled in for the night.

Livia woke up with a letter from Tom on her desk. The others tried to appear accustomed to such a thing, but they still felt some amazement that Livia freely received aid from wild owls to deliver her mail. They thought she should run the postal service or something. They did not believe anyone else could watch over them better. Livia had considered such a thing, too, though she still loathed that owls served with requirements versus willingly offered help. Owls and crows wanted to assist her, and she did not entirely believe they got their due, even though they received respect.

Tom reported that the visit had gone fairly well, that apparently Rev. Woodcock had exercised some control over Lydia. He did not know that his father had pulled over the car and threatened to have her walk back to town with her mother if they did not shut their mouths whilst he drove. He only let Lydia's car purchase go because he thought it would keep his own from being ruined by Lydia's lack of care. He had bought a new vehicle, having traded in his prior one. He considered giving his aging car to Cathy, but her boyfriend had his own. She therefore declined it.

Cathy told him then not to experience a moment's grief over what she may have missed, owing to Lydia's demands. Tom, having recently spoken to her at length and conveyed his admiration of her maturity. She had gotten over not being the "favored child," at least as far as Emma Woodcock had shown. Cathy liked things as they were for her and had told her father so. She warned him of one thing, though – should she ever marry, she would not have a church service. She wanted no part of her mother's insistence of having Lydia be a bridesmaid. She would rather elope or have a quiet civil ceremony. She wanted an enduring marriage, not a fiasco wedding.

Livia admitted that this sounded quite mature and healthy, coming from a place of personal contentment that Livia did not yet share. It sounded nice. Livia made sure to send her something via Tom. She also had much to do that day so she focused on that. She finally did give Shelley some details over breakfast, though by then did not dwell on these. Yes, he wanted to see her again, yes, she enjoyed his company, yes, she had told him of her background and, no, he did not act perturbed by it except for some of the unpleasant details of her account. Finally, no, he did not have a solid grasp on what he wanted to do upon graduation. It seemed he had a problem reconciling what he preferred and his father's wishes that he pursue something important.

Livia's classes proceeded as they typically did, with her quiet, focused and well prepared. If anyone wanted the right answer, they just had to ask her. Her potions exhibited both grace and meticulous observation of any requirements, though Professor Snape silently indicated to her that the advanced book did not necessarily indicate the best ways to execute a task and, at some point, she may want to use her intuition. After one class, he brought out an old copy of the textbook in a storage cabinet that he had written all over, showing her how he had annotated and improved its recommendations and, on occasion, suggested his own recipes or spells. His handwriting already had become easily recognizable to her. She borrowed it for a few days and mentally took pictures of every single page that he had annotated, making careful comparisons between what the book wrote and how he had altered the formulas. She realized that he had been no older than she was when he did this. His utter brilliance shone through every page. She wanted to keep the book but opted to return it in the storage locker of texts in the classroom. Her memory would do, at present, as did her own decision to mark up her own copy exactly as he had done, with some additional observations of her own. He had freed her own mind to "play" with the rules, rather than merely slavishly follow them. She thought no one ever would know what creativity he possessed, whereas they believed him to be a martinet taskmaster. The man she saw in that book and who responded at length to her papers did not match the man they saw in class who only gave them curt responses to assignments. The former represented his true self, not the latter. She would remain quiet, as directed, though it saddened her that something compelled this behavior from them both.

She got to be freer of thought, if charged with hiding this at times. During her private lessons, he saw her butterfly clip again, but this time he could not guess anything about the circumstances. She told him that this had prompted her to wear it more than once. He ultimately did see her budding relationship with the Ravenclaw Head Boy, though he strangely warned her about this, not because of Ben Spence, but owing to his father, Rodrick Spence.

"Since when are you in the prediction business, Professor Snape?" Livia asked.

"I'm not," he answered. "I know of the man but am more familiar with his brother, who I met whilst a student. Until Ben defies Rodrick, he will never be happy. I doubt his mother can help him. I think the most useful thing she did was insist that the sorting hat suit his own inclinations, not Rodrick's ambitions. Beyond that, she is cowed, unsurprising given Rodrick's dislike of his own mother."

"Sounds like you have figured this out well because it hits close to home," Livia observed.

"Indeed. I think he and my father somehow produced your sister, whose name I know but will never speak. I remember enough to have grasped your view of her very well and must agree."

"And you know I will not mention _her_ name to you, either, if for a different reason," Livia recounted. She meant someone other than her sister. He understood her.

"I know," he acknowledged. "Perhaps it's not necessary, but I appreciate your intent."

Despite their ability to uniquely understand each other, they got a lot of practice in blocking and reading each other's thoughts. The day did come later that term when she did figure out the actual memory attached to the blue sky, but Livia did not want to tell him that she had figured it out. She found it horrifying and just felt she should not discuss it.

"No, I saw only a part of it as the falcon, but I still cannot find you," Livia asserted.

"You lie. I don't know which is worse, that you saw it or that you lie about seeing it."

"I'm sorry," Livia stated. "I have nothing to say."

"Do not try to pity or evade me, Miss Woodcock," he demanded, somewhat menacingly.

"What would you like me to say, sir?" Livia asked. "That I get it? Because, no, I don't. I don't think I can ever fully comprehend. I can feel things, but I don't necessarily sense their entire significance. I can see things, but I do not experience them directly. Therefore, I cannot know everything. To say I know what that was like for you would be an abomination, I believe."

"You have said and felt plenty," he told her, almost snapping at her. "I think you comprehend far more than you disclose. I know you too well for me to dismiss your reluctance here, regardless of whether you think it well intended. You also have questions, too, I know it."

"Well, _she_ never forgave you, even though you did not instigate any of that and tried to preserve your own dignity in an extremely undignified situation out of your control."

"No, she never did," he admitted.

"Yet you tried to apologize – numerous times?" she probed.

"Yes."

"Do you think anything would have changed if she had accepted your apology?"

"No idea."

"Then you cannot blame yourself for that," Livia said. "If she had already made her decision, the incident loses at least some of its relevance or sting, doesn't it?"

"That's a nice try," he stated.

"I will ask one other thing, if I may," Livia addressed to him. He said nothing, neither permitting nor preventing, so she went ahead. "What is a mudblood?"

"A very insulting word," he replied. "It's right up there with calling you a bastard. It refers to a witch or wizard that comes from muggle heritage, rather than has a family background solely or largely comprising of witches and wizards."

"What am I, then?" Livia asked.

"Either a half-blood or a pureblood witch – no less than half. How much depends on who your father is, and how far back one can trace wizardry in your lineage."

"Does it relate at all to skill or knowledge or nascent talent?"

"Some presume that it does," he responded. "I cannot say." He could say a lot on the subject, but he did not wish to do it.

"Why can't you say?"

"Well, for one, because I am not a pureblood wizard, but I think you know that," he answered. Still, that statement hardly represented scratching the surface of his thoughts.

She suspected that he held back. Yet Livia recalled his textbook's inscription. She put most of it together, including the name he used for his alter-ego. She later got the origin of the name.

Many other sessions involving purely sparring and him commanding her to employ various techniques to enhance her control, which she occasionally altered in fashions that made them harder to decipher. Showing her his potions book had made her more willing to experiment within the solid foundation that he had provided her. She had seen much of the things that he kept hidden from others, but he used his own variations of techniques that sometimes she picked through and sometimes she could not decipher. He could say the same about her, too. They ended the term both feeling fairly sharp regarding their own skills, though she realized he would have more variations and possibly other basic strategies he could teach her to use.

Meantime, he confessed to the headmaster how much progress she had made in her lessons with him. "She knows most of the basic strategies and some variations and has shown a capacity to be most inventive with using them in uncovering memories as well as concealing her own."

"Good," the headmaster said. "Does she challenge you at all, or does she remain merely an advancing pupil?"

"She has proven a handful from the start," Professor Snape revealed. "She is most gifted, especially as a Legilimens. Still, my experience gives me a small advantage. She has intuitive and logical thinking skills that make her unpredictable as well as highly perceptive. At times, I have become extremely uncomfortable. She knows way too much yet says nothing."

"Does it benefit both of you to continue these lessons?" the headmaster asked.

"It does," he admitted. "I keep my own skills sharp as hers grow and vary. I may even learn a few things from her if or when she exceeds me."

"That is quite an admission, Severus," the headmaster stated. "I know you do not say that lightly, given your own expertise here. I will not tell anyone that both of you benefit from this."

With the exception of honing a killer instinct, Livia's advancing skills with Professor Snape did sharpen her dueling abilities. She became even more accomplished in defending herself because she found little she could not anticipate, silence or deflect – even the vilest curses. Her bouts with Professor Flitwick became quite long, and he thought perhaps that offered an advantage in itself. She could wear him out. He told her that, for at least the time being, this worked for her.

"You mean rope-a-dope?" Livia asked.

"What?" he countered.

"It's a boxing term associated with a great muggle champion fighter named Ali," Livia explained. "I absorb your offensive thrusts and defend myself until you wear yourself out or mistake my situation when I actually have conserved my energy. Then, I take advantage of you."

"I see," he responded. "That will not work in all situations against all enemies, but the idea of being able to absorb or defend then launch a surprising counterattack has often gained success here. Taking an enemy by surprise whilst seeming on the brink of defeat catches someone off-guard who may underestimate you. I, for example, tend not to underestimate people because I am usually the one underestimated owing to my height. You can say, then, in my own way, I have done this 'rope-a-dope' thing. So I cannot discourage it."

Professor Flitwick later asked the headmaster if he had heard of this "rope-a-dope" technique that some muggle fighter developed. Professor Flitwick found it interesting because in a sense he had done something like it during his own career. Nonetheless, he never had heard of the term.

The headmaster had some idea of what it was and a better idea of who said it. He liked that Livia Woodcock could apply concepts familiar to her to those less so. He asked Professor Flitwick about her progress. Professor Flitwick often felt he legitimately fought her to a draw and, if real and forced to continue, she would have a clear advantage. He still expressed some doubt if she would ever kill versus dispatch in some other fashion. They all struggled with this at times. He had to tell her that it did not constitute murder to kill in self-defense or to defend someone else, which he did before the term ended. He stressed that it was not a sin nor damaged one's soul to serve a greater good that way. He made sure she entirely accepted this and would heed what he told her.

In the meantime, Livia had helped a few others pass their apparition exam, including Shelley, who turned 17 over winter break, and continued to distinguish herself in all of her classes, particularly through her written work. If ever put on the spot to transfigure an object or create a potion, she took immense pride in her creations and saw approval given to them, even if seemingly begrudgingly on Professor Snape's part. The only thing the faculty ever discussed concerned what to do with her when she finished her education. They thought that she could go in many different directions, but none ever got a sense as to what she wanted to do.

The headmaster told them that he planned on keeping her, and that she had expressed a willingness to pay back the school that had sponsored her education. Since she already knew how to tutor students, it seemed to him rather a natural progression for her to continue doing it after her graduation. At least until she showed any other inclination towards doing something else, he saw no reason for her to leave. Many more students would benefit from her staying right there.

Before the term ended, Livia visited Professor Flitwick to inquire about the great uncle of Alice West, who her brother planned to marry. Professor Flitwick had known this might happen and knew the headmaster wanted him to arrange an introduction. He told her the man had become something of a family black sheep, as far as his muggles relations thought, because he lived near the village. People knew him as John or Jack Russell in Hogsmeade, though the name was his first and middle names and based on his heritage. He preferred Jack Russell, like his dog animagus. Being called "Uncle Jack" or "Black Jack" (as the black sleep) also suited him, though he had attended Hogwarts as a Hufflepuff. On a Saturday afternoon, she would meet him with Professor Flitwick, who had told him to expect him to bring someone he should meet.

Mr. Russell, who preferred Livia use Uncle Jack, seemed an amiable man not hugely younger than either the headmaster or Professor Flitwick. Recently retired and trying to cope as a widower, he had short, grey hair, including his facial hair, a pale complexion and twinkling blue eyes. It seemed he and the latter knew each other for many years. He asked about her tie to his grandniece and her prospective husband, Livia's brother. He asked about how she came to the school, and she told him the whole story as well as how Tom had found her outside a parish church. He thought perhaps fate had brought them together since he and his wife never had children for several reasons and he had lost her owing to a bizarre accident of her falling from a ladder. She expressed great sympathy for his misfortune – he had not found her in time to tend to her injuries. Given that Livia had no known family there, he would gladly fill whatever role he could, should she need it. For years, he wondered why no other members of his family ever showed such talent and wondered if they concealed them or simply lacked them.

He then asked to see what she could do. First, she conjured a full Patronus, which he found impressive. She apparated to various spots at random and told him that she often practiced dueling with Professor Flitwick himself. Knowing how good his friend Filius was, he asked for a full assessment: "very strong in defending herself, she has dueled me to a draw often and, if we continued, could outlast me by endurance. Her offensive skills get better, more fluid, reactive and creative. She excels at distracting opponents by either transfigurations or singing in her head or aloud." He also stated that she practiced Occlumency and Legilimency with Professor Snape and also excels in his advanced potion class. Uncle Jack did not know him well except by reputation and presumed that, if Livia made good progress with him, she must possess impressive skills. Professor Flitwick entirely agreed. In his charms classes, she also performed most strongly.

He wondered what she would do when she left school. Livia said she did not know entirely, except that the headmaster wanted her to work as a staff tutor and she agreed that she wanted to pay back the school for sponsoring her. He thought if the headmaster wanted her to stay, he probably had plans beyond that. He knew Albus well enough to grasp this much. Livia and Uncle Jack parted on good terms, with Uncle Jack openly inviting her return whenever she needed a place to go. After months alone, some company would do him good. Livia asked that, if and when her brother and Alice married, would he attend. He first asked if she would go. She hesitated because of a difficult relationship with one of Tom's sisters. She had not seen her in years, intentionally, because, if the girl attempted to harm her, she would get tempted to use underage sorcery on her. She now worried about lashing out without thinking, which she also could not do. She looked for a buffer of one kind or another as well as to find the right opportunity to tell her brother the truth. No one there knew, she told him, owing to problems with her custody, among other things.

He wondered about the wisdom of informing her brother, since his own admission to extended family had not gone terribly well. Alice's parents were the last people he had spoken to in many years. Livia felt her brother would accept her as she was, because he never let her down, even though he had become a barrister. Uncle Jack hoped that she was right. He also figured, though, maybe they could help each other. He made no commitment regarding a wedding, not even sure if they would or could invite him. Livia said she would try to do that for him and then he could decide.

Livia had several additional dates with Ben, somewhere around once a week, occasionally twice, and she had grown fond of his unassuming, gentle nature. She excitingly told him of meeting the first person she could even claim as family, the great uncle of the woman her brother wanted to marry. She liked this man very much, and he seemed favorably impressed with her. Since she still knew nothing about her father, "Uncle Jack" was a luxury in a world where she often seemed alone. Ben seemed happy for her but also asked for more information about him, and she gave him all she knew. She also told him that, having recently exchanged letters with her brother, he would meet her at the King's Cross Station when the train arrived, something he had only done a few times, since he had lived elsewhere mostly. Ben seemed confused, so she told him that she would meet Tom near the station café, not on the platform itself. Ben told her that he had given his father a lot of information about her, and he would be on the platform then. He hoped an introduction would go well, but he did not know what to expect. He quietly worried about it a lot, in fact.

The term otherwise wrapped up nicely. Everyone in the room wanted to jointly celebrate Athena and Selene's birthdays at the Leaky Cauldron towards the end of the break, with a few days of touring around or shopping for anything needed for spring term. Livia made two points – first, that Shelley's birthday needed acknowledging, among the rest, as it happened during winter break without any fanfare and second, that she might need their help because Ben basically had warned her about his father wanting to meet her on the trip back to King's Cross. Ted immediately urged everyone to find her and, if possible, get their families to show support for her. If Rodrick Spence took an adversarial view of Livia, which he found all-too feasible even if did not entirely understand it or wish to say too much, she would need them all.

"But why?" Shelley asked. "I thought you said he has this hang-up about pureblood witches and Livia is way too talented and almost certainly at least a half-blood witch."

"My guess is that being raised in the muggle world will hugely bother him," Ted answered. "He has ambitions for Ben that Ben hasn't supported, but I don't know how Ben will react. If Ben presented you, Shelley, I suspect that Rodrick would do cartwheels about it." Shelley's bloodline, family wealth and standing all were impeccable if not attention-grabbing.

"My parents love Livia," Shelley asserted. "They know that, without her, I would never have gotten as many O.W.L.s nor gotten through passing the apparition exam."

"Let him see that," Ted suggested. "She would also be an asset to Ben, but he will not think of it unless they show him she has done that already. If he cares, that will likely help the most."

Livia tried to stay calm on the trip home. Ben sat with her through most of the trip, whilst her roommates did for the entire trip. She felt a little out of sorts but remembered what Professor Snape and Ted had told her. She saw the roadblock – her ignorance of her father's identity. She had no control over it. This lack of knowledge might render her a nobody, despite all the things she could do. Livia could feel Ben's nerves, also, though he wanted her to think positively and just act graciously, as she usually did.

Finally, the train arrived and everyone slowly departed. Livia gathered her things with Ben's help, and they disembarked together. Within seconds, Rodrick Spence, a greying somewhat portly man of medium height, approached Ben and welcomed him back. It took him a few seconds to notice and finally say: "You must be Livia Woodcock. My son has told me a lot about you."

 _He's angry that his son did not take Rhonda Wayne to the ball – he's still annoyed, in fact._ "Hello, sir, very nice to meet you," Livia stated. He made no effort to even shake her hand, and she thought it useless to try. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her roommates gather up members of their families to head towards her. Ted had impressed upon them a need to do this. Shelley's parents worried about her, especially, and wanted to give her whatever support they could.

"I must say, your background completely baffles me," Rodrick said. "It makes no sense to me how a talented witch got raised by a muggle parish minister. What was your mother thinking?"

"That was what a muggle girl, named Elizabeth Sloan, opted to do," Livia recounted. "My birth mother, named Bessie Croton, left the country with no concern over what became of me."

"How do you know these names?" he asked. He grew suspicious of this specificity where some might have found it impressive. If he dismissed her as a liar to Ben, he found his "reason."

"Someone at school looked into the story and the evidence I could supply," she replied. "The young man I call my brother came across me and insisted his family adopt me. I would not exist without his interest and loyalty." Rodrick Spence remained both bothered and bewildered.

Just then, the Silvers approached Livia. Both Marcus and Sheila hugged her and thanked her for helping Shelley with her O.W.L.s and apparating exams. They settled the date when all would meet at the Leaky Cauldron. Before departing, Sheila pointedly said to Rodrick, "There is no one I trust more with my only child's welfare than Livia. She is the most intelligent, competent and formidable young woman I 'ave ever met." Marcus nodded his complete support.

They left and Rodrick, barely noticing them, actually felt aggrieved that they interrupted him. He resumed badgering Livia about her mother. Livia explained that the woman apparently came from a long line of privately-tutored witches; the woman's father, at least, had been a wizard. Livia learned that her ability to mimic voices came from her, too. To date, that is all she was told and all she wanted to know of them. She had no use for the woman who abandoned her.

One by one, her other roommates – Athena, Selene, Ted, Don, Terence and Barry – along with their families came to say goodbye to her, also, and to confirm the date and time of their reunion. Livia felt immensely pleased to meet them all and that her roommates had gotten their families to do this. At the very least, she would feel less alone during graduation.

Rodrick, again, appeared unfazed by this show of support, since he resumed his questions without missing a beat, turning to Livia's father. This seemed to puzzle and vex him even more.

"I lack an answer," Livia responded. "If anyone has a guess, it is Professor Snape, since we both agree whoever my father is attended Slytherin and went to London early for the winter break of 1971-72. Professor Snape, in his first year, likely met him or knew him. He told me several young men in their last year left school to do this together, but he did not name any of them."

Rodrick had some idea that such a group would have included at least some sons of highly distinguished families. He lived in another country at that time and did not know exactly who might have gone, however. "What is his assessment of your abilities?" Rodrick asked.

"I'm sure I do fine, since I take his advanced class and scored perfectly on his O.W.L. exam, which seems to miff other members of his house," she asserted. "But he often does not say nice things about students outside of his house, so I have no idea what he would say."

"Why did you not get sorted into Slytherin, then?" Rodrick inquired, which Livia knew bugged him about his son. He never had accepted it as anything other than a mistake.

"I wanted to skip a year since I began my studies late," Livia responded. "I wanted to prove the headmaster correct in admitting me by showing that I belonged there –"

"She sure has done that," Ben said, rather proudly. "No one will forget what she did to two Slytherin students who bothered her. I doubt any student has ever transfigured two classmates."

"The sorting hat wanted to consider me a legacy – part of my evidence – but since I was there on my own merit with an academic ambition, I wanted to prioritize that over a tie to someone I don't know. Professor Snape has respected this legacy enough to speak to me about it."

"I see," Rodrick huffed coldly. "I understand you met a relative there recently. Who?"

"He will be," Livia recounted. "My brother Tom wants to marry a lady whose great uncle lives outside Hogsmeade. Professor Flitwick and he seem to be good friends. Since no family has joined him, he accepts me as his relative. You can meet Tom and Alice upstairs, if you wish."

"I would like that," Ben declared. His father looked unenthused, again interrupted in his questioning. His hostile attitude hardly had altered since he began. He would lace into Ben later. Livia could see why Ben couldn't take Professor Snape; he only saw the similarity.

They made their way to the main level. Livia figured Rodrick Spence thought about how to undercut what she said. As they moved towards the café area, Livia spotted Tom first. Tom and she practically ran to each other and embraced. Alice, Ben and Rodrick followed shortly behind.

Livia made the introductions of Ben and Rodrick Spence to Tom, her brother, and Alice, his fiancée. Ben warmly shook Tom's hand and kissed Alice on both cheeks. Rodrick curtly nodded a bit at both. Whilst speaking, Livia immediately had noticed that Alice was wearing the engagement ring that Tom had shown her previously, ensuring the term fiancée fit.

"Oh, you did it!" Livia noted. "Congratulations. When and how did you formally propose?"

"He did it yesterday by Queen Charlotte's Cottage at Kew Gardens," Alice stated. "Very sneaky. He told me we were meeting John and Lesley there."

Ben took Alice's hand to look at the ring. For a muggle piece of jewelry, he thought it most impressive. "It is exquisite without being overdone," he said. "I like it. Lovely. Congratulations."

Again, Rodrick brusquely nodded but said nothing. Livia could feel his great annoyance.

Livia turned to both and said she did not wish to keep them, if they needed to go somewhere or do something. Ben saw Livia giving his father a gracious way to leave, since he detected his father's desire to go. He guessed she noticed it, too, since she often knew such things. "Thank you, Livia. My mother is waiting for us. Nice meeting you both. Hope to see you again very soon." Ben gave a gracious bow to Tom and Alice and gave Livia a big hug whereas his father's shorter nod at all came off as rather stuffy. He said nothing and did little other than look disinterested at best.

After they left, Alice asserted, "Well, Livia, the boy seems very nice and nice looking, but I do not know about his father. I have seen royalty act warmer than that on formal occasions."

"I know," Livia admitted. "Friends of mine warned me. They all tried to show support for me downstairs to try to convince the man to be nicer to me. The parents of Shelley, the girl I have visited, really fussed over me, too. It seems all he could do was grill me about my parentage."

"Oh," Tom stated. "Is that his problem?"

"He doesn't see me as possessing the means to impress whoever he wants to impress. Ben disrupted his agenda, too. I bet he wanted to call me a liar and a bastard right in front of his son."

"Just ridiculous," Tom responded. "At least, Ben likes you – I'd say enormously."

"Is that enough, though?" Livia asked.

"If he is a gentleman, it should be," Tom replied. "If it isn't, he's a wimp unworthy of you."

"I agree," Alice affirmed. "I have seen that frosty parent routine before and I know it entirely. He cares nothing about his own son's happiness. If Ben cannot see it, just let him go."

That advice was easy to give. Livia did not how she could handle dealing with this issue, again. That court had made its ruling owing to it. Those views cost her nearly two years of her life, lots of heartache and some nasty attempts to harm her. She even told Ben all this. She could do nothing about whatever Rodrick Spence would say. Still, whatever happened was up to Ben.

* Author's Note

I have named this character Ben Spence for a particular reason, to honor a young man lost too soon. Tragically, he died of an illness whilst still in his 20s. Any resemblance to this individual is purely coincidental, though he did in fact earn the nickname "Talon Boy" by working with three young bald eagles on a Wildlife Center of Virginia webcam in 2011. See /news_events/news/ben-spence-talon-boy


	22. Followup, Consequences, Confrontation

Livia decided to cast aside her disquiet over Rodrick Spence's behavior. Since Tom and Alice officially were engaged, she wondered what their immediate plans involved. Alice thought they simply took a break from the stress of moving, so she had no idea. Tom asked a taxi driver to return them to the Hotel Russell, where they all stayed.

"How appropriate for me," Livia asserted. "You will never guess who I met only a short time ago. Just try to guess."

Neither had any ideas. They were trying to think of a celebrity or musician or something linking to the name Russell, but no names came to mind.

"My head of house introduced me to an old friend of his," Livia stated. "He likes to call himself Jack Russell, as in the dog, but he insisted that I call him –"

"Uncle Jack!" Alice exclaimed. She remembered his fondness for those dogs. "I have never known what became of him. I have not heard that name in a very long time. No one seems to mention him much. How is he?"

"He seemed well, though obviously not young," Livia answered. "In fact, he told me that he recently lost his wife and they had no children, so meeting me was fortuitous. I told him that I would have a sort of familial tie to him if you two made it official."

"I am chuffed," Alice said. "He seemed so nice to me when I was rather young. I would love to see him again. I never understood why he seemed to disappear. In fact, it upset me for years."

"He may be able to explain that," Livia stated. "But you might have to invite him to your wedding first. I told him I would try to make that happen, since he seemed to doubt that it would."

"I do not know how to reach him," Alice recounted. "You do?"

"Yes," Livia replied. "He practically gave me an open invitation to visit him. If I get a separate invitation to deliver to him, I will see that it gets to him, even if I have to walk there."

"That sounds great, Livia," Tom offered. "Maybe if there was some rift years ago, whoever it involved can bury the hatchet for our sake. Well done, my girl."

"I thought I was your girl," Alice put to Tom, somewhat teasing him.

"She came first chronologically, but you'll always be my girl, Alice. You should know that by now."

Livia was glad to focus on them. It was their trip and their occasion. At least the innate hostility of Rodrick Spence had not pushed that aside. Livia got her own room in a small suite set aside for them. It would have been two rooms, but Alice got the change made, which perhaps did the hotel a favor, since they could accommodate more guests. Whilst not a marquee top tier hotel, it was extremely comfortable, had plenty of amenities and made the trip very convenient for them. As Alice got ready for dinner, Tom pulled Livia aside and told her to request going to that nearby restaurant where they went for her birthday once. Livia knew why and nodded and got ready herself. She still had to ask who was watching Abby, and Tom told her Gary willingly volunteered, given that he liked to call Abby his cat, too.

When dinnertime approached, Tom asked Livia where she wanted to eat. Whilst saying she should defer to Alice, she said she would like to return to that nearby Italian restaurant, since she found their panna cotta excellent. It would make a wonderful site for a celebratory meal. Tom liked the idea and Alice consented as well, especially given its close proximity.

Tom followed Livia into the restaurant with Alice, so Alice did not at first see all the diners or the restaurant's banquet-like setup. Then she spotted it and a hearty "surprise!" sealed the deal. She buried her face in Tom. She found the whole thing unbelievable. Her parents were there and a number of relatives who lived nearby, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents. After Livia found her seat next to Tom's chair, she noted Tom and Alice going around to everyone, shaking hands, kissing cheeks and Alice showing her ring to everyone. They knew quality and Tom had bought a high quality ring, though not flashy. They all knew Alice tended to not like showy, anyway.

Livia chatted with the relative next to her. It was the tall, brown-haired, mustached cousin she had met once, the same one who also had the misfortune of meeting Lydia. She told him she heard about that incident and offered her condolences. Tom's other sister was not bratty like that.

Bertie asked Livia how they would pull off a wedding with a sister who would try to make herself at least as important as the bride. Livia told him that Alice already had said if Lydia acted up that Alice would have no qualms about throwing her out – and Tom's mother, too, if the woman lacked enough sense to recognize that the day belonged to the bride. He nodded and said he would tell other relatives the same thing. They would protect Alice, if necessary.

Livia indicated that Lydia's behavior gave her pause about her own attendance, believing her not being there might make some difference. Bertie did not agree, given what he saw. He also said that she shouldn't let Lydia control her decisions, since he had gotten the notion that she had done this too much, already. Livia admitted as much and added that Tom and Alice did not want her to skip the event for that reason, either. Livia still did not know what she would do, however, depending on the date they set and other unforeseen factors.

Finally, Tom and Alice took their seats and the meal began. Everything went wonderfully well, from the toasting, to the multiple courses of food, to the dessert. Alice made a short speech, thanking everyone for coming and admitting her total surprise. She had assumed the trip only represented a break from moving, not all of this, which she found overwhelming. Tom thanked everyone also, especially for keeping the event a secret. He looked forward to seeing them all at their wedding, though they had not set a date or made arrangements regarding it. He said he would entertain any suggestions on the matter, even if the groom does not normally have much say. Everyone laughed. Alice's parents already had ideas, but they only had begun brainstorming a few things they would talk over with Alice later.

After they all had returned to their suite, Alice asked Livia about her plans, since she and Tom would not spend more than a few extra days there. She told Alice that a couple of her roommates had a birthday at or over the break, and everyone in the room had planned to meet and stay together for a time to mark it. Livia would be fine, even if she had to visit her friend Shelley first. Alice asked if Ben would be part of the group. Livia said no, since he did not share their room. Alice told her that she could see why Livia might want to fight for Ben, but a domineering, ambitious parent will win every time if he cannot choose his own destiny. Livia said she knew Ben wrestled with what his father expected. She said that he had not decided what he would do yet.

Alice then asked about her bridal party. She had some idea of who she wanted in it and wanted to ask Livia. Livia thought it a bad idea, given Lydia's behavior over less provocation than that. It would solve one problem if a groomsman looked out for her, but she warned Alice not to underestimate how far Lydia could go if Livia was in the party but Lydia was not. Alice would never ask Lydia. Livia suggested just asking Cathy. Lydia might grumble some, but given Cathy's visits to Durham and better relationship with Tom, Lydia could not find fault with it, especially if they included Doc along with Audrey and Jake, Gary and Penny, John and Lesley and Adam and Linda. That would make a fairly large group, and since Livia had no clear male counterpart looking that far ahead, it would make sense. Alice had also considered asking Bertie and his fiancée, also. Her own brothers were still young. That sounded big enough, Livia said.

Alice also asked about the timing. Livia thought it would be best if it came after she graduated, especially if Alice had academic responsibilities. Also, it seemed that Tom would have a great reminder if it came not long after his birthday. Alice liked that, especially if her parents wanted a location in the Durham area versus London. Livia asked if she thought about other things, like a honeymoon destination. She said she was flexible, given Tom had the house and the rings on his plate. But she did think certain destinations in Italy could be doable and still be special. She could just as easily take a week in Paris or the French countryside. She knew he would not want her to offer to pay for anything, just like he did not want her parents to give him money for the house they bought or the engagement ring. Still, she suspected her parents would do something grand in addition to whatever venues they wanted for a wedding or wedding reception. Of course, they also would take into account what Rev. Woodcock desired for a wedding location.

Tom and Alice checked out about three days later. Tom asked if Livia wanted to return to Durham, but she declined, owing to her roommates gathering very shortly. She would either check into the place that they had prearranged for their meeting, or she would try to visit Shelley and go with Shelley to the group outing. She told them not to worry. She just wanted to be sure if she sent a postcard that she would use the right address or if she should send it to Gary. They thought Gary would get a kick out of it, so they thought that would work fine. She just confirmed that she had his correct address. Thus she said goodbye to them and made her way to the Leaky Cauldron.

She told the innkeeper that a bunch of her friends had hoped to spend part of their holiday there and they would need two rooms each with four beds, starting in about three days. She could either take a single room then, if he had one, or see if the Silver family would welcome a visit from her. The innkeeper had no problem with the first request, but lacked a single room immediately, so he would contact the Silvers. She sat and had some soup whilst she waited and left him another £10 note for it, since Tom as well as Alice had given her plenty of money. Livia had consumed about half of the soup when the innkeeper returned to say that the Silvers would be delighted to see her. She thanked him and, after finishing her meal, used the fireplace to get to their residence.

They all welcomed her with relish and begged her to put her stuff down and sit at their kitchen table and tell them what had happened with Rodrick Spence. She told them about how he had grilled her and that their effort to make an impression on him, great as it was, did not deter him, especially concerning her father. It seemed he had an agenda, and Livia could not give him whatever he wanted. A Slytherin legacy meant nothing versus an actual name – at the very least.

"You should have made someone up," Shelley asserted. "Still, he sounds very rude."

"He was, but who was I going to make up?" Livia asked. "I have no idea who went on that trip to London during the 1971-72 winter break. I was never told. He thought I lied, anyway."

"But I wonder if he knew, either," Shelley replied. "Eh, you should have told him it was Professor Snape. That would have rattled his cage."

"He was 11 at the time," Livia revealed. "An obvious lie would be worse, if possible."

"Just burns me up," Sheila Silver declared. "You are probably the most talented witch ever sorted into Ravenclaw, and 'e just dismisses that. What more does 'e want?"

"Not to mention that Livia is probably no worse than a half-blood witch," Marcus Silver responded. "Even the Dark Lord wasn't a pureblood, despite what his followers think."

"Did he even meet your brother?" Shelley asked.

"Yes, and his fiancée," Livia answered. "Tom had just proposed. Alice was wearing the ring. He didn't even offer congratulations, really. Ben was very friendly. His father was anything but. The look on his face was brutal. He couldn't be bothered to say anything. His thoughts were worse. He detests muggle anything, and he's still angry Ben didn't take Rhonda to the last ball."

"Ugh, Rhonda!?" Shelley retorted with some bile. "How badly did they notice?"

"Totally," Livia revealed. "As Alice put it, she had seen royalty act warmer on formal occasions. She liked Ben, but she agreed when my brother basically said if he could not make his own choices, he was a wimp who didn't deserve me."

"That's rather sad, though," Sheila stated. "Ben must be caught in the middle, but I can't say your brother is wrong. I'm just glad I don't 'ave Rodrick Spence as a relative."

"You'd think a Head Boy could stand up for himself," Marcus asserted.

"This upsets me," Shelley told them. "I can't imagine how you feel, Livia."

"Well, it's not over, yet," Livia said. "But it may be. I think we should forget it for now."

Sheila and Shelley showed her certain ways witches took care of common chores that required appliances, other electric devices or physical labor to accomplish, which made them rather quick to do. They showed her the stuff they read and heard. Later, over dinner, they all wanted to know about her own future plans, since Shelley had been indecisive about this issue.

Livia told them that the headmaster had discussed with her the possibility of staying as a formal tutor of the students, rather than the sporadic way she offered assistance. She told them that the idea appealed to her. She saw two reasons. First, she would reward the school for its investment in her education and she might slowly be able to pay them back so that they could sponsor other students worthy of admission. Second, it was something she already did and seemed to do quite readily from the time she helped her brother with his studies as a child.

"Isn't 'e older than you, Livia?" Sheila asked. "'ow did you 'elp 'im?"

"He is about six years older," Livia replied. "Usually, I would ask questions, be it of his homework or something else. If he could not explain something or justify an answer, he would review it and often find a mistake. This is how I learned that you never truly master a subject until you have the ability to instruct someone else. That is why I write well. It's not just from practice. It's from interacting with others, helping them see their mistakes and then rethinking what I do."

"You seem to understand teaching, then," Shelley stated. "Do you want to teach?"

"I have not decided," Livia answered. "Demonstrations are one thing. Everyone pays attention, usually because they want to find that you did something wrong. Grading other students and maintaining order and structure to a course do not come as easily to me. I could do it, probably, but it ultimately might reduce my enthusiasm for things I like to do."

"You like being a student?" Marcus asked.

"Sure, I enjoy getting things right," Livia responded.

"Professor Snape seems not to enjoy teaching much – he complains a lot," Shelley said.

"I think he enjoys complaining," Livia stated. "And I enjoy frustrating him." They laughed.

The days went by quickly, though whilst there, Livia made sure to ask Brontë about Sevy and whether or not he had lost his mate and had taken a fancy to her. She thought so. Livia asked what Brontë wanted to do and if Livia needed to ask Shelley to leave her behind this year. Brontë confessed she would like very much spend the summer with Sevy.

Noting that Livia seemed to be spending a lot of time near Brontë's perch, Shelley and her mother wanted to know if anything was wrong with her. Livia told them, no, Brontë had a different issue. A male Barn Owl, Sevy, had been paying a lot of attention to her, and Brontë wanted to stay there over the summer with him.

Mother and daughter both raised their eyebrows. They had never thought of Brontë wanting her own mate or family. Both of them quietly talked about this, though Livia could follow their disbelief yet simultaneous belief. Both wanted some kind of evidence to back this up. So Livia told Brontë, and Brontë requested they say his name. Livia told them to say the other owl's name. When they did, Brontë began vocalizing and, bobbing head up and down. Livia asked if they could understand Brontë's position. They did. They agreed to let her stay there, if she would help Shelley when she came back. Brontë agreed and Livia relayed her consent.

The day came for all to meet at the Leaky Cauldron and everyone assembled in good time. Brontë got settled in and everyone's belongings got stored properly. The group first toasted Shelley, for her birthday, and her successful apparitions exam, then Selene and finally Athena, who had the last of the three birthdays. They covered Don and Terence, too. Ted and Barry's came later. As they sat down at a table, the chatter turned to Ben and Rodrick Spence.

Ted was right, Livia revealed. Whilst the thought crossed his mind that a Slytherin on a winter break trip might come from a prominent family, Rodrick disliked the lack of a name. Worse was meeting her brother and his fiancée. Ben's father was not remotely friendly. As Alice said, she had seen more warmth from royalty at a formal occasion. Several wanted to know if that was a metaphor. Livia shook her head. She was being literal, having seen some of those. Don found it surprising that the Head Boy would be swayed that way owing to his father. He wondered if this was an excuse. Ted did not think so, given Ben's limited friendships. Livia did not know if Ben had made his mind up yet. She figured his father would try very hard to get whatever he wanted. She told them Ben's father remained angry that Ben had not taken Rhonda to the last ball. Everyone was horrified, especially Don, who took her. No one could understand his fixation on Rhonda.

They decided to do some shopping at Diagon Alley before returning to their rooms and finding something entertaining to do that night. Livia wanted to gauge what they wanted to do – see a film or a live show or follow what people did. They liked the people watching, especially since Livia could entertain them just by commenting on what they thought or said. So they found a place to sit in Leicester Square after Livia had bought and sent her postcard to Gary. All made sure to be able to hear Livia. Whether there was pickpocketing, relationship turmoil or lost people, Livia had the whole thing down. They watched it all unfold. The next day, after visiting a few places, they booked a trip to see some of the city by a night boat tour which they also found fascinating. Only a few of them had grasped the magnitude of London beforehand. None had done this from the Thames. Livia entertained the captain some by pointing out some lovers's quarrels going on close to the water. He couldn't say whether her rendering of the fights happened to be right, but it looked right and some gestures he would have missed involved a lot of comedy.

The last night, they saw a new film in previews, _Pretty Woman_ ,* a new experience for many, as were some of the scenes. Since all looked old enough to see the film, no one bothered them. The rest of the night they relaxed at the Leaky Cauldron before getting up to make the train. Livia wanted to know how they wanted to go, as they likely would need two taxis. This seemed okay to them. Livia got them on the northbound side of the road and got them all there in plenty of time, paying for both herself – since none of them still knew much about currency. They all headed to the platform, boarded the train and settled into a compartment together. Livia noticed that Ben had come alone, or perhaps she briefly had seen his mother. In any case, he passed by the compartment with all the Ravenclaw roommates assembled, and he asked them how their stay in London went. All of them loved it, with a few variations in their favorite part. Some preferred the boat trip whereas some preferred the people watching. He asked Livia to come outside the car with him.

First, he said he wanted to apologize for his father's behavior, including his interrogation of her. Despite learning he was miffed that Ben did not take Rhonda Wayne to the last ball, Livia told him that paled in comparison to the cold way he handled meeting her brother and his fiancée. Ben had hoped that they hadn't noticed it too much. Livia told him what Alice said: that she had seen royalty act warmer during a formal occasion. She had to explain Alice's point. He asked if that was some sort of metaphor. She said no, Alice spoke from her own experience. Ben clearly felt pained by the whole episode and did not know how to make it up to her. She told him that was up to him. Clearly, his father wanted to establish that Livia possessed some prominent bloodline. Lacking that, he decided she was a bastard child and liar and thus counted for nothing. She used those words because she knew he thought of them, even as he considered the Slytherins making that trip likely acceptable to him. She asked if he needed to read the letter attached to her baby basket, but he declined.

Ben expressed great sorrow that she sensed that much. He did not even know what bothered his father most and thought the issues inextricable. She only saw that Rodrick Spence cared about controlling Ben, not her abilities, accomplishments or her uncle. Yet only Ben could decide what would make him happy. Unless she immediately found out her father came from some esteemed heritage and the man accepted her as his daughter, Ben had to choose between her and his father's ambitions. She relayed that Alice wondered if he cared about Ben's happiness at all versus his own aspirations because she had met men like that. Muggle history included many examples of men who married for money or prestige, regardless of how miserable a relationship could become.

Ben hugged her and said over and over how sorry he was. He knew this issue had haunted her before, and it had nothing to do with who she was. She could control the latter, not her birth circumstances. He did not want to stop seeing her, despite what happened. How did she feel? She did not know, because he would still have to make a decision, sooner or later. He begged her for more time and not to shut out her "Talon Boy." She said okay and hoped he decided to serve himself first. He said all the right things, but she wondered if he could do them, too.

She returned to the car with her roommates. She seemed a little fragile. Was she okay? She said Ben had yet to make a decision and he begged for a chance to do it. He said the right things, but she had doubts on whether he could follow through. They all tried to cheer her up. She kept thinking what her brother said about deserving her. She knew he was right. It pained her terribly.

Spring term gave Livia a chance to go outside with her music. She also took Shelley and Brontë out of doors to see how all the Barn Owls fared, as well as Hagrid. Sevy and Brontë perched close to each other. Livia knew she wanted to stay there. Shelley consented if Brontë would come when called. Through Livia, she agreed. Livia also visited Helena Ravenclaw, who echoed Tom's sentiments. She knew Ben, thought him quiet yet of a good nature and heart, but felt he struggled owing to his domineering father. She also believed that he had not decided on what he would do.

Classes seemed to be going well. Livia used her instincts with more trust whilst making potions, remembering how her book and Professor Snape's views varied. She made judgements of which to follow based on her assessment of the ingredients. When she did her own thing and yet had the most potent potion, no one in the class could comprehend her liberties with the book. Livia cited her sensitivity towards the ingredients as justification. Since none of them could match this, they seemed completely baffled. Occasionally, Professor Snape showed them how to check their ingredients but often said only a little, as if annoyed by her rule stretching or breaking. Usually, he silently congratulated her on her memory or her judgement. The rest of the class never knew.

Livia picked up a few additional Occlumency strategies, like making a picture into a puzzle. At first, a picture had only a small number of pieces. The better she got, the more pieces she used, and the more someone struggled to get a full view. He showed her ways to speed up putting an image together as well as how someone could block those efforts. Seeing her marcasite and diamond hair pin again, he asked her about how things went with Rodrick Spence.

"Exactly as you and Ted said," Livia stated. "He was hardly even remotely civil to my brother and his fiancée and before that he interrogated me about my parentage. Shelley thought I should have lied to shut him up and just gave him a name. Since I did not know who I could choose, she half-jokingly said to tell him you were my father as a way to upset him."

"That would have annoyed him," he agreed. "As a lie or possibly just using my name. I am sorry I do not have an answer. I remember the trip well because that group ditched classes to go early. I can also say that, whoever fathered you likely will not accept you, unless you fulfilled a purpose. I know you want to find out who he is, but I will not feed a fantasy about him."

"I realize it," Livia agreed. "That would be Rodrick Spence's fantasy more than mine. He thought me a liar and bastard, anyway. We may have fought more openly if I gave your name."

Livia's dueling abilities had reached something of a plateau, but not really a bad one. Honestly fighting a fully engaged Professor Flitwick to a draw did not represent a bad end, even if it did not mean she was ready to duel the headmaster. He contemplated supervising or taking over in Livia's last year. She still represented a legacy to the whole school if not the entire community. He wanted her feared as much as himself, though kept that under wraps for as long as possible. He would first ask to watch in the fall.

The final playlist for the music club also took shape. Livia like the mixture of moods, artists and styles. Many still loved the Beastie Boys's song, so she brought it back to end the night. Shelley had become much less timid regarding Liam, so she let Livia start the event with "Let it Grow," followed by "Let's Go Crazy" and "Let Love Rule," which Reggie really wanted played. She had some other ballads, particularly "Just the Way You Are." She fit in "Desire" and "All I Want is You" from U2, along with "Sanctify Yourself" by Simple Minds, "I Shot the Sheriff," Run-D.M.C.'s "It's Tricky," and "Lovesong" by the Cure, too.* Livia figured out to integrate her CD player into a switcher that picked which device to broadcast and she liked a rendering of what the booth would look like for the event. It fully concealed her device and she could install it and remove it herself quickly before and after the dance, along with the CDs she would produce, since they all belonged to her. She showed new general tutor Sylvia Meadows everything but pledged to review it that night, also.

Livia still went to town with Ben about once a week and she did manage on one occasion to introduce him to Uncle Jack, who had a story about how he came to Hogsmeade and how problems with some now deceased members of his family had made him basically a recluse there after the passing of his wife. They never had accepted her, given they had no basis to judge her background as suitable for him or his family. Ben found him gracious and often funny, though his story about himself hit too close to home. Jack chose his wife over his family and never regretted it. He only regretted that Livia and those more able to accept his wife, Renee, had never met her before he sadly lost her. He believed she still stood by him, and he would see her again.

Ben later wanted to quietly celebrate his 18th birthday with Livia in town. He needed to talk to her. He faced an ultimatum from his father, who knew he had remained with her. Rodrick had obtained a pledge to employ Ben within the Ministry of Magic, in a low-ranking position where he could advance when he found favor. The post came with one big catch. Rodrick Spence had obtained it through Wallace Wayne, father of the Ravenclaw Head Girl who owed her position to him heavily donating to the school. Ben would need to date Rhonda and, to them, hopefully marry her, even though he had shown no enthusiasm towards her before and even had expressed gratitude that he attended the Winter Ball with Livia instead. Livia figured that Rodrick had aspired to getting this for months. To him, she got in his way. Ben had not yet given an answer. Though he hesitated, Livia could see the writing on the wall. She could not get him out. He would submit.

"If you care nothing for me, I guess she will do as sufficiently as anyone else," Livia stated coldly. "I don't know what you think I should say. Am I supposed to give you my blessing?"

"No," he replied. "I don't know what I expect you to say, either. I am struggling."

"It is your struggle," she asserted. "I'll repeat what my brother and his fiancée essentially said: 'if he cannot see that his father cares nothing for his happiness and he cannot stand up for himself, he is a wimp who does not deserve you. Just let him go.' It hurt me greatly because I knew they were right."

Livia got up and began to walk out. He kept calling her name and asked her to look at him. He begged her not to leave. He still saw himself as her "Talon Boy."

"You're going to do what you're going to do," Livia said. "You will not defy him for yourself or for me. I feel it. You can't make this better for me. Take your hands off of me. Now."

Livia walked back to campus alone. She knew he would make no attempt to follow her. She materialized her portable player and one disc and sat in the setting Wednesday evening sun singing a Prince song that reflected how she felt. It was not that long before the end of classes and she had not put this particular item on the playlist. The song, "The Beautiful Ones" by Prince, felt very bitter to her:

 _You make me so confused  
The beautiful ones  
You always seem to lose*  
_  
Somebody heard – and guessed way too much. He knew she felt miserable. He had been down a similar road. She also had too much going for her to throw it away over this. Would she realize it?

Livia confessed what had happened to those in her room. They could feel her dejection. No one needed to read her mind to figure that out. Some seemed surprised about it, some not so much. Ted dreaded that Rodrick Spence would win in the end, no matter how Ben felt. No one anticipated that Rhonda Wayne had become part of the deal, as if she could entice him into some sort of arrangement. Apparently, her father knew that she would need him to push some nice-looking young man in her direction that she could never get on her looks, talent or personality.

The other girls tried to distract her over finding something to wear for the dance. They found something they all liked for her – a deep purple, one shouldered, silk asymmetrical dress. It worked with her marcasite hairclip, also. They all wanted to fuss over her to cheer her up. Livia appeared stoic outwardly but remained quite glum internally. She finished her classes with no major issues, especially given the fact that faculty never felt much need to assess what she knew then. Few had any idea that she had a problem, though she confided in Professor Flitwick, in case a situation required him to know. Ben had never attended their dance, but something might happen.

Livia already had her hair done as she made tweaks to everything before the event. She gave Miss Meadows her CD player, ordered all the items on one shelf and showed her again how she could load several CDs at one time to minimize time and pick a particular disc or track number from it. She reminded her of its power source and the protection she used to maintain its ability to operate. She then went upstairs to change her dress and returned to the Great Hall.

Promptly at eight o'clock, Shelley welcomed everyone, thanked each committee chair for their service and announced the first dance with her assistant, who had become far more than that. As the tune "Let it Grow" began, Livia noted a stir and then she saw why: Rhonda Wayne had led in Ben Spence, and they had started dancing with others to the first song. Livia read the whole thing. Rhonda had done this intentionally to rub Livia's face in the fact that Ben was hers. She waited for a chance to act for Stephanie and Charlotte, too. Livia moved to a corner, sat and buried her face. Livia felt no surprise that the mousy-looking, petty Rhonda had done this – she could have been named Lydia Woodcock. Both possessed an inherent ugliness. That Ben had agreed to do this really wounded her. His utter mindless cruelty showed why Tom and Alice were right.

The second song had barely begun when Ted, Don, Terence and Barry all cornered Ben whilst Shelley, Athena and Selene did the same to Rhonda. Livia followed first the boys's conversation. Ted told Ben how much respect he had lost for him and, Head Boy or not, he wanted to punch him in the face right there. Ben sputtered to say he did not concoct this plan, but Don cut him off, saying he had to take responsibility for his own downright nasty actions. He, too, did not care and wanted to punch Ben in the face, also. Terence and Barry both agreed. Barry had begun twisting Ben's arm already to keep him there. They seemed about to drag Ben out and beat him to a pulp as Ben continued to make feeble excuses. Meantime, Shelley accosted Rhonda, called her a "Head Case" and voiced a similar desire. Athena taunted her over her Daddy's arrangement – she couldn't land Ben herself. Selene even managed to call her a talentless hack whose Daddy bought her a title but never could buy her skill or kindness or love versus a temporary conquest. Livia was impressed Selene had grown up so much to speak so fiercely. Selene had remembered Charlotte's bullying and the Wayne girls's complicity. Livia was beside herself. She couldn't stop seven people geared to defend her with no thought of the repercussions of assaulting their own head students nor the first two for trying to humiliate her. It was too crazy even for a Prince record.

Livia thus did not notice that a dark silhouette had approached the booth with a request. He later moved to the corner where the boys surrounded Ben Spence and told them to let him go. He would learn from his mistake in his own time and suffer a world of hurt from it. He told the girls to release Rhonda, too, with essentially the same message. Only then did he approach Livia. Sensing someone stand before her, she looked up. He told her everything would be all right. He had stopped her friends from getting themselves expelled and ruining their futures by accosting their own head students. He knew what she was going through and did want her to throw her future away, either. He extended his hand and she took it. The hand belonged to Christopher Prince.

Livia was shocked. He looked flawlessly stylish and suave. She wanted to know why he showed up. He said he knew that she needed someone to get through the night, and he would do it. Ben would learn, if too late, but she needed to look directly at him, instead, whilst "Let Love Rule" filled the room. Let Ben's mistake backfire, let him be jealous instead. Christopher could manage that and no one would complain. She silently inquired about the headmaster, which he dismissed given the fact that he had stopped at least one potentially serious altercation. No one could criticize that.

Not long thereafter, the DJ, Miss Meadows, announced a request for another song by an artist previously played, off the same record. Livia looked wide-eyed as "The Beautiful Ones" began, given how she had sung it, tortured, not many days prior. She felt very exposed, but he reassured her. _It's his turn now. He will never love that unimpressive Wayne girl. She does not even know how to talk to him. Let him see how much he lost. He will remember this for a very long time. Just look at me._

Christopher was right. She felt Ben's deep regret; he watched Livia dancing with a very dashing young man he did not know. He only vaguely paid attention to Rhonda as she did her best to turn him in such a way that Livia was out of his sight line. But she saw Livia totally engrossed with another young man, too. Her goal had not materialized, after all. Meantime, Livia had to laugh when Christopher said he stood ready to fight for her right to party. Both Ben and Rhonda saw Livia laugh. They withdrew from the dance not long afterward. Ben did not enjoy tormenting himself over Livia. Rhonda had not shown her up, either. With nothing to gain, they left. Ben even made an excuse to return to his studies versus spending any more time with Rhonda. Alone, Ben got the first glimmer of his colossal failing by surrendering to his father's will rather than pursuing a young woman he had begun to love. The fact that he did it to himself would hurt him for years.

After they withdrew, Livia released Christopher's hand. She would let him leave, since he had defused two potential fights and a miserable night for her. He shook his head. He would not go – not yet. He stayed the rest of the night, making sure they never returned and that he looked after her well. Her friends remembered who he was but could not figure out how he arrived, when he did or how he ably took charge of the situation. Professor Flitwick seemed very relieved, as he had contemplated stopping the event when it looked like he would have to intercede for Ben and Rhonda. He felt glad they had left, given it seemed Rhonda only wanted to antagonize Livia Woodcock. Though he had heard rumors about Rhonda, he had no real complaint about her as Head Girl. Yet she had instigated this row, suggesting he should at least speak to her and Ben. He was pleased to inform the headmaster that his interference at the event had not become necessary.

Livia remained overwhelmed and contemplated doing something to show her gratitude, if also capable of sending a message to Ben. She asked Christopher to allow her to make a request. Puzzled, he consented. Livia directed the slight Sylvia Meadows to a vinyl record, remembering all they had from another student's purchases. She found the song, so Livia returned to Christopher.

Livia explained to Christopher that she wanted to thank him in a way that conveyed a sort of retort to Ben, too. When the staff member announced the song as a request, she told Christopher that she believed Ben would hear her even if she softly sang the lyrics. She would direct them to him by focusing in the way that someone like Shelley needed to hear her. The inner Severus Snape wanted to listen badly to what she had in mind and knew that he would. The piano and the lyrics sounded powerful; it was called "Someone Saved My Life Tonight."* Christopher knew that he had become that someone. Dumbfounded by her powers, he could not think of anything to say himself. Instead of "sugar bear," Livia addressed "Talon Boy" as herself directly lyrics to him and put her friends on the Great Hall floor rather than a basement. By alternating whose voice she used, Ben got every part of the song that she fashioned to suit the moment, such as the reference to a "dominating queen." Ben did hear her. It crushed him and haunted him almost nightly.

With the night over after the Beastie Boys's song, an anthem of sorts that everyone enjoyed, Livia's first thought concerned her CD player and CDs. She went up to the DJ booth and returned all of her property to her room. She expected to turn and not see Christopher Prince, but he had remained. He told her that he knew she had to do that first because it could be vulnerable if left there. Livia expressed surprise that he had stayed. He said he did not care what his uncle thought of that decision. He wanted to remain there. Shelley and others came up to her, congratulated her on the event and expressed great anger that Ben and Rhonda pulled that stunt. Shelley also got an explanation about the song Livia requested. They also all profusely thanked Christopher for watching out for her. He told them that he thought they had endangered themselves by defending her. Only then did they all realize that they risked expulsion because they all seethed over what had happened. He had saved them as well. They quickly scurried in various directions.

"They seriously did not know," he asserted. "Amazing that they put their concern for you ahead of that consideration. It never occurred to any of them. They're all gobsmacked."

"I can't tell you what I have done to deserve that."

"I bet I can," he stated. "You have helped each of them. They did not forget. And they all feel a bit guilty, as if they caused Ben's actions – especially Don. He thinks he could have stopped this. Yet it belongs to Ben alone. Someday he will confront himself and stop making excuses."

"You really think I should care about him and his excuses?"

"You shouldn't – certainly not now," he answered. "Walk me back?"

Livia agreed, though she felt a little unsettled doing it. The whole night had that effect, anyway, so he could not tell all that crossed her mind. If he knew, he did not indicate it. He seemed inscrutable. They reached the faculty area, and he had no trouble traversing any security measures in place. When they got to Professor Snape's door, he looked directly at her and they embraced. He whispered in her ear: "I can't even say how flattered I was by the song you chose. Still, just remember: don't let anyone stop you from being everything that you are, no matter what – even if you have to turn a few more boys into 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses,' including Ben Spence."

Livia smiled. "Or his father?" she added. The door to Professor Snape's room opened. He bid her goodnight and went inside quickly, possibly laughing. Livia still felt grateful. He had stuck his neck out for her and her friends. They had no idea that he could care about anything or could recognize how that situation reminded him of a few sour events he recalled only too well. She regretted that she could not tell them just how misjudged he was. Still, she kept her promise.

She went back to her room and saw her CD player and discs appropriately placed. Everyone expressed horror about what happened and could not believe how calculatingly awful Rhonda Wayne had shown herself to be or how cold Ben was to participate. The boys repeated how much respect they had lost for Ben, which she knew. She thanked them for their concern. They also felt grateful that Liam's friend Christopher had stopped them from doing anything foolish. He became the big hero of the night. Livia penned a quick note to her brother. Sevy came for it, ready though adding that Brontë now had four owlets to raise with him in a second box that Hagrid put up next to Sydney and Mel's home. Mel and Hagrid knew to look out for her during his temporary absence.

"Hey Shelley," Livia announced. "You're a grandmum."

"I'm what?" she asked.

"Sevy just told me that Brontë has four owlets, and Hagrid is watching her for Sevy."

"Oh blimey," Shelley responded. "Am I supposed to be knitting something for them?"

"Beats me," Livia said. "What does one knit for an owlet? They probably prefer mice."

Professor Snape notified the headmaster of his interference at the muggle dance, owing to what looked like a potentially explosive situation. The headmaster had heard about it, having received a full report by Professor Flitwick, who had considered stopping the event. Given the nature of what happened and what could have started, that move took guts and quick thinking. The headmaster wondered why he had gotten involved, since Ravenclaw students were not his concern.

"Well, one is," he declared. "I didn't want her to throw away her education or future over what that spineless boy did or any guilt over her friends being punished. Would you want that?"

"No. I also understand she requested a song afterward. Can you explain that?"

"She said it was to thank me and send that boy a message, since she made sure he heard her sing it. Frankly, that was impressive, even masterful. You sure she is only a secret weapon?"

"This is all very touching – and most unlike you, Severus," the headmaster stated. "Why?"

"She gave me an extraordinary gift this year – she wound up perfecting a voice I have not heard in a very long time," he admitted. "She has no idea how special that was for me."

"Really?" the headmaster said. "She has learned a lot. Do you want your lessons to stop?"

"No," he replied. "The greater good – remember?" They then bid each other goodnight.

Christopher Prince did help Livia refocus. She resumed her studies with conviction and purpose. The reply from her brother gave her a time to meet and catch up. Livia's exams entirely lived up to her own expectations, including her final potion. That elixir exceeded everyone else's, much to the chagrin of the Cliff and Bryan, especially. Still, none were bad. Meantime, Ben struggled to get through his exams, a more typical problem for Rhonda; she still had issues apparating, even though she took the class four times before passing. Yet they would graduate, and Ben would take his post. He felt no rush to date or marry Rhonda, however. She would pursue him most aggressively to try to make him dependent on her somehow, be it via guile, fear or guilt.

Before she left, Professor Snape sent Livia another note to inquire about her schedule, telling her that he was flexible because 1 September fell on a Saturday. She replied that the morning of Wednesday, 29 August worked. She had become even better at apparating, so the timing worked. He accepted the date, since it gave him a break from her birthday, more or less. Livia still contemplated if she had expressed her gratitude sufficiently for what he had done for her, though she knew he would never say much more than Christopher managed that night. As himself, he might make light of it or possibly even avoid acknowledging what he did.

* Author's Note

Garry Marshall's film "Pretty Woman" was released in 1990, officially a little later in the UK than the US.

Prince's song "The Beautiful Ones," appears on his 1984 soundtrack album _Purple Rain_.

"Let Love Rule" became the debut hit single for Lenny Kravitz, who wrote this title track for his 1989 album, given the same title.

"Just the Way You Are" became perhaps the first significant hit for singer-songwriter Billy Joel. Initially, it charted in 1977 as a single off his album _The Stranger_ , though he included it on his compilation _Greatest Hits Volume I and II_ in 1985.

The U2 songs "All I Want Is You" and "Desire," with author credits to the entire band, appear on the 1988 album _Rattle and Hum_.

"Sanctify Yourself," a 1986 single by Simple Minds, written by Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and Mick MacNeil, comes from the band's album _Once Upon a Time_.

Run-DMC's 1986 album _Raising Hell_ included the track "It's Tricky," written by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, Doug Fieger and Berton Averre. The group released it as a single in 1987.

The Cure released "Lovesong" as the third single off their 1989 album _Disintegration_. Receiving author credits are: Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson, Roger O'Donnell, Boris Williams and Lol Tolhurst.

The Bernie Taupin/Elton John composition "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" appears on the 1975 Elton John album _Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy_. Livia clearly alters its underlying meaning in her use of the lyrics, as Taupin used his lyrics about "Sugar Bear" as the "Someone" who saved John's life.


	23. Regrouping & an Early Return

Livia set up a time to meet her roommates again at the Leaky Cauldron in preparation for the trip northward, even though no one really needed to use the express train by then. It just marked one of the final chances to spend time together as a group, a memory to keep. They all knew that their time would come to an end soon enough. In this instance, Liam would join them for part of the trip, too. Everyone in the Ravenclaw room together had become fairly tight over the years of study and Quidditch watching. Livia thought Selene or Athena, if not both, would wind up with one of the young men there. If it had begun to happen, whichever couple(s) emerged kept it low key. Livia had only sensed some fluidity and indecision and opted not to pry too much, either verbally or by stealth. She did not want to spoil anything nor did she want to push two people together with any kind of force, in case it backfired. She keenly felt that her own romantic misadventures did not qualify her to get involved. If any of the girls asked her, she told them she did want a hand in any triumph or tragedy that ensued. She told the boys the same. She did not want to know too much or risk anyone's happiness by saying or doing the wrong thing – or even the right thing. Her track record did not suggest a high probability of the latter to her, anyway. It spoke more about her shortcomings. She did better with owls.

She still had enough money to apparate near Durham in a secluded area, buy something and head to Tom and Alice's new home. She saw they had mostly settled in and Tom had linked a few cat perches and trees to create a great place for Abby to play, watch the outside or sleep. Alice still had plenty of space for some hanging plants and an area for them to relax together. They had truly thought through how to use the space well. They also had a total of four bedrooms, which gave Alice and Tom a separate study or office that could provide a spare room for a guest, their own room and a room for Livia, which they sparsely furnished, figuring they would let Livia decide what to do with it. Abby also liked it as a quiet space if ever she needed one.

Both expressed great joy at seeing her, like that in itself constituted a birthday present for Tom. Alice also told Livia with great delight that Newcastle had accepted her and she would begin her studies with them in September. They took her seriously, after all. Alice took Livia shopping in Tom's car to determine how Livia wanted her room to look, as he had some work to finish. They hoped, Alice said, that she never felt unwelcome there, though neither Tom nor Alice knew what Livia wanted to do after her graduation. Livia knew she also wanted to ask her about Ben, but she did not know how to broach the topic.

Livia did her a favor by telling her that they correctly saw Ben's dilemma. He took his father's offer for a post he had little inclination towards doing, owing to whatever incentive or threat the man had given. Alice expressed great sorrow, but Livia stopped her by saying, "Oh, there's more." Alice seemed baffled until Livia explained that the offer Ben received came with a proviso – dating and presumably marrying the daughter of the man who arranged for the position. Alice was stunned and about to speak when Livia indicated she still had not finished. She recounted the girl's role years ago in bullying Selene and, at the night of the last dance, this girl, rather plain and of modest abilities, had decided to parade her new boyfriend around at the event Livia helped produce with her friend Shelley. He had never gone there before, but he participated in Rhonda's plot to rub Livia's face in the events of those last weeks.

"Oh my, how vicious," Alice asserted. "He seemed so nice. Guess you never know about the cruelty of others until they show their true colors."

"He tried to make excuses that it was her idea," Livia stated. "None of the young men in my room bought it for a second. They cornered him and told him they lost a lot of respect for him. All of them got so angry they all threatened to punch him. The girls I live with also accosted the girl and had a few choice comments for her, too. I was impressed at how Selene ripped into her."

"That sounds like a big debacle," Alice declared. "Someone could get expelled for a fight."

"I know," Livia affirmed. "I didn't know what to do. I just sat in the corner and buried my face. I tried to think of a way out but couldn't think of one. I later found out the head of my house considered cancelling the event right then, since the organizing chair of the event, my friend Shelley, had participated and it concerned me, who chaired one committee involved in the dance."

"So what happened?" Alice asked.

"Out of nowhere, as far as I know, someone told the boys to leave him alone because he would ultimately pay a heavy price for his actions. He said basically the same to the girls.

"Who?" Alice asked.

"I could not believe it until I saw him – the young man I told you about before, the professor's nephew, Christopher Prince," Livia answered.

"Really?" Alice inquired. "How did he know? Was he there the whole time?"

"I have no idea about any of that because I stopped watching," Livia replied. "He took total control of situation. He wanted to drive both of them away from the event by making Ben jealous and the girl, Rhonda, see that she had failed to humiliate me. It worked. They left."

"So is he back in the picture now?" Alice queried.

"I see the same problem as before, so I think he just decided to do me a favor, though I cannot exactly tell you why." She only vaguely understood it herself and wrestled with whether she had or could ever thank him fully yet also show gratitude in a way he would accept.

"That was very sweet of him," Alice stated. "If he is capable of that, don't give up on him. Your friends proved that they cared, but it seems like he went an extra mile with no other motive than helping you – as well as them – out of a horrible situation. That shows empathy and maturity. I hope you see him again, and I can meet him. He sounds like a great young man."

 _Of course, he's mature, Alice. Empathy? That I cannot entirely say._

They picked out some nice things to make the room feel more like it belonged to Livia, rather than represented an impersonal space. They added some window treatments, a butterfly printed white, purple and green bedspread, accent pillows, a calendar featuring kittens and some basic supplies for correspondence. Livia decided she wanted a copy of the film poster from "Purple Rain," given her usage of the record, and a large picture of the lead singer from U2 in a black leather vest clutching a guitar. She also chose one of a brooding Michael Hutchence of INXS in black leather. Alice obliged, thinking Livia had good taste for a teen. Later that summer, Livia would get to see the film, finally. She liked Prince's shy, impish smile. He had a lot of substance within his talent as well as attitude and provocativeness – quite a mixture packed into a man not very tall. She understood the other men in her posters lacked a lot of height, too, which surprised her given that she saw one up close. She may have gotten a bit taller since then, though, since 1985 – probably no more than a foot. At about 5'6" at 17, she figured she had finished growing. Maybe that was enough. Hutchence was a more average height, if still below six feet tall.

Tom's birthday party went extremely well, though Jake and Audrey were missing, owing to baby issues. Audrey had given birth to a girl, Amanda, on 2 June. Livia was glad she did not share Ben's birthday, so Livia did not have to be reminded of him. They already had agreed to be in the wedding party, if the event took place close enough to Sunderland for them to not be away too long from their daughter. Everyone else who had agreed to be in the wedding came to Tom's birthday party, including Bertie and his fiancée, Kate, a tall, slender blonde with hair down more than halfway down her back, who always wore it in some kind of braid or upswept style. Alice announced that she and Tom had set the date of Saturday, 20 July, with the wedding at three o'clock, cocktails starting around 17:30, and the dinner starting at about 19:00. Her parents wanted Alice to choose a band, as they wanted the finest reception possible. They reserved Lumley Castle in Chester-le-Street for the reception as well as a dinner the evening before, mostly for participants in the ceremony, though Tom and Alice hoped Livia would also come with a guest. The invitations might get sent out months ahead of time, so the family could gauge how many rooms to reserve.

Given this desire, Rev. Woodcock had arranged to have the ceremony held at St. Mary and St. Cuthbert Church, the parish church – and a rather historic one – of Chester-le-Street. He may have harbored dreams of using Durham Cathedral, given its proximity to his son's residence, but he knew they would not fill that space. By then, the incumbent would have commonly opened the cathedral to tourists, too. The fact that neither Alice nor Tom lived in the St. Mary and St. Cuthbert parish wound up not presenting a problem, given the use of Lumley Castle and Rev. Woodcock's standing. Indeed, Rev. Woodcock had some indirect ties to those officiating via contacts within Durham Cathedral. Both Tom and Alice thought the prospect of staying in the King James Suite sounded excellent, especially from pictures they saw and the description given by Alice's father.

"Who will mind Abby, though?" Livia asked, thinking maybe she should volunteer, given her present status.

"We found a neighbor who likes cats," Tom said. "We basically will need someone to drive our car back with anything brought by guests or any decorations we would like to keep. If you did that, or if your Dad drove you in the car back, he could leave you to house sit whilst we are away."

"Where are you going?" Livia asked.

"We think we will go to Newcastle's airport and do a tour of Italy for about two weeks," Tom said. "I have not finalized that yet. I believe Alice's father has secured the wedding lodgings, pre-wedding dinner, church and reception, since that usually requires a lot more time to reserve."

"I did not know you spoke Italian, Tom," Gary said.

"Molto bene," Tom said. "O ne so abbastanza per il nostro viaggio."

"Certamente, sono impressionato," Alice said.

"Dante non ha immaginato questo cerchio dell'inferno," Livia said, deadpan. Tom and Alice laughed hugely, but no one else quite figured it out immediately.

Tom translated it all. He spoke well or knows enough for their trip, Alice was certainly impressed by what Tom said, and Livia made a joke that Dante never imagined that circle of hell. "My guess is she meant that the two of us trying to speak Italian successfully for two weeks would be hell, but I don't know if she meant for us or for them."

"Tutti e due?" Livia suggested. Again laughter, but most people got "due" or "tutti" indicating both or everyone.

"I did not know you remembered learning Italian, Livia," Tom mused.

"I did that and picked up a few things," Livia said. "You run into all sorts of people in London. I think I heard someone lost in London use that sentence and figured it out. Who hasn't read some part of Dante's Divine Comedy? I read it at Colindale, too. I did not have a lot to do."

Other topics included recent news events or how various individuals fared. Doc told the group that he contemplated proposing to Cathy, but anticipated a disaster involving her sister and thereby wished Tom and Alice the best. Tom told him Cathy already expected the same thing. Livia told him that she told Bertie what Alice said, which Bertie confirmed.

"Our family will have your back, Alice," Bertie said. "No one ruins the bride's day."

"Can I hire your family, Bertie?" Cathy asked. Everyone laughed.

"If you need to invite me or anyone else, please do," he answered. Kate smiled at his offer. "You can always elope or do a civil ceremony, too."

"I told my father that," Cathy revealed. "He did not like it, but he understood."

Gary already wanted to do that and Penny had no problem with it. She rather they save money for a place they could run as a bed and breakfast (B&B). Her family would get that and, if anything, they liked the idea of contributing to the purchase of one versus a wedding, as they could not do both well. Alice understood that not everyone had her resources, though she felt especially happy that she had not needed to abuse them too badly to get what she had. She offered support for Gary's desire and to consider her merely "an investor." He said he would calculate what Penny's family might offer and scout possible venues she could consider, given that she might finance their dreams and get a nice return if they found the right spot and made it work.

Gary started inquiring about the boyfriend Livia introduced to Tom and Alice a few months ago, but Alice kept trying to stop him. Tom did not know yet, so he had no clue why she tried to change the subject.

"It's not a good story, Gary, unless you want to feel like punching something or someone," Livia began. Gary still wore his professional clothes, so she could not guess his mindset entirely.

"Ut oh, I think I know what this means," Tom stated. "He wimped out. Daddy won."

"It's worse than that, Tom," Alice asserted. "Much worse."

"You may as well tell us," Tom declared. "What could be worse?"

Livia explained Ben's need to accept the daughter of the man helping him land a position, a girl he had not wanted to ask to a ball already. Apparently, both fathers wanted the two to make some kind of family alliance. "Oh," Tom said. Livia stopped him. Then, at the end of the year, this girl parades him around at an event Livia helped organize so she could rub it in Livia's face.

"And he went along with that?" Tom asked. "What kind of person does that?"

"A very weak, wimpy one," Alice answered. "And stupidly cruel. But there is more."

Livia explained how her roommates were ready to take them both on and her head of house almost cancelled the event. He thought one or two fights would occur. "Was Ted involved?" Tom asked. Livia nodded. "Good for him. I would have wanted to punch Ben out myself. Crime of passion – not guilty." Livia explained that only the actions of a quick-thinking person stopped them from potentially being expelled by having them back off. He had a better idea – make Ben jealous and show the girl that she had not humiliated Livia. They thus lacked a reason to stay.

"Who did that?" Tom asked.

"That one professor's nephew, Christopher Prince."

"Whoa, impressive – so, are we going to meet this bloke or what?" Gary asked.

"I have no idea," Livia declared. "The problem still remains."

"But you will not be a student next July," Gary maintained. "How is that a conflict?"

"You make a good point, Gary," Livia replied. "I guess it depends on if the professor sees it that way, also. Frankly, I am not sure he likes me much, as I am not in his house."

"How do we make arrangements to attend your graduation, Livia?" Tom asked. "I mean, we've never seen the place and you have attended it for five years."

"I don't see how it will work," Livia observed.

"It has to work – we can't just not go," Tom stated. "Dad will never accept that no one could go. I don't relish asking him to go rather than Alice and I, given who he might have to bring along, too. My mother would insist he bring her, why I don't know."

"Look, I'll get Alice's Uncle Jack to go," Livia said. "There is no problem." Tom still seemed unhappy about it, though he knew the travel would be somewhat inconveniently timed. He also felt she hid something, but he could not guess what. _It's not Mi6 Spy School, is it?_

"Did you find out why no one talks about him much?" Alice asked.

"Yes," Livia answered. "He wanted to marry someone his family then did not see as right for him. He chose her over them and says he never regretted it, though now he is a widower."

"Oh, what a shame," Alice said. "I am so glad I did not have to deal with that."

"He even told Ben that," Livia revealed. "But it made no difference, apparently."

"I think Ben will regret that – perhaps forever," Alice stated.

"I suppose, but it hardly matters now, does it?" Livia asked. "Not to me anymore."

Livia decided to check out a music shop again whilst in town. John had told her about a few things coming out, but they she did not see them yet. He said he might be able to get her a few things at some point, like the 20th anniversary boxed set of the Layla recordings by Derek & the Dominos. She missed the David Bowie compilation from earlier that year and seemed that it would work as a CD, especially with older stuff she had never used at the dance event. She also liked this Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 that she had missed. She did not know why she bought them exactly. Even though Christopher Prince salvaged the last dance, she had lost some enthusiasm for it. Call the night a mitigated disaster. Part of her lamented that Ben chose his father's demands or enticements over her, and he somehow thought – what – that she would merrily cheer for him. He sold himself out. She had to accept the fact that, regardless of how he acted up until his 18th birthday, he really could not have cared for her much. That he so easily fell into Rhonda's stunt said so. Given all she had told him, he acted with willful malice. Why he turned on her so badly she would never accept. She wanted to blame just Rodrick Spence or Rhonda Wayne, but he did it and had to know what he did. He may have well just asked her how to hurt her the most; he really could not have hurt her more.

She had walked to the Cathedral, thinking. She made her way inside. She then sat quietly again in the chapel space reserved for the Venerable Bede and made a vow. Whenever she learned who her father was, she would find the most opportune moment to taunt Rodrick Spence with the information if she could hurt him with it. She promised herself that she would pay him back for the snooty and dismissive way he treated Tom and Alice, for his interrogation of her that totally discounted anything she had done or any qualities she possessed and for whatever pressure he put on Ben to turn his back on her. Again, she was made out to be a liar and bastard. She could not dig up those judges, but she would hit that man hard if ever she could. Maybe he would be a good focus whilst dueling Professor Flitwick. She found that she could hate him even more than Lydia.

Once more, Livia she spent a lot of time there just trying to figure out what, if anything, could have changed the outcome. Nothing came to her. She had not "given up" on Ben. He gave up on himself. Like Bill had said, girls cannot "fix" their boyfriends, and they only hurt themselves by thinking otherwise. She actually had taken his advice. Indeed, Bill had taken the high road in not toying with her. Ben had done exactly that, whether he knew it or not. She wondered, though, how good was she really at detecting a liar when that person lies to himself, which Ben probably had done. She had her suspicions for months, but she tried not to create a self-fulfilling, negative expectation. Does such a thing actually exist, or is it a weak, convenient excuse for someone else?

She also had believed Christopher Prince really existed as person, which was basically a lie. Then Professor Snape told her he did not remember what Christopher Prince did and elaborately tried to prove that to her – another lie. She had accepted both lies. Had he misled himself? Somehow that did not seem likely. Of course, she did not know what potion Professor Snape had made or how much he ingested. Still, he lied to her as himself, not just as Christopher Prince. She knew he had become a supremely accomplished liar and had far more experience doing it long before she had begun her lessons with him. Somehow, his life depended on his ability to deceive. She made a second vow. She would cut through his lies – all of them – no matter how much time it took. The headmaster only made her vow to keep quiet about him and not ask questions. He never told her to stop seeking the truth. Even if he had, she did not think she would agree at this point. Her lessons gave her an opportunity to extract information directly from the source, if she could master the things he taught her more fully. She might have to overtake him to get it all. If she failed in her last year, perhaps she would get more chances later. Would he allow that? Maybe he would, if he derived anything useful from their sessions. She would have to push herself to accomplish that, no matter what.

Livia spent a good deal of time during the week south of the cathedral near the Wear. She found lots of trees but also some open space. Being there reminded her of years past when she thought Tom would protect her from anything, and thus everything would turn out fine. Had it? She wondered if it turned out that way for the Hibbert kids but lacked the means to find out – or she wanted to lack those means. Given they pulled up roots and never even asked Tom once about her, she had to figure they had fared better by forgetting entirely about the time they spent in Framlingham. She knew she brooded a bit too much but perhaps would not have such a "luxury" in the future. Livia hoped she dodged the issue of her graduation. She had to tell Tom sometime. Nothing could really stop her, if she wanted to tell him, but still she hesitated. Maybe having Uncle Jack around would assist her. She had to ensure she kept it between Tom and Alice, and Uncle Jack might give both of them some reason to do so. She wondered how much of Alice's family knew the whole story. She had to ask the man who would know: Uncle Jack.

Livia was glad to give Alice and Tom space to do things they needed to do. Alice had to set up her study. Tom has cases that required his attention. Abby liked to sleep during the afternoon, especially. Livia got used to Durham being her home, though she spent more time at school. Durham had grown familiar to her and she felt more comfortable there, alone, than in Framlingham, for obvious reasons. Still, she wondered if she ever could really settle there. She did not like the life Uncle Jack had established, though it must have worked whilst his wife lived. She could not imagine cutting so many people out of her life. Yet Uncle Jack did not do that as much as Professor Snape did. He walked a very lonely road. She found it hard to believe that he had done this over one girl who rejected him before he had turned 20. Was all that guilt he felt only over calling her a mudblood? She could not accept that, either. She did not want to live beneath the shadow of Ben's rejection and attempted humiliation of her. She could not forgive him, either. In that respect, Livia understood the other girl's position, but did _she_ suffer under more or less provocation and cruelty than Livia faced for being a bastard or were the two words the same?

The weeks quickly passed and Livia had found various ways to get everyone in her Ravenclaw room to agree to another stay at the Leaky Cauldron starting the afternoon of Wednesday, 29 August and get the innkeeper to set aside another three-night stay for all eight of them. Of course, the train ride this time would go differently, since Shelley now found herself Head Girl, though she expressed no desire for having a special room, except as an office, or gaining any new perk. Professor Flitwick told Livia why he had passed her over, and she had no complaint. She found the function not terribly meaningful versus the things she did as a student, as a student-tutor and as a potential duelist and practitioner of Occlumency and Legilimency. She wondered if Professor Snape would ever show her how to fly without a broom. She wondered how that worked.

Everyone nearby and available assembled again for her birthday on Tuesday, 28 August. Once again, it took place at the hotel where Gary had moved up to a more senior management position. He looked the part and liked it, as well as monitoring the hotel, but he and Penny wanted their own place. Though the night tended to revolve around the frivolity of Livia's 18th birthday, he cornered Alice at one point as she returned from a lavatory to ask if she seriously wanted to invest in an opportunity Gary and Penny had found. She said yes. Penny had some information in her handbag, and Gary motioned for her to come to them and bring it. The opportunity involved a pub with B&B rooms on its upper floor. It may not have seemed like a special opportunity until Gary revealed the location: Keswick, in the Lake District. Keswick was one of the few towns in the region that had the expected facilities a tourist or resident might need, like a post office, bank and drugstore, among other things. Almost nothing ever got newly built in the region, given its status as a pristine National Park. So hamlets and villages remained that way and visitors needing anything more modern often traveled to a town like Keswick. It offered both a chance to make an impression with locals on a daily basis out of season as much as with holiday visitors during those months. Gary felt he knew how to spot good workers and to create a positive atmosphere. Perhaps Windermere offered a better location, but nothing appeared for sale there.

Alice wanted to look into the matter seriously, so she wrote down the particulars to see what she could find out for herself. She was tempted to see it, even, though it would need to be done fairly quickly, given her pending responsibilities. She saw the list price and asked if Penny had any idea how much her family intended to give her. She estimated between £5,000 and £10,000, not sure which number would be closer to what they would give. Gary and his family would contribute somewhere around the same two numbers. Together, that could swing a down payment, but Alice knew they would need more to get a reasonable loan. If the total came to £30,000 they would have a better chance of making the venture work and getting better terms. Alice had to ask some questions of people she knew, including Bertie, who had a good amount of training regarding investments and financial planning.

John had managed to get an early copy of the Layla boxed set as a gift for Livia. They also noticed her use of accessories for her hair so a few women gave those. Alice added another few charms for her bracelet, including an owl. Tom got her two pairs of shoes – one for wet or cold weather and another comfortable flat dress shoe that she could wear inside when she needed to look proper in her school attire, perhaps even for graduation. He wondered why he had never seen her uniform or had seen any books. If not for meeting a few people, he would have questioned the very existence of the school. Livia told him how sorry she was for the mysteriousness of it, but he would understand it when she found the right opportunity to explain. She did not feel ready. It would happen but she did not know exactly when. In truth, Livia could have told him, but not in front of a group of people and not when Uncle Jack's status remained uncertain. She did not want to tell him by herself, also. Uncle Jack planted enough of a seed of doubt that she decided to remain extremely circumspect.

When Livia returned to Tom and Alice's Durham home, she locked the door of her room. Professor Snape had not given her a time, really, and she figured she should know, so she would not keep her roommates waiting for her. Though not the wisest move perhaps, she thought she should briefly pop in at school to send him a note. She decided to go to his potions room as the easiest way not to be seen.

Livia wrote out her note first. He might object to using muggle items on her so she created a note by transfiguring the muggle materials into a more proper-looking letter to him. With wand in hand, she imagined that she would open the window and call Sevy when she got there. Settled in what she would do, she apparated to the room.

Much to her surprise, she found Professor Snape already there, emptying out a few items. She had taken him quite off-guard. Livia apologized greatly.

"I just wanted to send you a note to ask about what time you expected me tomorrow," she explained. "I did not expect to find you here."

"Thought I would speed up the process by emptying a few things and cleaning a few things," he stated. "Was your party not satisfactory?"

"It ended," she asserted. "I locked my door so no one would know I left briefly."

"Do you have a few minutes to get your owl friends to retrieve a few things?"

"I don't see why not," she said.

"Okay, I will quickly go through what I expect they will need to get," he declared. "Can you bring four?"

"Probably," Livia answered.

He gave her two containers and he took two. Before he entered and traveled to the front of the room, he reordered a shelf temporarily so these items would seem apart from the rest, when refilled. He would need to reorder them later, but what the owls got would be fine in the interim.

"Okay, call them for these," he pronounced.

She opened the window, left food outside and called to see if Mel, Sydney, Sevy and Brontë could help her retrieve some items. Livia got back an indication that they all would arrive shortly.

"They should come," Livia told him.

He sat down to watch the show. Four Barn Owls entered and Livia assigned each a task, reserving the most difficult for the strongest right then, which turned out to be Brontë. Since Brontë had never done this, she gave a summary of what the others had done in the past and what Livia hoped she could do. Since Brontë had spent such a happy spring and summer with Sevy outside of Hagrid's home, she had no problem with the request and understood what Livia wanted entirely. Each with their task, they headed out into the night.

"Why did you take so long with them this time?" he asked.

"Brontë felt the strongest but had never done this before," Livia replied. "I had to make sure she knew what to do."

"Where did she come from?" he inquired. "This name sounds unusual, too – isn't it?"

"She is Shelley's owl but wanted to spend the summer here with Sevy," Livia explained. "I understand she raised four owlets with him. Her name derives from sister muggle authors." She detected at least some coyness behind the professor's question but had little time to pursue it.

"Wait, you're an owl matchmaker?" he queried, puzzled.

"I do better with them than myself," Livia answered. "Which reminds me to thank you profusely for having Christopher Prince save me from a horrible night and my roommates from serious consequences. Even my brother told me he would have wanted to punch Ben Spence. I tried to thank you then, but I doubt whatever I did was truly adequate."

"Do not worry – it was rather easy to accomplish, and I presume no one knew," he pronounced. _And I unleashed quite an impressive feat by a supposedly distraught girl._

"True," she agreed. "Why did you do that? Their anger I understand, but you I do not."

"I had my reasons – I'll leave it at that."

"No," Livia stated. "I want to know. You did the nicest thing imaginable, and I really have no idea as to why. Obviously, I can't ask anyone else this question."

"I did not necessarily do it to be nice," he asserted. "In my mind, I owed you for allowing me to hear a voice not heard by me in about a decade. That meant more to me than you know."

"Oh," she stated. "But I hurt you. Terribly."

"You did not hurt me," he told her. "You are not responsible for my problem. That is my life and my fault. Just like the burden Ben Spence will carry – he will have to own it."

"Well, I think you own too much," she responded. Livia turned and saw that Mel and Sevy had returned. She directed them appropriately. Each had brought an abundant, impressive haul.

"They did well. Quite well." He attempted to change the subject.

Livia bowed to both and found them in good health and spirits. While Mel left to eat, once more Sevy flew to Professor Snape's sleeve and vocalized a good deal. He nodded at Sevy and gave him a pat on the head and a pet that trailed down the back of his neck. Sevy then left.

"He said something different," Professor Snape pronounced. "What was it?"

"He was happy to serve you and hope you appreciate Brontë, as he is very happy with her," Livia said. Livia lied. She could not repeat what Sevy had said. This time, he noted having seen through the guise of Christopher Prince. Livia thought it best to stay quiet. She did not even know how to respond to Sevy. She just stood still for the time being, since Professor Snape said nothing.

He suspected Livia had not told the exact truth, but he did not know if he should challenge her. He figured he might wrest it from her later or pick up enough to deduce what Sevy said for himself. He could even learn more about the other owl's name. He knew she could find out more, too, but something told him that Livia's sense of well-intentioned reticence should never stand. He did not like her restraint because it showed him that she thought she could hide things from him. He admitted to himself that, yes, his ego was talking. Livia would have to seize an advantage over him; he would not give it up willingly. Too much hung in the balance, even if she did not constitute the threat. Still, she could be an Achilles's heel; if she knew too much and cracked under stress, he would become vulnerable. What she hid likely did not matter terribly, compared to that, but he had to make sure she remained strong and silent. Yet he wanted to keep from her as much as possible. He faced a conundrum but decided maintaining an edge over her justified the risk.

Just then Sydney followed by Brontë had returned and Livia directed each to the appropriate container. She bowed to each, inquired if they had enough food and felt okay. She found the answered positive. Hagrid had done well by all four of them. Brontë also landed on the table and vocalized what Sevy usually said to Professor Snape. He nodded and then Sydney and Brontë returned outside to resume their usual nighttime activities.

"Why did that owl speak to me?" he asked.

"Sevy probably conveyed his view of you to Brontë, and she thought it respectful," Livia replied. "I will not tell Shelley that her owl thinks differently of you than she does."

"Yes, please do not do that," he affirmed. "What time should I expect you tomorrow?"

"Whenever you wish, sir," Livia stated.

"How about nine o'clock?" he suggested.

"Sure. See you then, sir," she answered. "Goodnight, sir."

"Miss Woodcock, Happy Birthday," he said plainly. "Goodnight."

Livia returned to her room, got into her bed clothes and set an alarm to wake her up in time to meet up again in the potions room. She opened to door to go brush her teeth, when she ran into Tom in the hallway. "Did you not hear me knocking at your door?" he asked.

"No, you were?" Livia acted surprised. "Sorry. I guess I had my headphones on too loud."

"I thought I hit the door pretty loudly and called for you," he asserted. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Livia inquired. "I guess I had my mind elsewhere."

"I suppose you did," he responded. "You probably still ponder a lot of stuff. I wish I could give that Ben – and his rotten father – a piece of my mind."

"Don't waste your breath – his father won't care, for one," Livia claimed. "I will find out my parentage. So far, I have gotten a few clues but not a name. If it is anyone worth taunting him about, I will do that. You can count on it."

"I did not know you had that in you."

"Well, I discovered that I do have a few buttons and implying I'm a lying bastard child unworthy of one's son is pretty high on the list."

"Are there others?" Tom asked.

"Yes, suggesting I am inferior because I am a female," Livia revealed. "Some male in my school expected me to fawn over his writing rather than suggest improvements. He decided he knew more than me because, as a female, I was a fraud. Fortunately, a few people, including my roommates who play a team sport, put him in his place."

"Yeah, Alice would not like that, either," Tom stated. "I can see that. Adam and John did not believe me about you, but that concerned your age, not you being a girl. What else?"

"One other – that someone thinks I don't know when some kid tells me a lie, and that they can taunt me over it. I agreed to a 'fake date' once, essentially, and I knew it. I felt bad for the boy whose supposed friends took his money then dared him into asking me to a ball to get it back. They even lost more by me dancing with him for an hour. They had no clue that I knew."

"Why did you do that?" Tom asked. "Doesn't sound like a great evening."

"I felt sorry for him," Livia answered. "They tricked him. So I allowed him to trick them back. He needed money for a present he wanted to buy his little sister. The boy later confessed, and I made them look like the dumbasses they were." She meant that literally, but Tom did not know.

"Very noble of you to ensure some kind of justice prevailed."

"It was no big deal to me," Livia asserted. "In retrospect, I think of it as a lot less trouble than going with Ben wound up being because I had no expectations afterward. Goodnight, Tom. I need to go fairly early tomorrow."


	24. Frivolous Fun, Tough Questions

Livia had a fairly light breakfast in Durham and gently, sincerely said goodbye to both Tom and Alice. She told them of the last hurrah of the eight roommates in London necessitated her travel, even though she would end up taking a train all the way to Scotland. It seemed a little odd, but they had gotten beyond questioning her. Despite odd decisions to them, none had ever gone wrong when entirely left in her hands.

Her decision to leave then gave them a chance to check out what Gary and Penny had considered buying before Alice started her work in Newcastle, too, which involved a short span of classes and a lot of research and then writing. The secondary research to back up the primary documents also needed to be sized up and read. Putting together an original piece of scholarship involved a lot of moving parts, simultaneously. One needed the secondary material to provide context, but a true scholar could not let those dictate how to interpret the original material. She had to delicately balance a pre-determined outcome from other scholars to whatever put her relations in proper perspective. Through it all, she had provide a niche for herself as an independent, credible voice, one who could defend her work before people already considered experts, whether she supported their views, refined them or challenged them. The mental focus required posed a sizable challenge that only a few who took such work seriously ever grasped. Those who bought degrees or got them through some favor that made the process easy did not really know how to write a meaningful dissertation. Whilst some took forever to write their dissertations, it seemed necessary at times to Alice if the documents required a lot of thought or secondary views to digest. Structure and planning also took time.

At around nine o'clock, Livia found a hidden place within a group of trees to apparate to the potions room. Again, Professor Snape already sat drinking tea and had started the lists with the four items already obtained on the "reorder" list as well as on the "to get" list with check marks to indicate prior retrieval. Livia set down her things, walked up to him and took the lists and the quill. The ink bottle remained in the inventory closet. "Am I late, sir?" she asked.

"No, not really," he answered. "Just wanted to set everything up."

He seemed every bit as meticulous as she would be, she had to admit. She did not know if she could manage the same level of seriousness on a continual basis, though. She wondered when she ever really saw the real him, unless Christopher Prince represented that or some part of it. Still, Livia had a job and she did it well.

Because of the preliminary work, mostly, they finished well under an hour. He had identified seven things the crows could handle getting. Finishing the inventory and moving various containers to the front of the room became her cue to open a window, leave food, and call Alastair, Benedict and the rest of their group of crows. Alastair and Benedict entered first, followed by the rest. Livia happily greeted all, made sure all felt good or supplied help if any had mild complaints that she could fix and gave them each a task, leaving the most arduous ones to the leaders. Everyone understood what they needed and set off with Alastair leaving last.

Livia sat down. "Crows are so underappreciated. They are just such smart creatures."

"It's a shame they are too light to carry mail," Professor Snape asserted.

"They would try, if given incentive," Livia responded. "Maybe people don't like them because they are dark, the way black cats can be feared."

"That is possible," he said. "Never considered it."

"No, of course not," Livia declared. "Obviously, the color either does not bother you, or perhaps instinctively, you count on it helping you intimidate others. Black cats when known are often very sensitive and affectionate."

"How do you know this, Miss Woodcock?" Professor Snape thought she drew on something involving himself. Livia sensed it, too.

"My older sister, Cathy, works as a veterinary assistant," Livia explained. "She has the least amount of trouble with black cats, though she has said some animal shelters have the hardest time placing them, owing to a bias that suggests they are bad luck or evil. Once someone takes a chance, they usually say how much they love the cat, sometimes jokingly called a house panther."

"So this is about not judging a book by its cover?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she replied. "Of course, moggies are never called illegitimate or bastards."

"True," he agreed. "Though wealthy people want purebred cats, whether wizards or not."

"I know," she assented. "Seems to be a universal thing I get to encounter. It is so much fun. I thought Rodrick Spence would call me a liar and a bastard right in front of Ben. He believed little that you told me about my parents. He may have been interrupted from doing it – that's my guess."

"Maybe you should have turned him into a 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbass.' Might have been worth any punishment. It does appear that he was rather harsh with you."

"Perhaps that's why he was too cowardly to show up on that trip back to campus," she said.

The first few crows had returned and Livia supervised where everything went. No sooner than they had departed, another pair came in with more things. Then another two came in. Only Alastair and Benedict remained left to return. The others happily ate their food and asked for more which Livia gladly supplied, thanking all for their service as they left.

"Do you ever get bored watching the crows do this?" Livia asked.

"Not yet," he admitted. "I envy you for this skill. I wish you could teach it, but I know it does not work like that. There are some gifts you have that go beyond what the most talented witches or wizards can do. Anyone who tries to hurt you would have to do so indoors beyond where a window could open. They have a great loyalty to you, and you never take them for granted, which ensures this trust. Moreover, this skill alone could give you a path towards having my post."

"Why would I want your position?" she asked.

"I cannot keep it forever," he answered. "Don't want to try, either."

"That does not mean I want it, though," she responded.

"Why not?" he inquired.

"Grading students probably is a pain. I think it takes the fun out of just making things and demonstrating them."

"It often gets boring when papers become redundant and the writing uninspired," he admitted. "There is a certain amount of frustration built into grading anything. One's mind can wander. Your papers have quite a different effect. They show structure, authority, sensitivity and complexity. I find it interesting how you manage to make your sentences very plain as you get more deeply into exploring or explaining a subject. Makes following your analyses easy."

"It's intentional," she revealed. "If you cannot explain something difficult in a simple way, it gets lost in a jumble of words. I constantly talk about simplicity and structure to students I tutor."

"It shows," he stated. "Whilst almost all lack your knowledge, they score well enough for making clear points and staying focused. You have definitely helped a lot of your housemates. How does that not detract from your own work?"

"It actually helps, sir," Livia explained. "It gets me to see things I could do better. I can reflect more on how I write and my own goals. I think I gain because I become more self-aware."

Alastair just then returned with his quarry and Livia directed him, thanked him and asked about his food needs, which she ensured were addressed. She bowed to him and just after he left, Benedict entered with his own things and put them in the last empty container and Livia repeated the same things she had said and had done with Alastair.

Professor Snape gathered more items as Livia arranged the seven in alphabetical order. He then gave her something to make. For the first time in quite a long time, as Livia laid everything out, she asked him to examine one ingredient and told him she thought she might need more, given its condition. She wished to verify how much more. He thought her instinct had served her well. They finished around the same time, though he decided to test hers, given what she had seen and done to address it. Looked great to him, so he had her store everything as he put some items back into the closet and obtained a few others. The second task went smoothly on both sides and again, he had her store hers, in a quicker, slightly different fashion as he addressed his. Everything was done by just after noon. They cleaned up, then returned to finish their tea.

Livia decided to ask him a variation of the question he posed to her. "Sir, I am curious, what do you derive out of teaching?"

"Not as much as I should," he revealed. "I do it well enough, I guess, though I would rather vary what I teach or teach another subject. Too few students excel for me here – I suppose they will say that is my fault. I am beyond caring if it is, which likely causes trouble for them."

"That is also an excuse," Livia stated. "Children are prone to them, certainly. Students take everything personally, like that kid who wanted me to fawn over his writing abilities. But philosophically, anything can teach – a negative experience, an enemy, a setback. One does not merely learn owing to his or her best friend."

"You mean I am not your best friend," he said in the most deadpan voice and dour look.

Livia laughed hard. "And you said you have no sense of humor."

"Just checking," he asserted, still deadpan.

"I am your student," Livia declared. "See me next year if you want me to take that comment seriously. I believe the headmaster wants me to stay as an official tutor of some kind."

"I know," he affirmed. "He thinks he possibly may need you in some way beyond even that. He thinks way into the future, which may account for his longevity. And I know you have told him that you want to pay back the school for sponsoring your study here."

"Yes, sir," she agreed. "Since I have taken up enough of your time, I should go. See you in a few days. Hope you enjoy them." With that she gathered her things and disappeared. He liked that no one would know she had ever spent time there. He placed his order for the supplies he needed with the local apothecary and returned to his quarters. He briefly revisited his home, too.

Livia arrived at the Leaky Cauldron away from anyone's obvious sight line. She knew her friends would begin to trickle in later. The room the girls would share still required some clean up and the installation of a fourth bed. In the meantime, Livia had lunch by herself and noted again seeing that man who had thought he recognized Professor Snape. He seemed interested in knowing more about her, but she instinctively felt defensive and told him Shelley Silver was her cousin. He said little about himself and she felt uncomfortable asking much of him. The innkeeper seemed to nod to her, and when he delivered the rest of her meal, he told her to say as little as possible. The man paid his tab and left. Ultimately, Livia tried to get something tangible out of the innkeeper who only said the man was suspected but not convicted of being a servant of the Dark Lord in the prior Wizarding War.

"Oh, a Death Eater," Livia stated. "I get it."

He seemed surprised such a young woman knew about this, but she said her headmaster had told her a few things to impress upon her why she needed to acquire certain skills to protect herself in the future. The innkeeper nodded, realizing that, whoever the girl was, Professor Dumbledore expected her to be very powerful someday. He did not want to know too much, for her protection and for his, should anyone try to learn about such things. If he knew nothing, he had nothing to confess. All he knew is that she often carried sterling, seemed to know her way around London and had some tie to Shelley Silver and other members of their house. He knew like she did that Marcus Silver had a plan to uproot his entire family should another Wizarding War take place, which would make Shelley a dead end in terms of identifying this young lady.

By the time Livia had finished eating, the innkeeper allowed her to put her things in the room the girls would share. She had an empty shoulder bag for things she needed to buy, figuring they would visit Diagon Alley first; she put money and some personal things in it in case she needed them for shopping or other activities. She returned to the main room when the first of the Ravenclaw roommates appeared. Ted had come first. She hugged him and asked how he was.

"Ready to spend time away from home," he asserted.

Livia relayed her brother's pleasure that he wanted to punch Ben, since his first instinct entirely matched Ted's, though he recognized its inherent danger. "Still, I think, as a barrister, he would have wanted to take that case, as if he could."

Ted laughed. "Indeed, that would not work well."

"I have to dodge him about graduation, since I have not told him yet," Livia stated. "I'm trying to distract him with wedding issues and saying that his bride's Great Uncle would attend."

"Oh, yes," Ted responded. "You mentioned him. Is he going to their wedding also?"

"I don't know yet," Livia answered. "Frankly, I don't know if I'm going."

"How can you not go?" Ted asked.

"I do not want to see you-know-who again, really," Livia replied. "Not alone."

"I doubt any of us can help you, though," Ted revealed. "Usually, new grads have work lined up or their families want to take a holiday or something. When is it?"

"The ceremony is 20 July, with a dinner the night before, also."

"That is definitely a problem. You would need to find a younger student. Or maybe that Christopher can go with you. He seems to have taken quite a fancy to you."

"I hear you, but that situation is a bit complicated," Livia revealed. "Moreover, that night he played a role to make Ben jealous. Even when I requested a song to thank him, I made sure Ben could hear at least the applicable parts of the lyrics. That was my payback to him as well."

"Blimey, that's incredible," Ted observed. "Still, I think Christopher did more than that. He stayed the whole night, well after Ben left. He cared about you. That went beyond acting."

"Well, you might see it, but I have my reasons to doubt that this is actually true. Once a year does not a relationship make."

Just then Shelley and then Athena arrived. Livia took them all upstairs and everyone put their stuff temporarily in the room the girls had, since Ted's room needed a little more time, owing to a late check-out. They both looked well. Shelley was anxious to see Brontë again.

"I'm sure she's fine, Shelley," Livia stated. "Hagrid takes great care of all his animals. He has a huge heart for them. I told him that he should try for the Care of Magical Creatures post, should it become vacant. His enthusiasm should be infectious."

"Is that enough to make him an effective instructor?" Athena asked.

"Hard to say," Livia replied. "I think it helps, but every new instructor goes through growing pains. I understand well that knowing is not the same as teaching, but you need the first to acquire the second. I just think the current instructor, though professional, doesn't share his enthusiasm. I think to be effective someone needs both. Enthusiasm, though, can get burned out if students don't care or do poor work, which of course feeds off an instructor with no enthusiasm."

They all returned downstairs and met Don and Barry, with Selene and Terence following shortly thereafter. The boys all got their room by then and everyone, including Ted, put their stuff there, except for what anyone needed immediately. Liam joined them. As half the afternoon had not passed, everyone traveled to Diagon Alley, which included a stop at the bank for extra funds and some exchanges made between them so they had money to spend there as well as in London. Livia already had paid for both rooms for the first night.

Livia was glad, again, that no one needed an owl. She really dreaded going there. She would have bought them all and tried to teach them to live on their own. Everyone bought the books and supplies they each needed, though it seemed to at least one of them odd that Livia did not buy quite as much, at least in terms of books. She had to explain that some lessons she received did not involve such things. No manual could really teach her how to defeat Professor Flitwick in even the most intense mock duel. That required her own thoughts and reactions. What she got out of lessons with Professor Snape did not come from a book, either.

"I do not know how you can deal with being in a room alone with him," Selene posited. "I would get nightmares. I'd have them all year."

"Except I am supposed to give him those," Livia stated. Everyone laughed.

"Is that possible?" Don asked.

"He would never tell you if it was," Livia asserted. "That's why the lessons are useful. I try to evade him and if he does get things out of me I might also get them out of him."

"Have you learned anything interesting?" Ted asked.

Livia paused. "That he hated his father, mostly – any of you surprised?"

"Might explain a few things," Don declared. "Father-son relationships when contentious become very toxic." The boys looked at each other. Liam seemed a bit dumbfounded.

"We should have guessed that," Ted maintained. "I especially should have seen it. I doubt any of us ever thought about it. His father must have been brutal – hard to shake that off."

"He was very much so," Livia affirmed. "I gained a different perspective on that from various places, even things I picked up from tutoring others."

They stopped for some ice cream then brought their purchases back to their rooms before reassembling downstairs. Livia needed to use the lavatory first so she had arrived last but she still could make out what they said. It seemed Ben worked at the Ministry of Magic and dated Rhonda Wayne. Her father pushed for an engagement, but Ben had tied it to a promotion he had not gotten, though it might be early for that. Some suspected he might sabotage his chances for moving up, since Rhonda's father could not advance him. Rhonda also got a post in the Ministry working directly under her father, Wallace. Later, her sister joined them. Yet Ben kept odd hours and no one knew where Ben spent most of his time away from the Ministry, even vacation time, since it was neither with Rhonda nor his own father. No one knew where his mother went, either. Some rumors spread that he had developed either a hobby, a side business or had begun an affair. No one knew for sure. Rhonda put a lot of pressure on him, which had the opposite effect. Livia smiled a little because the obvious point beneath the stories clearly emerged – nobody seemed happy.

Don started noting something about what Rhonda could do, when everyone saw Livia and pivoted to discussing group plans for that evening. She suggested perhaps they only had time for a film or people watching. Since they had done their school shopping, she hoped to do a tour of the city via public transportation the next day, which meant they could see things and listen how muggles interacted. She explained that a flat fee on a card supplied unlimited trips to various places, though she wanted to know if they wanted to visit anything in particular, like a garden, museum or church. For example, she could show them where her brother proposed to his fiancée, a famed garden location. They all looked blank, though Ted suggested seeing Jeremy Bentham, since he missed it. Livia did not wish to dictate what they did, but none of them knew much beyond any excursion with her. At Leicester Square, she acquired some typical tourist information and a few people saw a local theatre hosted a preview to a film called _Ghost_ ,* which seemed interesting.

"They believe in ghosts?" Selene asked.

"Not as a general rule," Livia replied. "Some do, some don't. The prevailing view is a lack of belief, I think. The film probably has an element of fantasy to it by giving a soul bound to earth a purpose for remaining. But there are places in the greater London area said to be haunted."

"Bet no spirit nearby is as pretty as Helena Ravenclaw," Shelley asserted.

"You've seen her? I have never really seen her face up close," Barry stated.

"Oh yes. She's rather shy but very interested in learning everything she can. Who else has seen her?"

"I have," Livia admitted. "I have spoken with her. A few times she allowed me to shake her hand, though that has on occasion unnerved her. So I don't do it every time I see her."

"You can shake her hand?" Athena inquired, rather surprised.

"That does seem to be uncommon," Livia answered. "It's hard, but if she doesn't move, I can sense her presence. It took me a few tries to do it the first time, and consistently I cannot say, because she is, as you say Shelley, shy. But if she lets me, I can do it."

"She will talk to me," Selene revealed. "I like her. I think she sees a little of herself in me. But touch her? I don't see how. What can't you do?"

"I think that's pretty obvious," Livia proclaimed. "My track record with young men is rather horrid. Either I have bad taste or bad timing or both."

"Or they're stupid," Ted asserted. "Don't forget that one." The other boys laughed.

"Well, thank you," Livia said. "Still leaves me with a problem regarding my brother's wedding next July after graduation."

"That will be tough," Terence told her. "Graduating students will either be starting work somewhere or taking holidays with family. Couldn't your brother or his fiancée find someone?"

"All his friends are paired off, and really, I want a buffer against my nasty sister. I would prefer that person not be a muggle because I expect her to try something. I want to be honest and prepared along with that person. Frankly, Tom's fiancée has said she would get the girl thrown out if she did anything to upstage the bride. I think that puts a target directly on my back."

"Maybe your uncle can suggest someone," Barry suggested. Others nodded at the idea.

Livia thought that reasonable to try. After all, he would know many local residents. She wondered if he knew anyone close to age-appropriate, though. Since the services did not take place in Durham, she wondered how she would get there. She figured travel with the bride and groom seemed wrong. Maybe apparate to Durham and take a taxi, if she could find one. She did not recall seeing many around the city, though. Many people walked and others drove. Perhaps broom would be the only way unless she could learn how to fly without one.

At any rate, they all bought tickets and saw the film.

They all loved the comedic aspects of the male lead and the con artist medium who became an actual one by hearing him. They also liked how the lead character tormented the guy who set up his death and wanted to have his wife, too. That justice could transcend death offered a powerful message that seemed like a great wish fulfillment. Livia explained the muggle notion of karma to them – the Hindu religious idea of living many lives until someone learned enough as a human being to move on. For example, the murderer comes back and gets murdered or that a racist later becomes tortured in another existence by bigots. The balancing essentially justified the unfairness of one particular life.

"I think I know what Rodrick Spence should return as," Ted declared. "Or my father."

"I would settle for a 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbass' or two," Don said. Everyone laughed.

"Oh, Rodrick Spence will get his," Livia claimed. "I vowed it in Durham Cathedral."

"What? How?" Athena asked.

"If I ever find out who my father is, and it is someone he would find impressive, I will let him hear of it, just when I think it will hurt him the most," Livia revealed.

"Even on his death bed?" Liam asked, thinking she couldn't be that extreme.

"Oh yeah," Livia affirmed. "It's meant for all those who judged me for that. I swore it."

"Pretty harsh," Selene said.

"Yet I will do it," Livia responded. "His rudeness to Tom and Alice alone justifies doing something, in my mind. He also thought I was both a liar and a bastard. Anyway, I learned how to be cold when I want to be. Maybe Professor Snape has taught me that, too." Everyone laughed.

"Do you know if Ben would have stayed with you?" Don inquired. He still felt a bit guilty that he had not done more to keep Rhonda uninterested in Ben. Livia had assured him before that neither of them knew, and he could not have stopped what happened. Yet his guilt lingered.

"It no longer matters to me," Livia answered. "Rodrick Spence interfered owing to something out of my hands, as a means to control his son. That is all I need to know."

"No wonder why Professor Snape won't cross you now," Ted suggested. "You might even out-nasty him, if that's possible. Maybe just imitating him has rubbed off on you." They laughed.

"I had to learn to be tougher," Livia asserted. "This did not come easily."

"Then why avoid your brother's wedding?" Barry asked. "How can she hurt you?"

"She can't, but she could disrupt it," Livia replied. "If she provoked me and I lashed out, it might be unfair to Tom and Alice. It's not about me shutting her down. It's about not wanting to hurt anyone or ruin the day. I know I can take her but perhaps not control my anger. That's a risk."

"Your caution has merit," Shelley said. "Since no one knows, it makes sense."

The nine enjoyed drinks at the Leaky Cauldron, including one for Don as the new Quidditch team captain, before the eight retired and Liam went home. The next day, Livia took the group to Kew Gardens and wherever their cards could take them. Some did not like much muggle food; Livia tried to get them the most suitable items for their tastes or to supplement them with a helpful condiment. The circle tube line became a kind of friend to find various parts of the city, including her unofficial walking tour of Jack the Ripper sites. She loved telling them the story and painting a picture of the women killed and the various suspects. They thought she would identify the person responsible at the end, but Livia did not. She admitted that she had not tried to resolve the mystery and thought the story better for its lack of a decisive conclusion and even the questioning of the number of deaths or the central motive. Livia told them that cruelty and bloodthirst often lacked a goal, which made it so terrifying for those who tried seriously to solve the case. She even felt that knowing often did not bring understanding – it could bring even more questions than answers. After a long day, they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, though Livia promised to let them enjoy a dinner out a place she liked the following day, if they could stretch their taste buds a bit.

The next day they largely spent around Covent Garden be there nearby stores or the market, where Livia drew Shelley's attention to some vinyl records sold cheaply whilst Athena and Selene looked at the handmade jewelry trinkets offered in several places. Livia gave them a tour of St. Paul's or the Actor's Church as well as the London Transport Museum. She told them maybe if they did another trip before the school year ended she could get enough tickets for a live show where various stage performances took place. The group seemed interested. They opened themselves up for the experience, and a few even grasped that they could hide this way in the future, if necessary. They got a little better at understanding the currency, too, and relaying the costs of things to prices they understood. Finally, Livia took the group to the restaurant used for one of her birthdays as well as Tom and Alice's engagement party. At least one employee seemed to remember her and asked about Miss West. Perhaps owing to that, the group got a nice corner spot to eat. The group found it interesting that a few people there knew Livia or her future sister-in-law. Livia gave all the credit to Alice West. They seemed to understand the genealogy Livia summarized, which rested more on Alice's mother and maternal relations, though Alice did not lack for a few distinguished people on her father's side, either. Livia made a few recommendations to people, but a few just wanted to have what she ordered. A lot of dishes got sampled around the table, and a few had to ask again what they ate, to make sure they remember a sauce like Alfredo or Bolognese or a pasta shape or knowing the difference between a black olive and a mushroom. Livia overheard the waiter speak Italian to another member of the staff before he came over to ask regarding dessert.

"Panna cotta e cappuccino per tutti, per favore," Livia said.

"Quante persone?" he asked.

"In tutto, otto, grazie," she answered.

"What are you doing?" Shelley asked.

"I saw the waiter spoke Italian fluently and wanted to order that way," Livia said. "I've had too much time on my hands a few times in my life, so I learned this."

"What did you order?" Ted asked.

"A dessert I had here during a birthday celebrated here," she said. "I hope you all like it. The after-dinner drink should be smooth but also a good pick-me-up after the meal."

Each had their own small plate and specialized cup for the beverage. Just about everyone seemed to find it agreeable, though Selene thought maybe a bit too powerful or sweet. She avoided many desserts for this reason. It seemed to keep her rather thin. Still, she ate most of it, finding the cappuccino a nice complement to the dessert.

Everyone insisted on paying for at least their share if not covering Livia's share, too, given she had sprung for both rooms the first night and had guided them to many places then as well as before. Livia just made sure they had adequately covered the bill and the tip. She had to re-explain tipping as a local practice that greatly helped many people in service-oriented jobs in addition to whatever they earned as base pay by an employer. In other countries, the tip hugely mattered, given the base pay varied. In some places, even, it either was included with a group or just figured into the cost of a meal. She reviewed what they left as adequate, though she had mainly supplemented the tip more than anything else. She liked the waiter and wanted to give him something nice.

Everyone felt like walking back and getting a good look above ground as night had turned on the city's lights. They understood why muggles felt this necessary, since darkness hardly seemed to wind down the activity on the streets. A few found it strange, but they noted how comfortable Livia seemed. She told them all that, though she had no difficulty existing there, she no longer felt that she entirely belonged. She had once felt that this type of life would be all that existed for her. She had her own dilemma about how to live, or if she could, equally in both worlds, whereas none of them knew this type of life long enough to see it as much of a choice.

They understood, though they wondered how she lived so long at school without showing them that she felt this way. Livia explained that she kept the conflict to herself because she did not know who would have any sympathy regarding it, particularly among those who knew nothing of a place such as this, which she found she liked as the location where her brother mostly lived. That was why she wanted to share so much of it. Whilst they may need to know about it, for whatever future purpose, she wanted them to see the world some from her perspective. She could not live the way her Uncle Jack had chosen. They all seemed to get it. A few wondered if part of this issue stemmed from Ben's utter betrayal of her, too.

They all enjoyed a last round at the Leaky Cauldron before retiring to their rooms, getting their tickets conveniently placed and everything packed well. A few asked Livia to shrink a few items to lighten the weight of what each had. None had perfected that, which she tried to demonstrate to them, with at least some success. It seemed to work best on the heavier books.

The next morning they settled their tab with the innkeeper and made their way outside, ensuring they stood on the northbound side of Charing Cross Road to get to King's Cross Station. Ted took charge of the first taxi with Selene, Athena and Don while Livia organized the second with Shelley, Barry and Terence. The equal distribution helped with loading and unloading the luggage as well as fitting everyone into the vehicles. The second driver just followed the first and the trip went by uneventfully. Soon everyone left the taxis and loaded belongings onto the carts used in the station as Livia and Ted paid the taxis. Ted had paid attention to ensure he tipped the driver the same as Livia had done. Since it was Saturday, no one worried about traffic.

The others had waited for Livia and Ted to join them, even though they all headed to the same place. No matter, they wanted to do it as a group for as long as they all could. This time in their lives would pass soon enough and no one wanted regrets for missing anything, no matter how trivial. So even as other students could use any number of ways to get to school, they took the train. Shelley as Head Girl, of course, reserved some time for a brief meeting, but other than that, everyone sat together in the same car chatting about what they expected of the year and perhaps beyond it. A few of the guys wanted to explore playing Quidditch professionally, Ted figured he would work in some non-editorial capacity for the newspaper. The girls had a variety of ideas that somewhat depended upon family expectations and possible relationships, with several thinking about fashion on a retail or custom level. Shelley seemed the most open, knowing her father would want her to leave everything at a moment's notice, though he never said where they would go.

The trip passed with plenty of anticipation in the air. Everyone in the car knew well this would constitute their last fall trip together, though not their last trip. That gave them a little luxury of not being too unhappy. Liam stopped by for a time and stayed in the car during and after Shelley left it to hold a meeting with the new Head Boy and all the prefects, including Livia. Liam wanted to know about the rest of their London excursion. All knew that a lot of work lay ahead of them just to graduate. No one there had "senioritis" – the sense of malaise or laziness spawned by knowing they would finish and leave the place behind. Usually, that did not happen, anyway; for Ravenclaws, no one would have considered it possible. Soon enough the train arrived, the transfers took place and all the returning students took their places ready for the first meal of the fall term. Though odd to take place on a Saturday, it made sense to get it all out of the way prior to the next full week. Doing so also gave students some extra time for their winter break, additionally. Some faculty complained then, but they also realized it helped them later on, so no one complained hugely of the inconvenience. A different arrangement could occur the following year, though only Livia cared, given she expected to be the only current graduating student to remain at school.

* Author's Note

Jerry Zucker's 1990 film _Ghost_ opened in the US in mid-July of that year but did not officially premier in London until early October.


	25. Finding the Right Note

The school year began as it had previously. Everyone sat in anticipation of the new students being led into the Great Hall by Professor McGonagall, with the sorting hat resting on a stool. The process seemed identical, if a few announcements included staff changes. As before, another new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Ozymandias (Ozzie) Clayton, had taken the position. The abrupt resignation of Professor McDonahue never got explained. What Livia had not expected concerned the absence of Professor Quirrell and a new Muggle Studies instructor, a man Livia found a bit imposing if retaining a fairly open and unbiased approach to the subject. Livia wondered if she would have to show all her equipment all over again or if he would object to the music club dance. She found herself prepared either way, though not enthusiastic ending the event on Ben and Rhonda's stunt against her. Livia quickly surveyed the room and decided to retire any ambitions towards a Winter Ball date or one to her brother's wedding. No one seemed to stand out and trying anything seemed destined to invite nothing but trouble. The more she thought about it, the kinder Bill Weasley seemed, albeit in an unobtainable way. One of her roommates would have done a credible job for either event, but she knew why that could not happen for her brother's wedding, at least. The needed timing basically eliminated anyone worth asking.

Professor Flitwick made his usual rounds after the meal, making particular care to point out where his Head Girl, Shelley lived, along with prefect Livia. Both had joined the tour. He later drew attention to consulting Livia whenever students had problems with their written assignments. Before it ended, he confirmed the schedules of Shelley and Livia but made sure to pull Livia aside, to let her know that the headmaster wanted to observe at least some of their dueling sessions. He did not tell her to do anything special, just that she should give her best effort and not to notice him because such a distraction would cost her. The schedule seemed rather similar, with the equivalent of two session periods per week with Professor Snape and two with himself. The headmaster may want to intervene at some point to gauge her skills himself, he warned. Everything else fell into place based on those sessions taking place in the afternoon.

The same eight students had made it through their sixth level exam with Professor Snape regarding their potions. This did not surprise him, though he warned a few to be more rigorous and for Miss Woodcock to mind her place, rather than expect to breeze through the year. A few looked uncomfortable whilst Livia only exhibited a stony but placid silence. He did not know why he even tried to bother her, except that it followed a script in terms of everyone else's expectations. Cliff and Bryan still tried to test Professor Snape's patience and definitely got cut more slack, but he had a limit even with them. Thor simply wanted to maximize what he learned. If ever grouped into pairs and Shelley chose Liam, Thor would chose Livia. If Shelley chose Livia, he chose Liam. Reggie and Tonks always worked together, as did Cliff and Bryan.

During their first session alone, Livia stated that she had a confession. Professor Snape thought it concerned what Sevy had said, but she said something else. She told him that her roommates had pressed her to find out if she had learned anything interesting about him. He looked surprised, not knowing how she would handle that, though she had shown great discretion up to then. She told him that she revealed that she had mostly learned that the professor hated his father.

"That's fairly innocuous," he stated. "I would not even try to deny that."

"What I found curious was how the other male students reacted," she asserted. "One said 'we should have guessed that' as if they knew something I should have. Or they should have."

"You were spared a lot of turmoil when a parent-child relationship has serious issues," he declared. "I know you feel you have a huge burden, and it has followed you. Yet if this relationship is bad, it too carries long-lasting effects, if ones less obvious to you. Ben could have told you."

He reviewed a few techniques to see how well she had retained them for self-modulation and controlling memories. He should have guessed she would have no issues, he thought. He worked on planting memories, too, but cared more about achieving a blank state via a breathing technique and a tranquil mind. He saw a blank but with substance. She had used a blank runestone.

"If recognized, that could be smashed into pieces," he said.

"But what if the pieces became a puzzle and looped back to nothing, like a clear sky, grass or dirt, maybe even my hairclip?"

"That is a good stall and gives you chances to think about things other than get exposed to reveal any particular memory," he confirmed. "Try it."

He found he could smash and reassemble but got a dark room or closed eyes. He only heard voices talking about lost respect and punching someone and a few other insulting remarks. "You haven't given me much to see, but I hear your friends. Sounds to me like they were ready to beat up Ben Spence. I cannot believe what those girls said to Rhonda Wayne, not that they were wrong."

"But you knew that, already, no?" she queried.

"No, I had not heard it," he offered. "I wasn't there exactly, either. I would have trouble figuring out the situation without context. Blankness still eludes you whereas objects and puzzles give you focus. This surprises me. You seem peaceful as a student. Clearly, you mask a lot."

"I thought you knew that."

"I guess so," he asserted. "I figured your ability to do that in class would transfer quickly."

"How about if I focused on something going nowhere, like singing a song?"

"Let me see what you mean," he stated.

After putting together a complicated puzzle, he got her singing a popular muggle song with part of the lyrics in French and with an audience of birds. "That's not bad, since the song has no emotional relevance attached to a memory. It being muggle music could really irritate someone, too, and it could disrupt their own abilities. I suggest erasing the birds to hide your rapport with them. It would be better if someone would be surprised to see Alastair and his colleagues defend you. Just like that man who never suspected you could fake sincerity, keep that to yourself."

"I saw that man again this summer, sir," Livia revealed.

"Did you learn his name?"

"No, but I tried to avoid engaging him," Livia replied. "The innkeeper encouraged me to not say much. He later told me he had been a follower of the Dark Wizard and likely got away with it."

"Your discretion seemed to please the innkeeper, which is good," he declared. "What does he know about you?"

"Well, he thinks I am a cousin to Shelley Silver, and I guess he knows I have a good knowledge of London and using sterling currency. I thought that was a safe amount of information with a little misdirection. The innkeeper made sure not to learn my name."

"He's smart," Professor Snape said. "Okay, your turn."

Livia went to work using her command to try to get at the nature of his feelings of guilt. He had not expected what she would want to find out and got through his defenses quickly enough to see a pub and a conversation he tried to hear between the headmaster and Professor Trelawney. Because she had concentrated on him, she had not followed the conversation, which sounded like an informal job interview. She realized that she needed to know what he heard to make sense of everything. She had to think of a way to render this innocuous.

"I saw you drinking, sir," she asserted. "Maybe the Leaky Cauldron. Not sure where."

"What are you trying to learn?" he asked.

"I won't know until I find it," Livia replied.

"Being cagey with me, are you?" he inquired. "You think you're ready to evade me?"

"I do not have a full picture, so I guess I have to be," Livia answered.

"You have an agenda," he suggested. "I know it."

"Then find it, sir," she dared him.

He looked for it but could not hear her. After her defenses gave way, he saw her kneeling somewhere on a wooden bench accented with a velvet pillow embroidered with a name. "I do not know this place, but you are either thinking or speaking. Who are you praying to? Where is this? Seems to me you keep getting interrupted by people wearing summer clothes, not unlike yours."

"Sounds like Durham Cathedral," she revealed. "I have gone there many times every summer I have spent in Durham with my brother. I stay out of the way there, if people are working or doing something important. Most likely, I was in a chapel space set aside for the Venerable Bede. He was a scholar, too – the first historian of the English."

"You do a lot of thinking there, I see, when you are alone," he maintained.

"I do," she admitted. "I will tell you one vow I made there, which will give you an agenda. I promised to myself there that, when I learn the name of my father, I will use it to taunt Rodrick Spence, if it would be someone he wished to count as a relative. And I will use it when it is most likely to hurt him the most, even if it's on his death bed."

"Well," he said. "I did not know how bitter that was for you. So you want to see if I am hiding a name from you? I am not. I'm reluctant to list all the possible suspects at least until I have narrowed the list. I'm not concealing one particular name. Not now. I'm sure I have pondered names over alcohol, but I find it hard to figure out which of them wanted a muggle conquest."

"I lost nearly two years of my life over being considered a lying bastard child. I have lost someone who at least made me think he cared about me – real or not – over the same thing. I lost a scholarship, I lost friends – or at least I thought at the time they were. I have been teased and bullied over this and made to wear hand-me-down clothes for years for being considered an uninvited burden by a woman who never wanted to be a real mother to me. What more do you need before I decide to focus vengeance on someone? This is the reason why I am reluctant to attend my brother's wedding. I don't fear that sister – I am concerned I will ruin the day if I get angry and lash out at her. Instead of getting over it, I guess these feelings found ways to fester. I am sick and tired of being made to feel diminished or insecure over things not under my control. I know I need to confront her at least to move past this before it eats me up." _There, he will get that._

"I don't know what to say," he said finally. "At least, partly, I do understand."

"Actually, I figured you would very much follow what I mean," Livia declared.

He did not want to say more. He would think about what she said for quite some time. He recognized her pain – it gave her some insight into his own, though she lacked the details. He thought better of trying to say much. Really, he did not have much to say. She had vengeance on her mind and two principal targets. He could not find fault with that. He had his own agenda, just one he did not wish ever to disclose like she had. He realized that such a thing perhaps should be left unfinished for her. If she had this fire, it could serve her. He told the headmaster and Professor Flitwick to have her focus her aggression on her status as an illegitimate child. If she could harness her anger over times her standing has cost her, she would become lethally potent and feared.

Before that took place, the Muggle Music Club held its first meeting. Professor Flitwick opted to be honest about the near catastrophe created by a personal issue among several Ravenclaw students, including members there. He felt grateful that the event turned out well, but for at least several moments, that outcome did not seem obvious. Nothing like that could ever happen again. He got everyone there to swear to it. He did not blame anyone there because they had not instigated the problem, but his group needed to take responsibility, too. Outside of that, everything went well. He asked if anyone had any ideas for improvement, but no one spoke. He turned to Shelley and Liam, given they had overseen the event, wondering if they felt the need to step aside. Liam, not in any student leadership position, did not feel such a need. Shelley agreed with him, given how well she and Liam worked together, though suggested both take the title co-chairs, given Liam's role might become as strong or stronger than hers. Professor Flitwick agreed, then pivoted to ask about the sound quality provided by using more than just the players the school possessed. The group responded favorably, particularly regarding new material entirely recorded on that new format. The leadership mostly stayed stable, though Percy Weasley had become the new chair for promoting the event. Livia thought him studious, focused and ambitious, whereas Bill and Charlie, though accomplished, had more well-rounded personalities. Nonetheless, he would do well in his position, and doing so would likely set him up to become a prefect the following year.

Livia never shirked a job asked of her, and students generally behaved around her, so she experienced few problems. She learned how to enforce discipline if needed, but rarely took joy from it. It seemed the story of what she had done to transform those Slytherin boys as well as her impersonation of Professor Snape had given a clear "don't mess with her" message. The students also knew she preferred to be helpful versus strict and they could count on her, if needed, so crossing her never made sense.

Of course, the Weasley twins tried to push the envelope with everyone. They thought that she would tell someone in Gryffindor when she caught them in two hallway pranks, one misdirecting another student and one regarding Percy. She suppressed her response to whatever the subject of the joke saw, but as soon as both left, Livia laughed rather merrily, which took Fred and George off-guard. When she told them how fond she had been of their brother, Bill, they realized she did not resemble Percy at all. She even amused them with her Professor Snape imitation, since she knew they were the right audience to derive frivolity from it, rather than make demands of her. She once also caught them alone near Ravenclaw with a map of some kind and asked if she could briefly study it. She returned it and told them "I saw nothing," winked and walked on. They realized she had a photographic memory and a purpose, not necessarily an ambition, behind maintaining her "reputation" and, since they felt pleased to see another side of her, they kept it to themselves, mostly. Charlie had told them there was more to her than being serious, and they told him that he was right. He in turn suggested to them not to talk about it.

For her first dueling lesson with Professor Flitwick, the headmaster did indeed observe. He had kept in mind what Professor Snape told him, if they needed to push her towards being more aggressive. They had not counted on her fueling this by herself to some degree. She became more fluid and reactive, though both merely read her singing something in her head. She had discovered heavy metal music from John via her brother and its power to get her to focus on both aspects of facing someone. They only heard the lyrics but the power to make her sharp came through:

 _Sleep with one eye open_  
 _Gripping your pillow tight_

 _Exit light_  
 _Enter night...*_

Both seemed surprised and wanted to know what she had done. She described the song "Enter Sandman" to them and her early access to a demo version. They liked the unpredictability and reactivity as well as anticipation that, with the song covering her own intentions, gave her the ability to strike with some potency. The headmaster himself wanted to try a round. Professor Flitwick was right about her defensive capabilities, he thought. She countered well and lasted for some time against him, longer than most. He could mute her though, eliminating the distraction and watch her better, and she found him incredibly spry for an older man. He had his way, not a very shocking outcome. At the end, before leaving, he said to Professor Flitwick, "Not bad. We have time to make her better yet, and she has at least some room to grow. Carry on – and use that suggested idea."

"Did he just toy with me?" Livia asked Professor Flitwick.

"Not really," he answered. "Seems that way, I know, because he's that good. When you can give him a more competitive battle, he will feel good. He likes creativity. He has incredible skills there himself so the more you develop that, the more fearsome you will become to him."

"Does he think I will have to fight someone in particular?" Livia inquired.

"Perhaps," he replied. "I think it is more about covering possibilities. Professor Trelawney made a prophecy some years ago about a boy growing up able to defeat the Dark Lord, but the latter figure will have followers. Moreover, no one should entirely trust that predictions foretell truth. We also cannot measure the cost of such a triumph. The headmaster wants his labor to ensure that the best case scenario takes place but cannot solely rely upon it. He thinks ahead."

"Yes, I have heard something about this," she admitted. "The boy will attend school here?" _That is what I saw Professor Snape overhear. His guilt relates to this._ A big piece fell into place.

"Most likely beginning next year."

Finally, in her last year, she grasped how difficult people considered what she had done to those Slytherin students. The transfiguration of other people rated as a most difficult task and she had not done merely just a singular thing. Transforming oneself also took great skill, though she had never mastered it as she wanted. Professor McGonagall had a fondness for sitting on her desk as a cat. Livia still ruefully remembered petting the cat behind its ears not realizing she had done that to the professor. Fortunately, the professor did not hold it against her, especially when Livia had told her how pretty a silver tabby she was. Livia liked the idea of being a cat herself, so she paid close attention to how the professor had accomplished the feat until Livia could do it herself. She had learned about it for some time and transformed into a type of cat but never liked how she turned out until that fall – she was a Pallas cat a few times, then a bobcat – neither native to the area and this defeating the purpose of an animagus. She finally got it and registered as a Siberian tabby cat, noted for their somewhat long hair, neck ruff and ability to thrive in cold weather, which seemed to suit the school's location. Since Livia had long, very dark wavy hair, why shouldn't the cat at least have long fur? Professor McGonagall admired the details, including the deep tabby stripes, white paws along with part of her face and underneath her, large green eyes (more typical than blue), longer hind legs than front, large ear tufts, extremely bushy tail and toe tufts, often called floofs by cat enthusiasts. Livia liked having claws more than fanged canine teeth, even if she missed opposable thumbs. She thought maybe she should have tried for a polydactyl Maine Coon cat but liked what she had enough not to tinker more. It occurred to her that this would make an excellent prank on Professor Snape, since he never saw her as a cat.

Livia also continued to have opportunities to go outside and visit Hagrid and the owls. Shelley went once to check out the setup and to see if Brontë would recognize her voice and come to her when called. Livia made sure Brontë knew what Shelley wanted when she called her name. It seemed like the optimal arrangement and that the food given to all four kept them well for a lot longer than the average Barn Owl's lifespan. They all felt grateful for their good fortune to have a lot of freedom and the ability to eat well.

The term proceeded fairly well, even if Professor Flitwick and the headmaster had given her a lot to think about in terms of more creative dueling practice. She found more variation and again took to using a mirror as well as Helena Ravenclaw to judge if she tipped her moves at all, which seemed to be what the headmaster found. She finally did hear what the headmaster and Professor Trelawney had said, as far as Professor Snape heard, but she still could not figure out why this mattered to him so much. She realized she had to find out what he did with that information and what happened. He had started growing more suspicious of Livia's full agenda, but she pestered him for the list of names, which she had not yet learned. He tried to shut her down by telling her it did not matter, since her father likely would not acknowledge her.

"Rodrick Spence won't know that, though," she indicated.

Livia also took some time to visit Uncle Jack and ask him if he knew anyone of the right age in town that might make for her suitable date to bring to her brother's wedding. Offhand, he said he did not know but would make some inquiries. Internally, he did not think he would come up with anyone, since recent graduates of the school usually left the area. Livia sensed his pessimism, though he had not indicated a total rejection of the idea, either. Uncle Jack seemed to think, in her mind, he would have enough problems finding someone to bring himself, should he go, though he thought he could ask a neighbor who had got on very well with Renee, his late wife.

Once again, the big deal came about over getting dates to the Winter Ball. For reasons that initially eluded her, Thor Thornton asked her yet again. She asked him why, given what happened the first time as well as the second time. Did he not enjoy the date he had the prior year? He seemed rather unenthusiastic and said, leveling with her, he just wanted to go and not have much stress over who he asked or what she expected from him. He could not fake sincerity with Livia and did not want to try to do so with anyone else. Given that she had no ambitions about the event, either, she decided to accept his offer, even as it dismayed many in his own house who could not believe he asked her on his own, again, let alone that she agreed to it. He simply said: "She knows why I asked and I know why she agreed and that's it."

Her roommates found her decision puzzling, too, until she explained the lack of risk involved, and her desire to avoid any entanglements that would hurt her later. He would mind his manners, dance adequately and neither would seek nor expect anything out of the experience. That suited her at present. She thought someone in her room might lose an opportunity with someone else, too, if she had not opted to go with Thor. She did not know exactly to whom she did a favor but figured someone in her room would benefit. Shelley went with Liam, Ted took Athena and Terence went with Selene, whilst Don and Barry had dates from Hufflepuff, one being Clara.

The evening went well, from Livia's perspective. She found another dress, if a bit simpler of one. It also worked with the marcasite diamond butterfly hairclip. As her sometime lab partner, Thor was a comfortable date. He did exactly as he said: no promises, no demands and no stress. He had a few misadventures himself, including the prior year's ball, and he wanted to avoid trying to impress someone. They looked good, they danced well and they did not care that no grand follow-up dates would follow. They both needed a break or a tonic, and they gave each other a gift in having no agenda beyond that night. If anyone noticed either of them from the event, Livia did not care. If she ever managed a date to her brother's wedding, it would not come from those students. She just hoped Uncle Jack miraculously found a solution for her.

Her winter break seemed very busy. She had time before arriving to shop, including buying a catnip toy for Abby. She later wrapped gifts for everyone. She also accompanied Alice on her birthday to preview several bands that her family thought she should check out.

The first seemed a little sedate, appropriate probably for a generation that enjoyed a 1960s crooner. That did not suit Alice. Sure, she wanted some variety, but if their playlist had little from the past decade, she did not see the point. The Beatles were not hip or new. Livia asked her what she wanted the first song to be, since often that was a big deal for newlyweds and their parents. Sometimes the bridal party joined in some way, also. Alice had thought about the first song they really danced to together, which she had to confirm that Tom would like. Livia thought that would make a decent initial criteria, especially if the vocal or some instrumental aspect posed a significant challenge.

Livia expected something romantic. No. They had gone to a party playing lots of things and they had first danced to "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey,* a song Tom had kept close to him, anyway, when he had fought for Livia's freedom. Livia found this surprising, since she thought they could have chosen so many other things. Still, the song held significance for both and, as Alice had told her, his dedication to liberating her really had shown the best of him. She had found that irresistible.

So they had an initial criteria and a sense of music their friends liked. They just had to widen this out for some other attendees. A few Beatles songs might help, and she liked those, but Alice did not wish to cater totally to other people's tastes. If Tom liked some heavy metal and rap – since he and John at least somewhat had exposed Livia to it – Alice did not think either fit at a wedding, so no Beastie Boys, no Metallica or similar. First, Alice had to hear that the lead singer could do a credible job with getting at least most of the Journey singer's range. A few bands seemed glad they did not look for a different song of theirs, considered a bit more difficult. After two modestly credible efforts that Livia had not thought quite right, Livia and Alice met a group that called themselves the Great Scots. The lead singer, a tall, thin man with dark auburn hair, possessed a bit of a biker sneer yet with an innocent, impish smile like Prince. Named Jimmy McNaught, he seemed to have an emotional range that would give him the ability to credibly brood or plaintively wail whilst singing. The entire band did a very credible job with the song, too. Livia asked each musician to play a little and called out various people, wanting to the lead guitar or the keyboard player and so on. A few could add instruments for certain songs, too.

Both Livia and Alice looked at the list of songs the band said it could play, and Livia found at least several excellent contemporary ballads from UK and US artists. She found an intriguing mix to supplement these, too. Livia decided to test them. "Okay, I want to test you. I want to hear 'Allentown.'"*

They delivered it very well even without a whistle for the opening, which they did not bring to auditions. Then Livia pivoted to the ballad "Your Song." Perfect. Alice found this impressive, though she would not have necessarily chosen both of these to perform at an audition or at a wedding. Yet she trusted Livia to pick things, to show the band would be right for their wedding. Then Livia asked "I'm confused by your notation, here; what can you do by Simple Minds?"

"We're not the Great Scots for nothing, lass," Jimmy stated. "You want something by them, we can do it."

Livia asked about the back up to some of their well-known songs on _Once Upon a Time_ and he said, whilst they did not have quite a powerful backup as on that album, they could manage. So Livia asked for the title song and found it reasonably good. They could do some David Bowie, some Queen, some INXS, some Culture Club and when Livia asked about U2, Jimmy laughed. "They're Celts, so no difference, lass – anything you want," he said.

"Then how do you do Clannad?" Livia asked. "They're Irish, too."

"That's a good question, lass," Jimmy answered. "First, my Gaelic is not entirely perfect, and second, we do not have a lead voice like their soprano. We know the music, of course. If you sang in her range, we would listen and could do 'In a Lifetime' with you. "

"My natural voice is more contralto," Livia asserted. "I more credibly mimic male tenor voices. I love her voice, but I could butcher that part as easily as get it right."

"I have to hear this mimicry," he stated.

"Look out," Alice declared. "She could take your job."

Livia suggested they do "Once Upon a Time" again and she took the lead vocal. She did not even need a mic to be heard well. At one point, they both sang it together, with the rest of the band backing up as needed. "Are you Scottish, lass?" Jimmy asked afterwards. "You really understand that man's voice."

"No, but I attend school in Scotland," she replied.

"I have a friend who does a very good voice," Alice recounted. "It's Culture Club, though. Livia helped him get it right. What songs of theirs do you do?"

"For a wedding, I would suggest 'Time (Clock of the Heart)' rather than anything else," he responded. "You just want us to do it?"

"Knowing Gary, he would want to sing it himself," Alice said.

"If he's as good as your friend here, we don't mind," Jimmy pronounced. "We usually take breaks, but they benefit me most, so I would be glad to give my singing voice some extra rest."

Livia got a good vibe from all the musicians and liked that they could do various things, including what Alice would like. The lead vocalist had a very strong voice and he could push it into a falsetto range without seeming too phony. The instrumentalists all played well. None hid behind another as a "weak link." Livia made sure she heard each well and they played reasonably fine to suit the list of song choices they gave Alice. At first, Alice might have lamented not having John to judge the bands, but she saw that Livia had a great ear, shared a lot of her proclivities and lined up the right group to perform. Alice signed the contracts herself and gave them a cash deposit via her father, for which Livia and another band member, Geoff McDonald, witnessed. Alice brought the song list back for Tom to review with her, so they could agree on the selections and set an order preference, though the band reserved the right to negotiate that, in case any changes of instruments made one progression more challenging than another.

Alice felt overjoyed to tell Tom that evening that they had selected a band, though she left their song list in their room so they could review it alone. They had begun preparation mode for their holiday party and confirmed that everyone they expected to come would attend, including Bertie and Kate. During Livia's time in the kitchen with Alice, she asked about Gary and Penny's possible venture. Alice told her that Gary would provide all the details during the event, so she did not want to spoil anything by answering. Of course, that did basically answer Livia's main question – some kind of progress had occurred and possibly more. Livia's sense of Alice indicated that Gary would share good news with everyone. She left it to Gary to reveal the particulars, rather than read them from Alice more than she already had surmised. It was his story and Penny's.

It took over a day to have everything the way both Alice and Tom wanted. They even put some decorations on Abby's cat tree and gave her a festive red ribbon instead of her collar. Given that Abby was a tortie, almost any color worked. Alice fussed that her first holiday party in the new house went perfectly, from the atmosphere to the food. She got precisely what she wanted when all the guests told her and Tom how great everything looked. She happily informed them that she had selected a band with Livia's help, and everyone would enjoy the event.

"Do they do anything by Culture Club?" Gary asked.

"Yes, they do," Alice answered. "And I knew you would ask. If you want to sing with them, the lead singer said he would enjoy giving his vocal chords some extra rest between sets."

"Brilliant!" he said. "But I can't do that by myself. Livia, you'll back me up, right?"

"Of course, you know I will," she stated. "Presuming I'm there."

"What?" several said at once.

"No offense to anyone, but everyone in my graduating class will be otherwise engaged that weekend," she revealed. "I really rather not go by myself. Alice, your family will protect you. In my mind, that puts a big bullseye directly on my back. My reluctance is mostly grounded in that. I'm hoping that your Uncle Jack comes across someone suitable because I don't see it at school."

"What about that fellow who drove Ben and his new girlfriend away from your last dance?" Tom asked.

"I have not seen him," Livia replied. "So I have nothing to say."

"That can't happen, Livia," Bertie stated. "On behalf of my family, I extend our wing to you. In fact, I want you to rub her nose in this. If you help Gary, he should do the same for you."

"You know I will," Gary agreed.

Jake and Audrey showed some cute baby pictures and, though they had a relative watching Amanda that night, they never liked to stay away too long. They still felt like new parents because no one else had any at that point. They essentially became trailblazers for the group. Audrey still looked forward to returning to teaching, thinking that socializing babies early had a parallel to socializing young dogs or cats.

Cathy and Doc neither endorsed nor contradicted the parallel. They knew Audrey correctly asserted that puppies and kittens benefitted from socialization whilst very young but had no idea how it extended to people. It sounded intriguing and very different from the ideal of some that women belong at home raising children. No one there bought into that notion, though.

Gary finally called together everyone's attention, for a toast but also a story. Bertie had put a deal together. Gary and Penny would own the pub/B&B establishment in Keswick in the New Year and a generous portion of the financing had come from Alice. Their hope was to not only pay back their loan for the business but that, if all went well, they would slowly pay back Alice and buy her out, if she wished. Bertie, Kate, Tom and Alice had all looked at the property and, though it passed inspection, they saw a few areas that needed some help in making the location both attractive and successful. They all saw the key in patience – that is, not trying to recover everything too quickly and price themselves out of establishing the place. Gary and Penny agreed and since they would largely run it themselves and live in one of the upstairs rooms, they had the opportunity to economize. If they needed the room for guests later, they could think of either an addition or living close by, depending on the situation. They wanted to keep Bertie and Alice informed as to the best way forward as things progressed. Gary and Penny also thought about "baptizing" the pub with having a local wedding in the town hall and celebrating there. Everyone liked the idea, especially if it meant they would open in time for seasonal travel.

Meantime, Alice got a lot out of her first term in Newcastle and already had scheduled taking qualifying exams towards the end of their school year, which would free her to do her own research mostly. She might need to assist in the teaching of a few classes, not so much for the money as for the experience. She did not technically need the latter, but she believed Tom that trying to teach made someone understand their own subject so much more, so she embraced the opportunity. She had heard another student specializing in 17th century English history talk about framing the English Civil War, Restoration and Glorious Revolution as a singular event, like a play in three acts, as a means of getting students to get a handle on seeing each with a function but all serving a historical arc in the evolving relationship between monarch and Parliament. That student had concentrated so heavily in researching the legal and moral justification for executing Charles I that she had not pulled back to see a wider picture, an important context for undergraduates just beginning their own projects. That "a-ha" movement crystalized for Alice what Tom had said about teaching Livia. She finally saw it at work in a context meaningful to her.

The holidays were more about the mood and spending time together than the presents. It's not that no one gave any or received any. They did not dominate the day – except for maybe Abby, since she really loved catnip. Tom's father called from his office before heading to his house. Cathy had gone there to supposedly fetch him, but she also spoke on the phone as well. Since she had gone to Durham the day before, she did not have a great deal to say, other than "Merry Christmas," but she wanted to do it away from her mother and sister. Cathy enjoyed a better relationship with her mother than Tom, but she recognized its limits and tended to keep her mouth shut rather than speak her mind. She would tell her father what she thought and he usually agreed. Still, he had to live with Emma and loved her, despite her obvious blind spot concerning her children. He claimed things had improved somewhat with Lydia out on her own, but Cathy did not see it, mostly because she did not visit her parents too often. Cats in a no-kill rescue needed help continuously, and though she got days off, her schedule had some fluidity with the occasional emergency, too. She did not wish to drive Rich's car, either, though he did teach her how to drive and pass her license test so she at least could use the car without him when necessary.

After an enjoyable holiday party at Tom's employer – with Livia tepid about any wedding date prospect attending – Livia exchanged some mail with Shelley, Ted and a few others, but no one found a mutually agreeable time to meet. That prospect would have to wait for spring recess, when Livia possibly could meet them all at King's Cross. Livia decided to visit Shelley starting around Wednesday, 9 January. Livia decided if she pranked Professor Snape the day before, she maintained a modicum of respect despite his displeasure. She suspected that cake and whiskey made him a terrible drunk on the following day, even though no one she knew could imagine him being worse than he seemed on a daily basis. They rarely saw him alone, without an adversarial agenda. She saw something different. Livia still did not know what to think about what he had done in regards to Ben at that dance. She guessed he saw some parallel that he could judge better after he had matured. Perhaps he simply relished making a boy jealous of him, since she gathered from his school career that this never had happened. It seemed to her that he did not care too much about himself except when that one particular student came into the picture. Maybe, she thought, he realized that if he had acted another way, the girl might have seen him differently.

Just after noon on Tuesday, 8 January, Livia locked her bedroom door and apparated to the school, inside and close to where students often could not travel. She made sure to give herself a kind of force field so no one in the student corridor could see or hear her as she picked her way through the security measures intended to keep students out at times. Having seen Christopher Prince negotiate these made the task even easier than she had done before, though she rarely had problems, anyway. She had fashioned a collar for herself with a little heart saying happy birthday, which she knew she would wear as a cat. She knocked on his door and heard his usual, "Go away, Albus." It was her cue. She next meowed very loudly near the door and scratched at it.

He thought he must be dreaming. _Is Minerva now pranking me?_ He opened the door and Livia the Siberian cat rushed into the room, turning towards him so he easily read her "Happy Birthday" message. The cat winded around his legs like a figure eight and gave him the full scent-marking routine. Obviously, the cat Mrs. Norris did not quite look like that nor did Professor McGonagall's animagus. He only knew of one person who had found animals who liked him. "Okay, where are you, Miss Woodcock?" he asked. "The cat liking me gives this away."

Livia the cat moved a little from him and then emerged as herself, still wearing her collar, "You called, sir?" she inquired.

"Show off," he spat out. "You keep finding ways to do this. Not giving up?"

"Not until you laugh, sir," Livia replied. "I don't mean a fake one, either."

"Well, I guess you won't be leaving this place any time soon," he observed dryly. "What makes you think I will laugh at anything?"

"One, the headmaster tries; two, you made your own joke; and three, you are a living human being," Livia stated. "I think those are credible. Was my cat convincing?"

"Very much," he said, honestly. "Took you some time to settle on one, with the first ones being rather unusual. I would gather you have registered that one?"

"Yes," she admitted. "I worked the other types I had were wild and not native to Scotland. Defeats the purpose. A long-haired, tabby cat fits, even if this type has recently become recognized as its own breed."

"Really? What is it called?"

"A Siberian," she asserted. "It's the national cat of Russia, obviously. A specific breed will not seem apparent, however, given the variety of coat and eye colors currently recognized."

"What makes it a purebred, then?" he queried.

"The particulars of its fur, its eye shape, the length of its hind paws and I think a rarity of one being outside Russia," Livia stated. "But it shares characteristics with other breeds well equipped for winter, so at first glance, these aren't evident to an untrained eye."

"I see," he said. "Where are you supposed to be, Miss Woodcock?"

"Durham, in my room."

"Maybe you should return," he suggested.

"But I haven't sung for you, yet," she protested.

"Let me guess, you want to meow it," he said, dryly.

"If you wish it, or if it makes you laugh," Livia offered.

"One question, first – why did you attend the Winter Ball with Thor Thornton, after what happened two years ago?"

"Well, he asked last year, too, and I rejected him," Livia revealed. "This year we found ourselves in the same place. Neither of us saw anyone worth asking nor dating, and we did not want to pretend otherwise. On that basis he asked, on that basis I agreed. No promises, no demands and no stress."

"Oh," he declared. "Well, there's only one voice I want to hear, but that does not make me laugh, as you know."

Livia cringed a little. "I thought you might say that. I'll do it on one condition – you let me lessen your regrets and sorrow over her."

He figured that she would say that. "Okay."

This time she had the full image in her mind and matched the voice note for note, inflection for inflection. He closed his eyes. He could see her, too, in his mind. He missed that Livia matched the expression, everything. If she wore a wig, he would have sworn the past had come alive again.

"Give me your hand, sir," Livia requested. This time, he complied.

She spent closer to ten minutes this time, actively thinking about clearing out as much that had accumulated since she did this before. It seemed either the same, if not worse. She acted like an air purifier trying to dissipate the black, dense and sticky fog. She took longer to get it as clean and colorless as possible. Her mental imaging helped her focus and sped up the process, though it still tired her, if not quite as much as the first time she did it. She got the black smoke very thin and nearly invisible. He became fidgety, so she opened her eyes and let go. "Well?"

"You have gotten better at this, too," he admitted. He made no other comment, however.

"I hope so, sir," she said. "You have a good day tomorrow. See you again soon."

She exited, took down her protective field and went home. That was powerful, he thought _._

*Author's Note

A live version of Metallica's single "Enter Sandman" was released in 1991. The track, written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett, appears on the album _Metallica_ of the same year.

The band Journey issued its single "Don't Stop Believin'" in 1981, originally from its album _Escape_. Written by vocalist Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon, the song was rereleased in 2009 and has enjoyed a resurgent popularity in digital sales.

The song "Allentown" by Billy Joel first appeared on his 1982 album _The Nylon Curtain_ , though he included a live version of it in his 1987 Soviet Union concert, released as _Kohuept_. Many outside of the US would be more familar with the latter version.

The tune "Your Song" first appeared on Elton John's second eponymous album of 1970, released as a single that year. Like much of his music, his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin composed the lyrics.


	26. The Last Dance? Fury & a Reluctant Favor

After her foray to school, Livia returned to Durham and wanted to nap. Between the travel and her cleansing session, she needed it, especially if she would see Shelley the next day. She wondered how long what she had done would last – if it would survive the appearance of yet another cake and bottle of alcohol. Fortunately, no one was home in the Durham house then and Livia enjoyed a few hours of sleep before she awoke and played with Abby before preparing for her trip. Only then did Alice and then Tom return. She told them she had done nothing unusual that day and had come back early for a nap and to pack for her trip tomorrow. They enjoyed a last meal together and the film _The Princess Bride_.* Alice said jokingly that her father sent her the film as some sort of hint at what he expected her to wear. She had not seriously begun to look, but her mother wanted to take her that weekend to agree on something, finally. Given the state of Livia's affairs (or lack thereof), she did not feel like she missed out. She preferred visiting Shelley.

Livia set out for the Silver residence after breakfast on Wednesday, 9 January. It had crossed her mind to wonder if Professor Snape slept better that night, but she could not have done much more, even if he had not started to fidget. She had done her best, at least then. So after Tom and Alice left, she said goodbye to a snoozing Abby and apparated to just outside the Silver residence and knocked. Everyone had expected her and Sheila Silver graciously asked her to enter. They just had eaten breakfast and began discussing why Livia went to the Winter Ball with Thor Thornton, since it seemed like a distasteful choice. "No, at this point, I would find running into Ben or Rodrick Spence far more distasteful."

"He has not gotten a promotion at the ministry," Marcus Silver told her. "I wonder if he wants one. He entirely lacks ambition, I hear, though he does his own job well enough when there." Marcus had many well-connected friends. His family had dealt in real estate for many years.

"We never told Livia," Shelley said. "Apparently, Ben tied taking the relationship further with Rhonda to getting a promotion. Don was about to add something when we saw you and he stopped talking."

"I heard you all conversing about this before," Livia revealed. "I concluded that no one was happy, which I figured would happen. Don probably knows what Ben deals with better than us. I'm not sure I want to know."

"I think he must have a girlfriend on the side," Sheila Silver stated. "'e spends a lot of 'is free time mysteriously, Shelley told us, and that would make sense to me."

"Hardly matters to me," Livia asserted. "Shelley, did you tell your parents about Brontë?"

"Oh, right," Shelley said. "I'm a grandmum. Brontë raised four owlets this past summer."

"Four, huh?" Marcus Silver mused. "Nice. Guess she did want to pair off there."

"I'm an owl matchmaker," Livia declared. "But I can't find a date to Tom's wedding."

"Do we know anyone of the right age who's single?" Shelley asked.

"If we did, you would have met 'im by now," Sheila answered.

"How about cousins or other family?" Shelley inquired.

"I can't think of anyone offhand," Marcus replied. "Witches and wizards often marry fairly young or not at all. Of course, not everyone."

"I see where I am headed," Livia admitted. "It beats having a father-in-law call you a liar and a bastard in front of you, though."

"Did Rodrick Spence call you those things?" Sheila queried, shocked.

"No, but he was thinking about it," Livia responded. "He got interrupted but likely said it later."

"I wish something would work out," Shelley said.

"I guess I have to hope Alice's great uncle has an idea," Livia asserted. "Because I lack any. It's my fault, though. The timing works to distract Tom and Alice from my graduation."

Livia made sure to get a postcard into the regular mail to reach her brother in Durham, so he would have no reason to worry. Livia and Shelley celebrated her birthday and spoke a lot about where she might wind up with Liam. Shelley hoped it would work out, but her parents would only approve if he promised to participate in Marcus Silver's scheme to hide if the Dark Wizard returned. Liam was far more of a fighter than that, so Shelley did not know what would happen.

"What if you did whatever the O'Neill family did?" Livia asked. "What are their plans?"

"They have more significant ties to the muggle world, and they might all go to Ireland."

"Wouldn't that essentially fit your father's wishes, if not replicate his desired arrangement? You would still be protected."

"I would think so," Shelley maintained. "Still, it's theoretical on more than one front."

"Why do you sometimes partner with him in our Potions class and sometimes with me?"

"Just based on how comfortable I am with whatever Professor Snape asks, though some of your off-script moves still baffle me."

"I just look at the state of the ingredients basically," Livia asserted. "It's very intuitive."

"It seems to upset Professor Snape, but he never finds anything wrong with the finished product," Shelley stated.

"Ding-ding-ding," Livia responded. "That's what bothers him. He can't criticize the results." They both laughed. Livia did not really like following the imposed narrative regarding him. That is, she sometimes wished she honestly said something about him. But she realized that would make her very vulnerable, as well as Professor Snape, so she maintained the façade.

The rest of the time passed pleasantly enough, albeit all too brief. Soon they would all gather their things and head to King's Cross to meet up with everyone and head back north. Everyone was there and happy to reunite. They could see not much remained to their school days. Several of them had begun to explore opportunities or begin discussions with career counselors. They partly envied Livia on how fixed that her path forward had remained. Still, despite their lamentations, few really wanted to stay there forever. The uncertainty became the cloud or the decisive break from a familiar routine. Young adult witches and wizards felt no differently in that regard than any muggle high school or college graduating student.

At some point, the discussion turned to Livia's continued private lessons with Professor Snape. They wanted to know what else she learned. She told them that she had trouble accepting his lack of telling her who her father might be, and she had not gotten the names from him yet. That clouded her desire to know much else about him personally. They accepted that point. They also had heard that the headmaster himself had watched a few of her dueling lessons with Professor Flitwick. They wanted to know if she had squared off against him yet. She said that yes, she had, but no, she had come nowhere near to matching him. He is uncommonly quick for an older man and he could exploit even the slightest weakness, she claimed. Nothing broke his focus, either.

The winter term proceeded much as the fall one had. Livia still simulated duels with Professor Flitwick, sometimes observed by the headmaster. They had brought up her status as illegitimate, and it did focus her on being more aggressive to prove herself. Her transfigurations become more complicated, and Livia successfully integrated some of them into dueling practice. For example, she put herself at eye level with Professor Flitwick unexpectedly and caught him off-guard. He rarely faced someone his own height. The headmaster liked the creativity in doing that. Livia still tried to wrest details from Professor Snape, either about the father candidates or, more importantly, what he did with the part of the prophecy that he heard. She saw a meeting with people she did not know and some conversation between him and the headmaster, but at that point could only see that Professor Snape's body language and demeanor became very agitated during the second encounter. Again, she used the excuse regarding her father's identity to explain discussions she saw. At one point, he asked her why the identity of her father had become an obsession of hers. He still did not wish to say anything.

"I guess because my brother is getting married and I still lack someone to bring to the event," Livia admitted. "I would rather fixate on this issue than the other one."

"How is it you cannot get a date for his wedding?" he asked.

"Because the pre-wedding dinner is Friday, 19 July, with the wedding and reception the next day," Livia answered. "That makes anyone in my own class unavailable. I'm hoping for a miracle from Alice's great uncle. I wanted to confess everything to my brother and perhaps do so with him telling Alice, also, but frankly showing up alone complicates the issue for me."

"You easily can dispatch that manipulative lying bully," he stated. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is that I may overreact and do something that ruins the day for Alice and Tom," Livia replied. "I know _she_ will try something. I don't know what it is. So I don't know how I will respond. There's one other problem I could solve with your help. I don't know the location precisely. If I went, couldn't I get there faster if you taught me how to fly without a broom?"

"Not a good idea, given how I learned," he responded. "That would raise a lot of eyebrows and suspicions about you. Too high profile. At any rate, I hope you find a resolution. She should not stop you. Maybe you can leave your wand in your room to limit what you can do."

Winter term seemed to fly by more than usual. Perhaps the reason revolved first around the fact that playlist took shape with some new songs by groups like R.E.M. – since John was sending a new CD shortly – as well as INXS and a few choices Alice had on her list from the Great Scots, which fed Livia a few ideas. Her own committee made Livia's job easy, since she merely had to get a few people to find old Beatles records like _Let It Be_. She also wanted a song called "More Than Words" on an album by the group Extreme.* With only little tweaks, the event almost ran itself, provided Livia's own property got stored right afterward. Really, maybe Percy Weasley had the only real active position, since promoting the event had to take some ingenuity or novelty – people still had to do something and Percy wanted to try new things in order to impress. Still, Reggie wanted a few novel things. She agreed to his views of several pieces they had not played. When he asked why she did not include other songs he liked, she said, "For the same reason I did not pick Metallica."

The break included plans for a last meetup at the Leaky Cauldron towards its end. No one wanted to dwell on it being a final anything, but they all acutely knew that they would never have another term break and chance to shop together and enjoy hanging out with each other. Whilst Shelley seemed to have a solid relationship with Liam by then, she opted not to invite him because she had other ideas about the eight of them spending a few days together. He understood and had timing issues with family obligations, so he would not have spent the entire time with them, anyway. Five in one room seemed a bit much, too. The group would wind up spending nearly a full week together. Livia wished they came up with more ideas themselves, as she thought they trusted her too much to figure out what to do over that long a span. She started considering a day trip to Windsor Castle or Hampton Court to essentially take most of a day to do either thing. Since that prior discussion of ghosts, the latter destination seemed preferable, especially since the school looked more like the former. The fact that they could just take a train from Waterloo, then walk a few minutes made it look doable. A film might take one night's activity, too, and she found an early screening of the biopic on The Doors* would be musically engaging, if not necessary accurate, according to surviving band members. She wanted to get tickets to a live show, too, and after consulting a few people, arranged for eight tickets to a showing of _Miss Saigon_.* Livia figured she would have to give some background on the show. That still left a few days, which Livia would have to gauge the others to see what they wanted to do. She tried to have a few options.

Meantime, she spent the first part of her break in Durham and attended one fitting of Alice in her wedding gown. Alice had rejected as too formal a gown from a relative, though she did think borrowing a family tiara and pairing it with a veil would work with the off-the-shoulder look she chose. She would keep the earrings and choker fairly small, given the crystal beading in the bodice and the tulle gathered to resemble roses on what partly covered her arms and the bodice where the beading did not interweave with a rose-like pattern. The skirt portion had some shimmer owing to its fabric and had some flounce but not oversized enough to be considered puffed-out. Alice could not call the gown understated, but she did not find it quite as ornate as her parents might have desired. It kept mostly to what flattered Alice, except that some might have preferred pure white on her versus the slightly off-white she chose, though such things hardly mattered to Tom. He basically told her to pick whatever she wanted that her parents would accept. He would go with a formal charcoal gray suit with tails. He just could not accept a top hat no matter what Bertie or his prospective father-in-law said.

Livia accepted an invitation for herself and one to give to Alice's Uncle Jack, though she had to stare at the "total guests" blank on the return card to think about whether she would put "1" or "2" there, if she put anything. Alice said they would mail them fairly soon anyway, so Livia acted as a sort of quality control when she pronounced them flawless and ready for mailing. Livia put them fairly quickly in her bag in a compartment to ensure they would not be curled or damaged. She hoped beyond hope that she did not have to fill in a "1," since she knew that would be the first thing Lydia would mention to her. She even considered using the Leaky Cauldron to help her, like asking the innkeeper, or a pub barman or waiter in Hogsmeade to try to find a date. Maybe she had to take out an ad in the paper. She wished Percy Weasley was two years older; he might have gone along with it – or Charlie a year younger. She had no desire to inquire about Professor Snape's "nephew," desperate though she had become. Sure, the idea would solve her problems, but he would not offer it and she would not ask. Too weird, too much an imposition. She just had to find another way.

She asked the Venerable Bede for an answer. She got no reply. Maybe putting "0" was all she could do. She did not like it, but her desire to keep Tom from becoming too adamant about her graduation had made the date desirable. She made her bed as far as that went. The repercussions did not feel terribly palatable, though.

Livia stayed quiet about it as Tom and Alice started getting overly excited about the wedding. They really got into it as they planned a trip to Keswick to celebrate Gary and Penny's nuptials and the opening of their new place. Tom every now and again would stop himself and ask about Livia's graduation, but she gently brushed him aside. "When I explain why, you totally will understand," she stated. "I do not feel ready to say much now. Alice's Uncle Jack will be there. Remember that and don't worry." Livia did not dwell over the graduation so much, thanks to the fact that so many of her friends also would have family there who looked kindly upon her.

Soon enough, she left Durham, for her last hurrah with her roommates. Again, she had arrived first and, over a drink, asked the innkeeper what he thought. He did not have any helpful ideas, though he greatly sympathized with her dilemma. He merely suggested maybe she could find a young employee in Diagon Alley that might work out for her. When her friends did arrive, they already had in mind to enter every store, whether they needed to buy something or not. Most of the clerks seemed to be young women, not men, and none of the small number of men seemed appropriate. They bought everything they needed, but Livia had no prospects.

The next day, they did a little sightseeing around town, such as Buckingham Palace, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Serpentine. It ended with the film Livia had chosen. The girls did not know what to make of the portrait of Jim Morrison in the film they viewed. Livia told him the actor playing him looked and sounded the part but the remaining band members did not like the one-sided negative aspect of the Morrison presented on screen. She also told them that his grave was in Paris and had attracted graffiti, like the film had shown. They all found such a display at least as strange as the character of Morrison. They did not know whether it represented a kind of following he would appreciate or find disrespectful. It sure lacked poetry and, if he had likened himself to be taken seriously as a poet, that kind of grave marking did not show such a thing. Debating this became an interesting topic to discuss over a few drinks at the Leaky Cauldron.

The next day marked the Hampton Court trip and the group spent a numbers of hours there, most trying to determine if Livia saw anything or connected with anyone. She had not, for whatever reason. Perhaps muggle ghosts differed. She could not say. Livia thought something lurked there but had no tangible evidence for this. The tour guide seemed honest and knowledgeable. The history of the place made it interesting to everyone, but since it did not connect to any real witches or wizards, no one had a real affinity for it. It did spur some discussion, though, on the trip back. Livia also took the opportunity to tell them all some background of the live show they would see the following night. They ate a late breakfast, and Livia sent a postcard to Tom. They also enjoyed a dinner near the theatre, which made the show easy to access. Everyone seemed to think death had become omnipresent for Livia; maybe she did not look forward to graduation. Most of them did, even as they knew most would head in separate directions. It did start becoming more pronounced that Ted and Athena as well as Selene and Terence had become more closely connected, perhaps explaining why they did not see graduation in terms of some sort of death.

The last few days Livia left open to them to decide what they wanted to do. A few wanted to see London from as many tube stops as possible, to appreciate the magnitude. They did manage to work in the Churchill War Rooms and Imperial War Museum as well as Madame Tussauds and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Livia also herself managed to pick up _Abbey Road_ and another record, with the former compelling the eight to find the street and cross it like the Beatles did, just to say that they did it. Livia was the only one brave enough to do it without shoes like in the famed album cover. She told them the legend behind that and why only a few ever truly believed it.

After a little people watching – and listening – they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron in preparation for the journey back to their last term of school. The group finally saw that Livia's moroseness had just as much to do with her pending wedding fiasco as the end of their time together. One just compounded the other. But no one could think of an adequate person to take and several still urged her to try to contact Liam's friend a.k.a. Professor Snape's "nephew." Neither Livia nor Shelley encouraged the idea. Shelley was the only one who knew his identity, in a way, though even she did not know the entire story.

All this swirling about her made many other things simple. Shelley agreed to leave Brontë in Scotland. She could get another owl and could not fail to see that Brontë wanted to stay there. Not knowing how long Sydney and Mel would remain in Hagrid's keep, it also seemed like Brontë could serve Livia for years to come. Hagrid also had become fond of her, making the decision to walk away without her easier. Moreover, Shelley liked thinking that Livia would have a reminder of her for a long time.

Professor Snape found he could get Livia to concentrate on various techniques to scramble one's memory, but whenever he got through these the focus remained on one object – he could read the wedding invitation card for Thomas James Woodcock to Alice Alexandrina West and the spots where Livia needed to fill in if she would attend and how many would attend. At some point, he knew she had pondered what to do at Durham Cathedral, too. He clearly saw her emerging albatross. Though he realized that it served her to block out anything else potentially problematic, since the ceremony posed no threat to him or her, he saw her utter fixation on it. He did not recognize that she also used it then to cloak her own agenda with him. It was her first real triumph in that department.

Livia again tried to hear what Professor Snape and the headmaster discussed. She could read him saying something about hiding some people, and it somehow related to the prophecy, which meant the boy she would meet next year. She did not know who he meant to hide. Somehow it related to the girl he lost? Was she part of the group? Livia had more questions but knew better than to ask. She realized that Professor Snape would never answer her truthfully. He meant to evade this entirely. That seemed obvious to her, as well as in the headmaster's request to her. She didn't know that he might have a reason to not tell her who her father might be.

The headmaster took on a more active role with Professor Flitwick in dueling lessons. He wanted to get her used to the idea of a two-on-one situation, though he switched who would be the more powerful of the two to get Livia to make that judgement, dispatch one to fight the other fairly. She also seemed to know, even though they had randomly decided almost last minute who played whom. Livia could anticipate and defend well and, if goaded, lash back. Her creativity finally emerged as a strength as did her misdirections. Whilst the headmaster was not ready to pronounce her ready to fight anyone, she had made steps forward and her obsession about her brother's wedding seemed to work to make her practice less forced, more idiosyncratic and more focused.

Schoolwork had become a refuge for Livia, and other than defeat a fully engaged headmaster, she handled everything else well. Her intuitions for Potions, Transfigurations, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts served her as well as when she met magical creatures. No one anticipated her having a single problem with her finals and graduating with her class.

Part of the reason she needed a refuge rested on the news that, though Uncle Jack had asked around, he could not find any good candidate to go with her to her brother's wedding. He sent back his invitation. He would bring his neighbor, Anne, who Renee had considered her best friend. He reassured Livia that both would also look out for her, but they could not solve her problem. She would have to go alone.

Livia filled out her return card, but made her "1" so oddly that reading it as a "1" or a "2" did not seem straightforward. Tom decided to set aside two places, just in case or at the last-minute she would not come alone. He knew she had loathed the idea, and if he thought about it much, it made him want to smack Rodrick and Ben Spence yet again, if she truly had written "1."

Finally, the night of the dance had come – the last piece of fun she could enjoy with her Ravenclaw roommates. She had a reasonably nice dress, but she made no pretense of looking for anyone. Most of her dances were with friends, be it Reggie, one of her roommates or a group. For a short time, Livia felt content to just watch, so she could capture in mind what the Great Hall looked like that last night they spent together. No tears, no longing for Ben – or even Bill – and no longing for Christopher Prince to come charging in on his white horse. Livia found this good enough and would have to use this as a kind of practice for the way Tom's wedding would go for her. She made the most of it. The fact that the last song was "U Can't Touch This,"* just gave a nice send off for the evening. She would have to make her own "Hammer Time," because as Prince wrote, "In this life, things are much harder than the afterworld; this life, you're on your own."*

The lights came up and Livia approached the tutor Sylvia Meadow's DJ booth and send her own CDs and player back to her room, where she returned. It seemed the two couples of the group remained somewhere on the grounds, as did Shelley. Livia then decided to get some more wisdom on her plight from Helena Ravenclaw, who had become more a student than a young woman interested in boys. Livia slowly understood why and took some consolation from Helena's struggles to distinguish herself on her own terms, which Livia also tried to do.

This gave Livia the perspective to get her life in order and stop fussing about what she could not control regarding her brother's wedding. Livia thus totally missed the commotion that went on at some point after the dance. Several members of the graduating Slytherin class, namely Loki Loth, Tim Yew, Bryan Stoddard and Cliff Grand launched a plot to break into the storage location of the dance's turntables, switcher, speakers and vinyl albums and smash them all of them to bits, as a nice send off to Livia Woodcock, the girl they loved to hate.

Thor Thornton overheard them and, having at least some sympathy towards Livia, decided after stewing for a short time to inform a tutor, then Professor Snape about it. Professor Snape decided to assemble a few of the staff who had assisted with the dance before interceding. That delay, as well as Thor's, gave the four a chance to destroy everything, including equipment used at the Winter Ball, though they also got caught red-handed as they finished. The staff alerted the headmaster, who decided to see all four of them. Professor Snape decided not to seek expulsions or other severe penalties; he let the headmaster decide what to do. The headmaster banned them from graduation ceremonies, wrote to their families and, if successful with their finals, would withhold their diplomas until each reimbursed the school for the full amount of the damages, since they had destroyed school property. Professor Flitwick found the headmaster's penalties agreeable, since the money could either rebuild what they had amassed over the years or go into a fund for another event.

No one wanted to inform Livia or anyone else about what happened. The headmaster knew Livia would take it very hard, which would not help her in her N.E.W.T. exams. He also felt that maybe, if she was going to become a tutor, this event should end, unless someone else really wanted to start all over. Given Livia had provided much of the technical information and put together the music, he had a hard time imagining that the event would occur again. He knew that would displease her. Professor Snape isolated the two participants from his Potions final, giving some excuse for this as he compelled Thor not to say anything to Livia. Thor had no problem with that. He felt bad that his delay might have given the four enough time to ruin all of those items, anyway.

Livia thus had no idea, since Professor Flitwick did not mention it to anyone, either. The headmaster knew that what happened would affect others besides Livia and, as such, no one said a word to anyone by forcing Loki, Tim, Bryan and Cliff to take all of their exams separate from everyone else. No other Slytherin except for Thor knew about this. The four were sent home very shortly after their exams, with clear instructions as to how their families would ever see their degrees and emphasizing the severity of their actions to the entire school.

In a final faculty meeting, the subject of awarding degrees to all the students in their last year came up and no one could find a single fault with Livia Woodcock's eight N.E.W.T. exams, which pleased the headmaster. He still wanted to work on some skills with her, anyway, whilst her writing abilities, long praised, gave her an obvious reason to stay and tutor students. The only question concerning him involved what type of tutor to make her. He asked Professor Flitwick about whether he wanted to keep her solely tutoring Ravenclaw students.

Professor Flitwick felt that, since Livia Woodcock tutored half her house as it was, he did not think it necessary to claim exclusivity on her. Of course, she would have time to tutor students in other things besides writing. To him, she had many things she could teach students open to her. He figured that Ravenclaw students naturally would seek her out, anyway, by the fact that she had been one of them. The students knew that. As an alumna, other faculty would have to make her an honorary member of each house if they wanted their own students to consult her. If they did, he did not object because he still could not entirely guess at her ceiling as a tutor or as a witch.

The headmaster found Professor Flitwick's generosity most welcome, since in his mind, it truly gave Livia a chance to give back to the entire school, not just Ravenclaw. So he put it to the heads of the other houses: will you accept her as an honorary member of your house? Professor Sprout spoke first, saying that Miss Woodcock had done well in her classes, perhaps even too well, since she had an intuitive knowledge of plants. Of course, Hufflepuff students would make the best use of her in other ways, and as such, she had no problem making her an honorary member of her house. The head of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall, if occasionally finding Miss Woodcock's transfiguration choices idiosyncratically pleasing to herself first, thought she had a lot to offer her students in finding their way or their written voice and agreed to also consider her an honorary member of her house. That left Professor Snape, who said idiosyncratic did not begin to describe his interactions with a student who could mimic his voice to his face and score perfectly on his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams. He would continue to work with her, if the headmaster deemed it appropriate and accepted the Slytherin legacy as an honorary member of his house.

"Of course, this also begs the question of who should tell her and Miss Silver about what has become of the music club records and devices," Professor Snape asserted.

"I think you and I should tell them," the headmaster suggested. "Along with everything else regarding Livia Woodcock. I would add Mr. O'Neill except that Miss Silver probably will want to tell him."

Meantime, all the members of Livia's room joyously celebrated their pending graduation. They had headed to Hogsmeade to have a few toasts together, before their families came and monopolized their time. Alice's Uncle Jack briefly made an appearance with his friend, Anne, a tall lady with medium to long greying blonde hair, but saw the eight wanted time to themselves so they left. The eight practically toasted every N.E.W.T. of everyone as well as Ted and Barry's birthdays, which put them in high spirits and a bit uncoordinated heading back to their room.

Yet upon their return, Professor Flitwick told Shelley and Livia to see the headmaster right away. The two looked at each other. What could he want? Both were a little off-kilter and had no idea what to expect. They merrily stumbled their way to his door.

Livia got a little better composure – or so she thought – and knocked. Both were asked to enter. The students found it bizarre to see the headmaster and Professor Snape waiting for them. Both men quickly realized what the girls had done in Hogsmeade. Many had done it before. They wondered how alcohol and this information would mix. Neither thought it would work well.

The headmaster told Livia and Shelley that he had withheld information about an incident of interest to both of them, involving several of Professor Snape's students. These students had broken into the storage area for their music club items, including all the albums, as well as related sound equipment, and had destroyed everything to devastating effect. Shelley gasped in horror.

"Who!?" Livia demanded of the headmaster. "I want to know who!"

"There were four: Loki Loth, Tim Yew, Bryan Stoddard and Cliff Grand," he disclosed.

"What about Thor – did he participate, too?" Livia asked.

"No, he told me about their plot," Professor Snape replied. "They were all caught on the spot but too late to fix the items which are likely beyond the repair of any of us."

"So that is why they did not take their exams with us?" Shelley asked.

"Yes," the headmaster admitted. "They have been sent home. They passed their exams. None will participate in graduation, and none will receive diplomas until each family reimburses us the full amount of what they destroyed."

"Is that it?" Livia asked.

"At the moment, yes," the headmaster revealed. "We thought both of you should know privately, but I did not want this information to come out until after your exams."

Shelley's brain had difficulty processing this. She realized those four specifically did this to hurt Livia. She grasped that they did not get expelled. She wondered how the event could continue, even with money to replace everything. "This is a bit much for me," Shelley admitted. "I need to leave before I get sick. I'm so sorry, Livia. It's just too bad you didn't turn them all permanently into the jackasses they are." Shelley bid them goodnight and threw up in a bathroom on her way back to Ravenclaw. Upon arrival there, she told the rest of them what she had just learned with Livia, who remained with the headmaster and Professor Snape.

"So what happens now?" Livia asked in a rough tone, unable to suppress her anger.

"The club probably has held its last dance, Livia," the headmaster said. "I doubt anyone remaining would know how to pull it off and, as a tutor, you should not really tell the club how. In fact, we cannot have a Winter Ball anytime soon, either, since they destroyed our equipmemt for that, too."

"So those asses win," Livia said. "I am supposed to just accept this and do nothing."

"They were punished and your property remains intact," the headmaster asserted. "You will have your own room as a tutor and possibly your own office. It might be for the best that a dance of muggle music does not become your legacy. You don't need a dance anymore, do you?"

"Why do I feel like you are rationalizing this for me, when I am pretty upset here?"

"I can understand that sentiment," the headmaster said gently. "They only hurt you if you let them. You still have the things your brother and his friends gave you."

"I still don't like it," she snarled at him.

"Since you are here and Shelley left, I should tell you about your duties next year," the headmaster explained. "You have been given honorary membership to every house and, as such, you now as a general tutor can work with any and all students who seek your help regarding anything."

"What if I reject part of this?" Livia inquired.

"What do you mean?" the headmaster asked, puzzled.

"How about I refuse honorary membership to Slytherin and refuse to tutor a single student from there?" Livia snapped, looking directly at Professor Snape. "You can credit Loki, Tim, Bryan and Cliff. That's _their_ legacy. I have nothing more to say. Good. Night." Livia stormed out.

"She might be 'off' tonight and unusually infuriated, but I can't say I blame her, Severus," the headmaster stated. "If you want her to change her mind, you probably will have to do it. She seemed rather perturbed and sounded a bit stubborn. I doubt I can help you. Good luck."

"Indeed, Albus," Professor Snape agreed. "She can be a great asset, and I would do my current and future students a disservice if I don't try. Goodnight."

He found her sitting on a stairway not far from the headmaster's office, still bitter and somewhat dizzy. Livia did not regret what she had said. She wondered how far she would go with it. She could not think straight. What a great way to end the year, she glumly said to herself.

"Miss Woodcock, don't you think it's wrong to take out on every other Slytherin student what four members of my house essentially did to you?" he asked.

"What if I don't care?" Livia objected. "They did not care about whoever else they hurt, be it Shelley, Liam or any student in your house."

"I know," he admitted. "We got there too late. There was just so much damage. In any case, the headmaster has a point. If you tried to re-establish this event, it likely marks you too much."

"Just ducky," she stated. "Could my life be any worse right now?"

"Possibly – if you didn't secure your own things, for example."

"Hmph," she snorted.

"So you meant what you said?" he inquired.

"When have I ever not meant what I said?" she rhetorically shot back at him.

He paused. "I think I know why you are especially hostile, and it isn't entirely about those four," he asserted. "Is it?"

"What, that isn't enough?" Livia questioned, practically shouting.

He paused and exhaled. He tried to think about the greater good of his own house. Here was a Slytherin legacy made a member of the house, and she had turned it down. Who knows what else she would refuse. She had a skill set that aided others and kept him sharp. She also helped him prepare for the academic year. Her prudence regarding the things she knew was beyond reproach, and he wondered if she would throw that away, too, because she was uncommonly irate.

"You do not leave me with much I can offer you to get over this," Professor Snape asserted, again pausing and exhaling hard. "If Christopher Prince agrees to accompany you to your brother's wedding, will you accept the offer of honorary membership to Slytherin and put this behind you?"

Livia eyed him suspiciously, narrowing her gaze. _Was he serious?_ She thought about it and tried to figure out his level of sincerity. She found at least some reluctance, but he felt cornered given how she could withhold her assistance, if not actually harm him. He did worry about that last part significantly. She had to be certain, however. He was an expert at lying. He already had proven that to her.

"Miss Woodcock, are you going to answer?" he asked.

"I have to determine if you are being sincere, or if you just want to annoy me more."

"What have you decided?" he inquired.

She paused for a moment, looking him over as carefully as she could in her state. "You are extremely reluctant to say this but sincere," she declared.

"Then what is your answer?" he queried.

"Okay," Livia replied.

* Author's Note

Rob Reiner's film of _The Princess Bride_ was released in 1987.

The Extreme song "More than Words," written by Gary Cherone and Nino Bettencourt, appeared on their 1990 album _Pornographiti_ though the group also issued it as a single in 1991.

Oliver Stone's 1991 film on "The Doors" appeared in the US in March and in the UK opened officially in late April.

The musical "Miss Saigon" opened in London in 1989. Based on Puccini's opera _Madame Butterfly_ , it features music by Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyrics by Alain Boubill and Richard Maltby, Jr.


	27. Graduation, Rehearsal Dinner, Confession

Livia got back to her room greeted by everyone asking her about why she had spent so much time away. She told them she needed time alone to digest what had happened. Shelley told her that she had gotten so upset that she already had thrown up in a girl's bathroom on the way back. Livia told her the headmaster tried to console her some, but she had not accepted it. She had left in a fit of rage instead.

Everyone felt dismayed that the Slytherin students did not get expelled, though they expected Professor Snape would not do it. There seemed to be a lot of commotion and Livia had a hard time following everyone's comments. Shelley did inform them that at least one of his students did tip him off, and he had caught the students responsible. "Why did they do it?" Ted asked.

"In a word, me," Livia answered. "The four caught will not surprise you: Loki Loth, Tim Yew, Bryan Stoddard and Cliff Grand. Common denominator – they hate me." _Why was I so focused on my exams to not see this coming?_

"As if it's your fault you're a better student and more talented," Don stated. "Sure wish you had gotten a chance to make them all 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses' – permanently."

"Maybe that's why they got sent home," Livia asserted. Some nodded. _It was. The headmaster and Professor Snape know me too well._

"I don't get their penalty," Athena said.

"Each family has to reimburse the school for destroying 'school property,' though we all know better," Shelley recounted. "Barring that, they never get their diplomas. They also got banned from graduation. Some do fine without the diploma, so who knows if any of them pay."

"At least it's something," Selene observed.

Just then Professor Flitwick stopped by to check up on his Head Girl and prefect. He brought something for all to eat, to calm everyone. He had made a well-timed visit, they told him.

"Shelley threw up on her way back from the headmaster's office, and I left in a righteous huff of my own," Livia said. "They wanted to talk about not wanting that event to be my legacy, even though I had never taken charge of it, and I had a few choice words about what legacy I thought should go to Loki, Tim, Bryan and Cliff."

"This does not sound good," Professor Flitwick posited. "I take it that you directed a lot of your anger at Professor Snape, then?"

"I did," Livia agreed.

"Do you blame him for what happened?" Professor Flitwick inquired.

"No, I faulted him for not severely punishing his own students," Livia replied. "We all know why they get away with so much. I was not too happy with the headmaster, either, though."

"I understand," Professor Flitwick responded. "You both worked hard at this event, and I do not see how it can continue now, even if all four families pay for the damages."

"That is my issue," Livia assented.

"I hope you two and everyone here will be okay now," Professor Flitwick declared. "We should all have a wonderful graduation ceremony without them, in any case. Livia, would you step outside for a moment, I want to ask you some things pertaining to you becoming a tutor here."

They went into the hallway, where he repeated what had occurred at the faculty meeting and wanted to know if this incident had changed her view of it. "For a time, it did," she recounted. "I have made my peace with Professor Snape over it, difficult though it was."

"Well, I doubt too many of his students will seek you out, anyway, versus those I may send to you or come to you of their own accord," he stated. "You may want to have something on hand for those who seek you out, in case they want to discuss a problem as much personal as academic. You will see plenty of those – especially from students in Professor Snape's classes. Since you deal with him better than most, which I suspect has given him fits at times, they should come to you. I cannot recall anyone who scored perfectly on his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams."

"With him, that sure has been a 'Magical Mystery Tour'," Livia observed. He looked perplexed. She added, "It's a reference to a song title by the Beatles."* She had to sing some of it before he understood. Livia sometimes forgot that even Professor Flitwick might not get a reference like that whereas someone like Gary would have laughed greatly, if he got the context.

"Well, I feel somewhat put out, too," he admitted. "So maybe I should hear your now infamous impersonation of him."

Livia gave him a few lines of him tearing into someone for sloppy work and a bad potion. Professor Flitwick practically giggled. "Oh, jolly good," he said. "I needed that. Goodnight. By the way, once you graduate, start calling me by my first name. It will be so more congenial. Not every faculty member will say this, but I prefer it, because a tutor and an instructor should have a good relationship. Technically, a graduate qualifies for the high table, though you are not faculty and almost never sit in the Great Hall. Anyway, just don't say this in front of students."

Livia re-entered the room, and they all wanted to know about what they had discussed. Livia told them that Professor Flitwick had planned on making her services available to all the students, not just those in Ravenclaw. A few found that outrageous, especially the thought of helping a Slytherin student. "I know, I balked at that initially myself," Livia affirmed. "I got some resolution out of it – call it a concession of sorts. I bargained for a few perks."

After all that excitement, everyone slept pretty well. The Great Hall seemed quite empty since the only students left behind awaited graduation ceremonies. Livia made sure that Sydney brought Tom a birthday card. She told him that she would spend a few extra days there beyond her graduation, but she would see him at dinner on Friday, 19 July at Lumley Castle and got the time confirmed. She additionally told Tom that he would get to meet the elusive Christopher Prince. She also contacted Uncle Jack, who would miss the dinner but arrive later that evening. Livia figured that, perhaps not perfect, his presence might make it easier to tell both Alice and Tom why she kept them from her school. Livia would have to ask Christopher, she supposed. In the meantime, she thought of buying both a wedding card and putting money in it. Unfortunately, she could not make the monetary exchange in Hogsmeade, as she hoped. She got tied up at various families showed up for the graduation ceremony. All of her roommates's families, especially the Silvers, greeted her warmly and with gratitude. She ultimately introduced them to Uncle Jack, whose grandniece would soon marry her brother. He explained his part of the story and said that he thought Livia essentially gave him a chance to know parts of his family again that he had not seen in about two decades.

Graduation day went very well. Livia felt glad not to be alone, in terms of the crowd or her fellow students. All of her roommates's families interacted with her and Uncle Jack. In congratulating Reggie, she got to meet his family and the Tonks family, since Reggie and Dora had become good friends. She even got to meet some members of Charlie Weasley's family that she never had met, such as his parents and his youngest siblings. Charlie mentioned to them that she knew the twins, Percy and Bill. The girl, named Ginny, really perked up at hearing Bill's name. Livia could tell she really missed him. Livia told her that she had an older brother she highly regarded and understood how the girl felt. Charlie fortunately did not say too much about how Bill and Livia had got on, just that they knew each other well. The youngest boy, Ron, seemed distracted, asking when they would get to eat.

Livia had a hard time saying goodbye to her roommates, even though they all knew how to contact her since she would remain at the school during the year. All the girls held onto each other for quite a while. She looked at them with fresh eyes. Shelley grew and seemed so shapely. Ted had started to fill out and remained taller than anyone. Selene's hair over the years darkened and her lenses got less obtrusive. She had become more athletic-looking while remaining thin. Athena looked more confident yet still petite. Shelley told Livia she left Brontë behind as a present to her as well as Brontë. Livia hugged each of the boys in turn, though longest with Ted, who told her how much he would miss her singing. They all hoped they would have reason to return and run into each other again, even if a few swore Livia would run the whole school by then.

She saw them all off as they collected all their things and headed to the waiting train to take them back to London. She stayed on the platform till she could not see any of them or the train anymore and she stood utterly alone. Professor Flitwick left her a note in her room that he would show her the room assigned to her for the 1991-92 year, as he had a few things to attend to before he left himself. Livia could start moving her things there the next day. For the rest of the day, she remained solitary in a room mostly vacant. Her friends, up until just a short time previously, had given the room life and meaning. She really understood "White Room" from the perspective of blankness and had to play the song, using Jack Bruce to ventilate her obvious loss.

The next day, Livia found breakfast sent to her and Professor Flitwick, insisting she now call him Filius, took her to her new room and gave her some details regarding her upcoming orientation to her new role. She received a small single room with a tiny sink installed and a single bed with a desk and chair, wardrobe and window. Livia immediately set into transferring her belongings to the room and arranging them to suit the layout of the room. She created a shelfing system for her CD player, her CD collection, along with her Discman, Walkman and tapes. As she arranged things in her closet, she thought about what she might bring to her brother's pre-wedding dinner, the ceremony and the reception, as well as whatever she might require afterward, since it seemed likely she would housesit Abby for the time that Tom and Alice spent in Italy. She decided she liked the deep red silk dress but changed the color to a midnight blue and made it a gown, so it would work for the reception. A more simple, if elegant, now pale blue gown, altered from her ball date with Ben, would work for the wedding itself, and she altered another dress, the black, lacey one, to more of a deep amethyst for the dinner. She had some clothes in Durham, so she only worried about a few informal things to wear. She carefully wrapped accessories like her marcasite hairclip and shoes, which color she could change as needed. Then she remembered the card she had not gotten or the money. She considered apparating to the Leaky Cauldron to buy a card in London and get some money from the wizarding bank in sterling when she heard a tap at her new window. It was the owl Ellen who left her a simple note to come to the potion room as soon as she could. Ellen seemed to know she need not wait for a response, so Livia hardly had to inform her.

Livia quickly made herself appear in the room. Professor Snape stood in his inventory closet by it and began handing her things to empty. Livia wondered what to think of this. Did he forget or had he lied to her? It seemed like he did not want to look at her. As she cleaned out some items with her back to him he asked if she had packed for her journey. She told him that she had done so whilst setting up her new room. She had forgotten something important, however. She wanted to buy the bride and groom a card and put money in it. He told her it would not be necessary because she could buy a card where they had to go, and he could lend her whatever she needed.

Livia found that comment stunning. "I appreciate your offer, sir, but…"

"There will be more than enough time to waste between arriving in that town and checking into any establishment. Besides, I put you to work every year. If I paid you for it, you would have more than enough money, I would think. How much did you want to give them?"

"I thought I could give them £800."

"Quite a sum for a recent school graduate. You really have that?"

"I can be shrewd when I need to be – and both Tom and Alice typically gave me too much money for things I cannot buy here. I usually put the excess in the bank. The Silvers also gave me money to manage – really all of my roommates did at some point – since they did not comprehend using sterling for a time. I tried to return the excess there, too, but no one then took the money back. You also have to know how much money I made when Bill Weasley's date bailed on him at that one Winter Ball. So I can pay you back, yes."

"I understand you have an unusual talent for shrinking things when you travel."

"Yes, I do, sir," Livia acknowledged. "It became most useful when traveling to Durham."

"That will help. Can you shrink yourself similarly?"

"How about as a cat? They're pretty small."

"No, that will not do," he stated. "You'll claw me and I might drop you."

"Are you regretting not teaching me to fly without a broom?" Livia asked.

"Yes and no," he assessed. "Temporary convenience cannot outweigh a risk of discovery." He paused. "I will come to your new room before dawn. Make sure you get enough sleep. You can figure out how to arrange the bags when I get there. Make sure you wear something with secure pockets or ways to ensure nothing gets dropped. I am not sure if you will slow me down or not."

Livia left him shortly thereafter, still puzzled at how matter-of-factly he spoke yet barely looked at her. One might have thought he vaguely knew her when she had spent hours alone with him over the years. His reluctance came back to her. He had an odd awkwardness plus a more familiar brusqueness. She remembered how he was when she turned 14. Again, he had an issue just having a personal conversation. Yet during her work, and even many of her pranks, he never acted this way, and she knew more about him than she had told anyone, even the headmaster. She did not entirely understand the problem, though she knew it belonged entirely to him.

Livia found herself able to maximize the sleep she got the night of 18 July and wee hours of 19 July. She blocked out her confusion and slept so soundly that she awoke quite startled to a hard knock at her door. She used her wand as a light, got out of bed, said she was awake and quickly put on clothes suitable for traveling. Then she opened the door. It seemed his academic gown must have helped him fly since he strangely wore it. He entered the room with a black bag. He watched her shrink it to a small size and put it inside her own, then continued to minimize the size of both, except for a strap that she fashioned into a type of choker necklace she secured around her neck, then tucking the visible bag under her own collar. She then buttoned up the neckline to be almost under her chin, so the choker did not remain visible. She put her wand into a zippered pocket where she kept a small amount of British currency. He seemed satisfied.

Livia followed him to a part of the grounds where he often came and went from the school. He directed her to place one arm over his shoulder inside the gown, through a kind of band on the back of his jacket and use the other arm to grip him from the waist in such a way that her hands met near the loop. She had to clasp one hand with the other. This would provide the most security. She should not cease holding her own hands until they arrived. Since he was sizably taller than her she would bury her head in his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, steady and loud. Without much warning he became airborne. Part of her wanted to see this, part of her did not want to move even slightly, lest it disturb him. Her timidity or careful side won. The only thing he asked involved confirming the location where he needed to find a place to land.

Livia clutched him very tightly and firmly gripped her hands. She had no idea if he had taken any precautions if she messed that up. She did not want to find out. She asked him if she held on well enough. He quickly said yes. At some point, Livia realized that this adventure must rank right up there with petting Professor McGonagall's animagus for strangeness and figured that this accounted for his odd behavior earlier. It also occurred to her that anyone this close to him likely spooked him – unless she was the girl with red hair. Perhaps he had lacked physical contact with anyone for a long time. She could not remember the girl hugging him, certainly not anything like this. Livia wondered how close he ever had gotten to her, despite his obvious attachment and guilt regarding her. Maybe the guilt insulated himself and pushed anyone else away. She could think of a number of things besides guilt that would produce that response, too.

Livia kept her thoughts to herself. He seemed not to notice because he had more pressing matters to consider. He scanned the area as they traveled, and it seemed he had found the right town. He just needed to find the right place to land. He had found a small clearing among a grove of trees and set down not far from the River Wear. Livia released him and asked him if he wanted something to eat. He looked at her strangely, as if thinking _I am not an owl._ She produced a type of energy bar she had first conjured for Live Aid. Livia ate it herself. The fact that Livia did not even need a wand for this amazed him. He then remembered that she had done this before.

He told her they needed to start walking away from the castle to find a bank branch of Barclays in town. Since he had inherited some money and owned his family house, he had maintained an account with them. First, though, he requested that she transform their apparel into something more appropriate. She transformed his clothes into black street clothes, a button-down shirt and jeans and his gown became a cobalt-blue, thin sweater, with deep inside pockets, including one for his wand. Livia saw no need to alter his footwear. She wore more summer clothes, including a type of pedal-pusher jean, flat sneaker and a high neck, mustard gold mock turtleneck with a thin navy blue sweater. She had deep inside pockets, including one for her wand. She asked if she could slightly change his hair, which she made a little shorter and angled in front. He asked to see it and she made her a hand a mirror. He seemed to accept it, if he appeared totally unlike himself. He also asked where he could find things he would need for the bank withdrawal and the vials he kept on him. She located all, and he shifted them to inside pockets.

"I am glad this is okay by you, sir," Livia stated.

"I don't think you should call me that," he observed.

"Then what?" she asked.

"I am going to be giving you money, so just call me Uncle Severus at the bank," he replied.

"Okay. Have we spent enough time here?"

He nodded. They slowly made their way to a road. They passed by a store that sold various party materials. It had just opened. Livia motioned that they should enter. She found and bought a card and they left. The bank branch stood a short distance on the other side of the street. Livia ensured they crossed at a marked intersection. It seemed that he forgot about some of these things, even though he had spent much of his own childhood in this world. She felt entirely comfortable, negotiating this world every year. Still, Livia remembered because she remembered everything.

She carried the little bag with the card when they entered the bank. He showed the teller his bank card after filling out a withdrawal slip. It seemed that he had memorized his account number. The teller asked for ID and then requested his signature. He had taken out £1,500, in case either needed money at some point. He gave Livia £800, which she placed inside the envelope. Livia proclaimed, "Thank you, Uncle Severus," as they walked away from the teller. Since she had not signed the card, she merely folded the envelope with the money and card inside of it.

They made their way back to the wooded area and found a simple way to traverse the Wear. Both sat down, not knowing how much time had to pass to check in. Livia produced more food. After eating, he finally looked at her squarely. "The time likely has come for me to do this," he asserted. "Behave yourself, okay? I cannot exert control over what I cannot really remember."

Livia agreed, nodding. He took a number of drops from a bottle he produced from an inside pocket. The transformation took place in perhaps five minutes or less. Sitting before her again sat the young man she called Christopher Prince. "Well, hello there, Livia," he said. He immediately hugged her. "Good to see you again. Are you ready to do this?" Livia nodded again.

Livia described to Christopher the various people he would meet and what they were like. She told him that they knew his name owing to that whole episode the previous year with Ben Spence, which had upset her brother greatly. They also believed that his uncle taught at her school. Then she got to what she considered her greatest concern.

"I must warn you," she declared. "My alleged sister Lydia will try something tomorrow. Not sure what it is, but I need you to watch her in case I can't do so constantly. If she does not target the bride, which I doubt, it will be me. I need another set of eyes just for that. I also think I need to tell my brother exactly why I have acted so secretly, though I am hoping the bride's Great Uncle Jack will help me, too. He should arrive tonight."

"I got you, whether he arrives or not," Christopher reassured her. "I am ready. You are ready to do that, too, right?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed.

They walked through the grove and at one point he took her hand to get over some rocky terrain and never let go. He told her he took his responsibility to look after her seriously, and whether that night or the next no one would mistake him regarding that. He would convince them completely, so that no one would ever worry about her. He wanted to be sure that she knew that.

 _Ah, he's warning me about his performance, much like the club dance and Ben._

The two walked up to Lumley Castle fairly early in the afternoon, neither knowing if they arrived too soon or what. Livia inquired about their policies and found out she had not arrived first but before most others, including the bride and groom. Compared to the school, Lumley Castle may have not seemed extremely large or impressive, but as a 600 or so year old castle with the amenities of a major hotel, it definitely counted as impressive in and of itself. The staff knew that the groom wanted her to have a special room, one with easy access to everything as well as one offering great comfort. The staff might have put her in a smaller, less elegant room, but they found that of the caliber of room Tom wanted for her, they had just one at the time available. They would have reserved it for an official member of the bridal party or parents had not the groom insisted to Alice's parents that the only reason why Livia had not agreed to serve as a bridesmaid had to do with her discretion. She did not wish to ruin the day by antagonizing one of Tom's sisters, the one not in the bridal party. Having heard from Bertie how poorly that girl could act, they readily agreed and found it admirable that Livia stepped aside for this reason alone. It seemed the least they could do was provide one of the best rooms for her as a way to thank her for prioritizing the bride's day.

The staff told Christopher and Livia that the Earl of Somerset Room could accommodate them immediately and made the formal request that they accept the room. No one at the hotel expected anyone would turn this room down, unless they preferred the King James Suite, which the bride and groom would occupy. Livia learned it had only one sizable four-poster, curtained large bed on a platform, which caused her to look directly at Christopher before saying anything, thinking he would want his own room. He asserted that it sounded quite fine and that he looked forward to seeing the room. The desk clerk then inquired about their lack of luggage and he told them they would bring it inside after claiming their room.

Thus they each received keys and another staff member led them to a stairwell that would take them to the second floor. He also directed them as to how to reach the King James Suite and the Northumbria room. The Northumbria room, they learned, was a spectacularly ornate dining area with patterned walls, a tan-colored wainscot high ceiling and candle lit chandelier that seated up to 40 guests. The rehearsal dinner would take place there later that evening, starting at 19:30, after the bridal party returned from their run-through of the service at St. Mary and St. Cuthbert Church. They also learned the families also planned a Sunday brunch at the hotel, too. Once inside the room, Livia began the process of removing her "choker" and making their luggage the proper size, so they had everything they needed. Christopher surveyed the bathroom and eventually took a seat in one of the rich, oversized burgundy chairs. Livia folded a few of her things over the railing surrounding the platform around the bed as to not have her dresses drag on the carpet; she later placed them in a closet. She put her shoes and other accessories in a nearby drawer. She set aside the bag with Christopher's things, but he merely slid it beneath his chair. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "We have a lot of time before we need to get ready for dinner."

Livia noticed the telly and saw she could make it play a film. She momentarily disappeared then reappeared, holding a videotape. "How about we watch this?" she countered. Livia had gotten Tom and Alice's copy of _Monty Python and the Holy Grail.*_ "It's my brother's favorite film."

The best viewing area for the tape happened to be sitting in the bed, so Livia took her shoes off and climbed into it. Christopher did the same. She asked him if he wanted popcorn. He confessed to not knowing that particular item. She conjured it herself and they settled in. She explained a few historical references, such as the peasant's complaint about not voting for King Arthur and "being repressed." They sat very close to each other. Christopher seemed to really like the gag about a villager being turned into a newt before he got better. _Well, at least I got him to laugh._ Christopher later seemed fascinated by the taunting French guard atop a castle wall. Livia knew why; he didn't. She had said this very thing to Professor Snape years ago when he had no clue what she had referenced. The launching of the cow against the Arthur and his knights really finished him, though, in terms of laughing. Livia thoroughly enjoyed doing this, with her only issue being that, despite what the headmaster told her, it wasn't quite real. The taciturn, shy man she had seen earlier was the person reclining next to her, though by becoming the man he wished he had become years ago, he had rid himself of his torment and the vulnerability that festered. Somewhere, within that figure, Professor Snape allowed this young man to laugh. He had forgotten himself, his burdens and the brooding, caustic disfigurement his past had made him endure. He could just be, and Livia would not spoil that for him. She loved hearing him laugh and said nothing.

Christopher had a few questions about when the film came out and the actors who played various parts. Livia told him that the troupe went back more than 20 years and that, though a favorite of many, this film hardly represented their entire body of work. Episodes of _Monty Python's Flying Circus_ ,* which aired on the BBC, had obtained cult status in many other parts of the known world here. She regretted not conjuring up some of their best sketches that she had seen with her brother. Christopher noted that they likely lacked the time to view more. Livia returned the tape as he disposed of the empty popcorn tub that they had shared. Livia could have stayed in that bed with him all night, which seemed a very strange thought. She had no idea how he felt, honestly. She normally found him challenging; adding the rather complicated process of detangling the mask from the real made the task daunting. She did not know where the mask ended and the real began. Her best guess remained that this mask allowed inhibited aspects of himself to see the light of day, and that their time together was more real than he ever wanted her or anyone to know. Then again, that may have constituted flattering herself with what she wished to be true, despite the fact that she didn't exactly wish for it. Could she really say that she did?

She took her lacey jersey, now very deep amethyst dress and put it on in the bathroom whilst he changed his clothes in the room and swallowed additional drops of his potion. She had also brought the means to use her marcasite diamond hairclip, though it did not entirely coil her wavy deep brown hair. It provided decorative interest more than tight restraint. She had a few items of jewelry from Alice and some of the other bridesmaids that she used to create an understated, yet elegant, effect. She used her wand to make her face appear more formally accented to blend in with the kinds of makeup the other women would wear. She fashioned her shoes to compliment her dress color. She also made sure she had a small, long handbag, where she put her wand. Before leaving she made sure Christopher and she both signed the card and sealed it, with him placing it in his interior jacket pocket. In the opposite pocket he carried what constituted his wand, which of course meant Professor Snape's wand.

Livia and Christopher arrived in good time as some of the other guests had just begun to file in. Livia began introducing Christopher to Alice's parents, her cousin Bertie and his fiancée Kate as well as Gary and Penny, who she congratulated on their wedding and their new business in Keswick, which Gary left to a friend to mind for the days that he and Penny spent away. They both agreed the place had gotten off to a promising start, with most locals continuing to go there. Formal dining clothes agreed with all of them.

Both of them seemed genuinely enthusiastic to meet Christopher. "So you're the bloke," Gary said. "So glad you could join us. I have known this girl for about six years. She deserves a lot better than what she's had thrown her way over the years. I hope that includes you."

"Yes, sir," Christopher affirmed. He sounded a bit like he was a soldier taking orders.

Then Livia saw Audrey and Jake enter, greeted them and introduced them to Christopher. They also warmly welcomed him. Livia asked about their daughter, Amanda, and they brimmed with excitement about every little thing she did. Audrey also felt great that she had lost all of her baby weight and would look decent for the ceremony as matron of honor. Livia told Christopher that Audrey and Jake had shared a place in Durham with Tom and Alice. "Nice how that all worked out," he noted. Then came John and Lesley along with Adam and Linda. She told Christopher that John and Adam had been friends with Tom from their days growing up in Framlingham. "Oh, yes," Christopher acknowledged. "The four of you attended Live Aid together, right?"

"Indeed," John affirmed. "My father scored the tickets of a lifetime. Do you still have that poster in your Durham room of that bloke from Live Aid, Livia?"

"I do," Livia admitted.

"You're in trouble, Christopher," John teased. "He was her first love – or infatuation, at least. We won't forget, Livia." Livia blushed. _He could have said worse, anyway._

Cathy and Doc then showed up and she introduced Christopher to Tom's older sister, who also would serve as a bridesmaid. Both also greeted him warmly, telling him how glad they were to meet him. Cathy told him they had seen her alone at too many events, so this was a nice change.

Tom and Alice came next and Livia almost ran to Tom to hug him, then Alice. They were so happy to see that she had arrived and looked so good. Tom still felt guilty that he had not attended her graduation, but Livia reassured him that Uncle Jack had gone, and it went well. Livia then introduced Christopher to both. Tom embraced Christopher, glad to meet him and profusely thanked him regarding that horrible dance event. "I would have wanted to punch him out myself, and I should know better." Alice hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks. "We are both so fond of Livia that we cannot thank you enough. Very glad you could join us, and we could meet you."

Finally, Rev. Woodcock and his wife, Emma, arrived. The reverend seemed very enthusiastic to see Livia and meet Christopher. Mrs. Woodcock seemed merely polite. At dinner, she would grill her husband as to why Livia and her boyfriend attended but not Lydia and her date. Rev. Woodcock had a simple answer: "That is what Tom and Alice wanted and what the Wests agreed to do. This is not your wedding, Emma, remember. Tom served as Livia's guardian for the past six years. They have a close relationship. Lydia has seen Tom maybe six times over that span."

Livia sat next to Gary during the meal, and he asked her about her preparedness to sing. She replied that she would do it if he would. He said he was ready and could not wait to meet the band. He asked Christopher if he knew about Livia's talent as a mimic. He admitted that he had heard her and called her impersonation of his uncle quite impressive, from what he recalled.

"She imitates your uncle?" Gary asked. "Oh, that could be hysterical. Or dangerous."

"Or both," Christopher quipped. They laughed.

Livia considered it a good thing that she had told Christopher that Gary liked a good laugh long before they had gone to the dining room. Everyone seemed elegantly dressed, though not overly fussy. Fortunately, Livia and Christopher did not seem overdressed or underdressed. Indeed, Christopher's suit seemed more traditional than what several groomsmen wore, other than Bertie and John. They first ate a lovely risotto dish that, while not complicated, often tastes underwhelming if the rice does not come out perfectly. Clearly, the head chef knew how to do this well. The rest of the meal consisted of the signature beef fillet dish, a cheese platter, then a white chocolate cheesecake. The Wests knew how to do well by their only daughter (their twin sons remained too young to attend this event, the parents maintained). They had sampled everything and got exactly what they had previewed. Gary had everyone toast them for the wonderful meal as well as toast the bride and groom for success tomorrow. Livia learned that they both had their things in the King James Suite, but Tom would have his own room for the night and for his groomsmen to get ready for travel to the church together. Alice would have the bridesmaids come to the suite to dress and have professional hair and makeup people prepare them. A pair of photographers would work in both rooms simultaneously then cover subsequent events together.

Livia at some point looked at Christopher, as he took more elixir drops, and he backed her going ahead. She took Tom aside and told him that she wanted to talk with both he and Alice in their suite. She thought the time had come to tell him why they had never seen her school. She also hoped Alice's Uncle Jack would come there when he arrived. When Livia, Christopher, Alice and Tom got to the suite, Tom called down to the front desk with a message to give to Alice's Uncle Jack, either in his room or when he arrived to come to the King James Suite as soon as he could.

Livia asked them all to sit. Even Christopher sat, as he only lent moral support. This revelation had nothing to do with him. First, Livia gave them the full name of the school she attended – being named for teaching witches and wizards. Tom and Alice were shocked. She explained they might be unable to see the school even if in the area. Lacking these talents, it may elude their notice. Tom thought Livia must be joking – Gary must have put her up to this. No, she said. Since she had become old enough, she could show them things she could do. She took her wand out and conjured her full Patronus. "What was that?" Alice asked.

"Looked like a bobcat to me," Tom observed.

Indeed, Livia said. Yet it had special abilities to ward off some negative creatures. She showed other things she could do, like shrink items, retrieve things, even from her room, and send them back or retrieve things from Tom's house and send them back. She then apparated to the Durham house. They looked at Christopher. "You know about this, I take it?" Tom asked.

"My uncle is the Potions Master there and tutors me, so yes, I know all about it," he replied. "My skills developed later than Livia's, but she is considered highly gifted there, as well as here. I understand she is the first person who scored perfectly on both of my uncle's formal exams. If he was a little less obstinate, he might admit that she is the most gifted student that he has ever taught to date, and that includes his own tutoring of her on things other than potion making."

Livia returned with Abby. "I think you know your own cat."

"Oh my," Alice began, "that sure is Abby."

"Blimey," Tom stated. "Is speaking to animals part of this?"

"Not exactly," Livia answered. "All the people there use owls for messages. There is even a place to buy pet owls for this. But I think I am unusual in being able to converse with them and not have to domesticate an owl to carry mail. I feed them and they do me favors. They like me."

Livia made sure they pet the cat to see that Abby was real, rather than some trick, then further explained that she could not teach speaking to an animal nor have it taught to her. Both Alice and Tom remained stupefied, even as they listened and at times spoke. Livia told them she could not travel like that until she had reached 17 and passed an exam guaranteeing her accuracy.

Finally, after returning Abby, Livia transformed herself into a tabby Siberian cat and jumped onto an ottoman of the luxurious, burgundy-dominated sitting room. Just then came a knock at the door. It was Alice's great uncle. Uncle Jack greeted everyone, and they warmly did the same. Before Tom could ask anything, Uncle Jack said, "Oh, you brought your cat, Abby, too."

Just then Livia jumped off the ottoman and returned to being herself and hugged him. "Hi, Uncle Jack. I am so glad to see you."

"So that's what you registered," he responded. "Very realistic. Excellent details."

"You know about this?" Alice asked.

"Of course," he confirmed. "That's why I married Renee and stayed in Scotland. Your parents do not know the whole story, but various deceased relatives could not accept her or accept me as I am. I am the same as Livia, which is why I happily attended her graduation. I hoped for many years that someone related to me would go there. I'm just sorry Renee did not live to see it."

"You can do these things?" Alice asked, still taken aback.

Uncle Jack became a Jack Russell dog and shortly thereafter returned to himself. "I cannot do quite as much as I did when I was younger, but on my good days, when less tired, I can still lick quite a few nasty people. I was a competitive duelist once, if not consistently as good as Livia's head of house. Let's compare wands, Livia." Tom and Alice found this display jaw dropping.

"This is why I ducked Lydia, Tom," Livia asserted. "My only fear was that she would get under my skin, and I would get upset and do something I should never do, especially in public."

"That would have been a crime in our community if Livia were underage," Christopher added. "There are penalties for such actions. Still, I think she did your sister a favor, and she will never know it. Ask Livia what she did to two boys who tried to taunt her at school."

"What did you do, Livia?" Tom asked.

"I cursed them as 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses' and that's exactly what they became," Livia revealed. "They had heads like rats, they had fleas, they could not speak and their bodies possessed all the characteristics of donkeys. It was hilarious seeing them trying to eat like that."

"Wait, that story was literal?" Tom rhetorically asked, shocked. "Blimey."

"Transfiguring a human being is not easy to do, either," Christopher stated. "She should have gotten extra credit. That task takes a lot of talent, especially using several things at once."

"That it does," Uncle Jack added. "Most impressive, Livia. They should have been scared."

"I cannot say if I timed telling you this well," Livia asserted. "I needed some support to confess all this, since it is a lot to take in. But now you know how I escaped serious injury at Colindale and how I fed your friends at Live Aid. The drugstore visit I made was just a ruse. You also know how I hid those tickets and how the headmaster found me. He is most powerful. I am the same person, Tom. Just now I am trained to maximize the nascent talents I had since birth."

"Your caution makes sense; this is a lot," Tom observed. "So Ted, Shelley and the rest…"

"All like me," Livia finished. "In fact, you can debate what bothered Ben's father more – that I did not know my parents or that you and Alice essentially became my parents."

"I think it is part of the same thing," Uncle Jack asserted. "I met the Spence boy, who seemed likeable enough, but I know the type like his father. He did not want to accept Livia because she can't claim a bloodline. His son became a sacrificial lamb to his ambitions. It's not unlike royal or aristocratic families insisting that a boy marry a woman of equal or superior standing or great wealth, no matter his feelings or how insignificant she is. On top of this, he couldn't control Livia."

"That's why he grilled me," Livia stated. "That's also why he was so cold to you."

"If you had a parent or parents with these abilities, why were you given up?" Tom asked.

"I was not part of my birth mother's plans," Livia answered. "She wanted to be an actress but lacked sufficient talent, except for mimicking other actresses's voices to reject certain parts. She got caught. Getting pregnant gave her an excuse to explain her inability to gain roles. The only thing she wanted from my father, who apparently attended Hogwarts as well, was the ability to save various potions he possessed, so she could use them herself to live off the wealth of men like Bertie. She feigned the effects but retained the potions to study and replicate."

"I gather you know a lot about your mother," Tom observed. "How about the father?"

"I don't know that much yet, like a name," she replied. "When was the right time to tell you all of this? I have stewed over it. In fact, some people urged me to never tell you, thinking it too risky, even though there are contracts usually about maintaining secrecy. Usually, parents sign them, which wasn't exactly applicable here. You suspected magic way-back-when, but you probably meant tricks or illusions."

"When is a good question," Alice stated. "I remember you well, Uncle Jack, though I was very young. I was so sad when you stopped seeing us, and no one spoke of you. Now I understand."

"I need time to process this and talk with Alice," Tom responded. "I gather you do not want us to tell anyone else, yes?"

"Correct," Livia affirmed. "It was a lot to tell you both. I would like to keep it quiet, whether we do it formally or not."

"That is the reason, as I follow this, that Livia wanted to tell you both," Christopher interjected. "She believed she could trust you without the formal protocol. If you ever thought that she did anything unusual, you have your explanation for it."

"Like leaving Durham at dusk," Tom recounted.

"Yes," Livia confirmed. "At the time, underage, I was more limited in how I could travel."

"And visiting Shelley and being near London," Tom suggested.

"A bit of the same problem," Livia said. "We traveled by a special train that I cannot show you, even if I wanted to do it." Every word started faltering just a bit. No one immediately noticed.

"And you know all about this, Uncle Jack?" Alice asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I went through the same issues myself. It was brutal back then, given various relatives."

"I guess we should all leave, since you said you need to talk about this with Alice," Livia said. "I hope I have not ruined everything." Livia shook a little and Christopher realized she needed more than moral support and went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He first had taken out and left the card addressed to both of them on the small circular table in the sitting room.

Livia, Christopher and Uncle Jack all withdrew. Uncle Jack told her in the hallway that what she had done took courage and that he struggled with this issue for even longer than she had. His parents somewhat quietly accepted this, but that wasn't good enough by far. The problem only became significant when he decided to go ahead and marry in his latter 20s, even after his parents could find nothing about his intended bride. "It seems to me Alice was more able to accept this than he was," Uncle Jack stated. "I hope it works out for you. Goodnight."

When Christopher and Livia entered their room, he said: "You know, Alice's Uncle Jack is right. That took a lot of courage. Come here." He saw she was fragile and he hugged her tightly. "You cannot control how they react. Maybe it was the wrong time, maybe it was the right time and maybe you should have said nothing. I cannot tell you for sure at this moment. All I can say is that we have had a long day and need to get up at the right time tomorrow."

Christopher took some of his things in the bathroom, cleaned up and changed into something appropriate for sleeping. Livia set the room clock and changed, readying to use the bathroom when he emerged. He also took some extra drops to remain Christopher. Livia went into the lavatory, removed her hairclip and finished preparing to sleep. She could not fully read Tom other than the honesty of what he said. Uncle Jack had interpreted Alice appropriately. Livia emerged and turned off the light. Christopher had turned down an edge of the bed for her. She really did need him, so he held onto her the entire night, hoping it would help her sleep.

Meantime, Tom and Alice remained in the sitting room talking. "You and I knew she was uniquely talented," Alice asserted. "We just had no idea how much so."

"Well, the owl thing makes more sense," Tom said. "The headmaster knew about those – I can guess why. 'Talented' hardly seems to describe what we saw, though. I'm speechless."

"I am so glad to see Uncle Jack that I am not too upset," Alice stated. "He was so kind to me. He would read me stories. I was very distraught when he disappeared. I threw a huge tantrum."

"The parallel of bloodline probably makes more sense to you, too," Tom maintained. "I also questioned that in the past, so I should understand it."

"Livia became extremely stressed whilst telling us," Alice observed. "You had to notice. Clearly, Christopher saw her agitation, which is not like her. I think she is very scared right now."

"Of what?" Tom asked.

"Of you," Alice replied. "You have been her rock for so long, and she is afraid of your response. You have to know it will devastate her if your relationship changes. She sees you as her big brother, her liberator, her guardian. She has trusted us to confess something very big. All she can do now is hope that you justify her trust. I can only imagine how Uncle Jack lived so long with this and cut himself off from everyone he once knew."

"I see what you mean," Tom admitted. "It seems hard to reconcile that someone with powers that amazing can be sensitive or vulnerable about anything."

"Love does that to everyone, though," Alice asserted. "You should know that. She thinks she would be nothing without you. Don't forget that. I think of that young girl we all met in Durham. She has not forgotten that. Have you?"

"No," Tom answered.

"She would risk her life to defend you. I know it, and I think you do, too." Alice took the envelope and opened it, her eyes wide in amazement. She showed it to Tom, who read the card and saw she had left £800 inside. "That is a testimony to how she feels, Tom. Sleep on it and realize what a great risk she took. Don't let her down. You may never see her again if you do. That is what I take from what happened to Uncle Jack. Those who could not accept him never saw him again, and his life revolved around the woman he chose over them."

They embraced, and Tom went to his room for the night. He had a lot to ponder. Of course, he was marrying the right woman. She showed a lot of wisdom despite her own initial shock. He did not want Livia to banish herself from their lives. As much as he helped her, she had helped him. He might have never seen himself as a serious suitor for Alice or her for him without Livia. She had helped Alice, too, beyond that. None of that changed. Still, he needed to digest it all.

* Author's Note

The Beatles song "Magical Mystery Tour," a John Lennon-Paul McCartney composition that Lennon had maintained was primarily McCartney's work, appeared on the 1967 album of the same name and a film of the same name, directed by all four band members (Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) with uncredited assistance by Bernard Knowles.

The film _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ came out initially in 1975. Directed by troupe members Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, it has subsequently appeared on various home viewing formats, such as VHS and DVD. I could find no earlier version issued for home viewing than a 1981 VHS, though I also encountered a 1988 VHS copy.

The programme _Monty Python and the Flying Circus_ originally broadcast its sketch comedy on the BBC from 1969-1974 (BBC1 1969-73, BBC2 1974). Subsequent recordings of the show have either been rebroadcast or issued as collections for home viewing. Directed by Ian MacNaugton and John Howard Davies, the show was written by entire group (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin) along with Neil Innes and Douglas Adams.


	28. The Ceremony, Reception and Brunch

The next day, his wedding day, Tom felt a little better but remained blindsided. Sure, everything fit and made sense. Livia's gift also counted as an extraordinary gesture as well as a reminder of the girl he had championed for years. He went back to their first meeting with the long-bearded man, who wanted nothing from him. Tom easily could imagine him as a mythical figure in garb associated with some great fictional wizard. Tom thought through everything. He did not want to turn his back on Livia, certainly. He just felt like the ground beneath his feet had shifted; he needed some time to adjust. He only spent a few quiet moments alone when a breakfast cart and two of his groomsmen arrived, Bertie and Gary. Best man Jake arrived later. Gary spoke for him at times, being more suited to it.

Livia still had somewhat of a restless night, though. Christopher tried to keep her calm and motionless. If he had gotten any closer, he would have smothered her. When she finally opened her eyes, he was less than an inch from her face, asking how she was. "I don't know," she answered. "Depends on what happens."

"No matter what, I got you, okay?" he said. "And he will come around. I know it."

They had their own breakfast and made tea in the room. Not long after, the phone rang. Livia picked it up. It was Alice, inviting her to come to her room to have her hair and makeup done by those helping all the women in the bridal party. Alice wanted to talk to her, also. Christopher agreed that she should go. Let Alice do something for her, he explained. He would get ready in the room, and she could come back for him. She took her dress and hairclip and departed.

Livia entered the King James Suite and, for the moment, Alice occupied it by herself. She told Livia that, whilst unexpected to say the least, she realized one thing. "If Tom truly loves you unconditionally, he gets past this. If he cannot, he does not, and he is not the man I agreed to marry. I mean, should we have a child or children, would he only love a certain type of 'normal' child? What about a hugely gifted one or a disabled one? I need to know this today. I wanted you to know, as well as thank you for what seems like an extraordinary gift for a girl who just graduated from school. I don't know how you got £800 to spare."

"The money has a few sources and to me seemed like the least I could do," Livia stated. "I can see what you mean about the rest, but I dread to know what I have done."

"Done?" Alice questioned. "I would never have seen the best of Tom had you never come to Durham. He owes you that. If he can throw you away, he could just as easily throw me away."

Meantime, Tom had rung Livia's room, but Christopher told him that Alice already had called her to the King James Suite. Tom asked if Christopher wanted to hang out with the groomsmen, since Christopher was alone. Christopher accepted and headed there once dressed, wondering if his presence might make a difference in whatever happened, making sure he took a few more drops to avoid changing back to his older self during his time there.

Shortly after Tom hung up, Alice rang his room, with a question she needed him to answer: did he love Livia unconditionally or not? Tom thought it an unbelievable question. "I think you know," he replied. She disagreed, stating that Livia needed to know this. Further, Alice needed to know because, should they have a child or children, would he love him or her unconditionally, no matter how talented or challenged. He was taken aback that she had thought of such a thing. He brought up Lydia, which Alice dismissed as an unfair comparison, given this was about ability, not choices or behavior. Tom had zero reason to question Livia's loyalty to him whereas she had no idea if he accepted her fully.

"The man I agreed to marry, I think, would love her unconditionally – today," Alice told him. "I don't know who I'd be marrying if he wavers on this question. And I am saying this for myself. Livia has said nothing to me. Yet _she_ has to know – as do I."

Alice knocked Tom for a loop – and a lot of sense into him. He replayed how Alice had liked Livia and how his kindness towards Livia had enhanced the way Alice viewed him. She also felt grateful that her long-lost Uncle Jack had returned to her life for the same reason. Tom never thought that Livia might question how he felt about her, but finally he saw how she could and thus why she needed support to risk telling him something he never would have figured out for himself.

"I hear you, Alice," Tom affirmed. "None of these things occurred to me. I had no idea."

"Well, I told you how I thought she felt. What did you think I was talking about?"

"Please put her on the phone," he requested.

"Tom, how do you feel today?" Livia asked.

"Like an idiot," he answered. "I had no idea you might feel I would try to alienate you. That never entered my mind."

"I understand," Livia said. "I said a lot, but it's made me worry a lot, too."

"I know," he responded. Just then Tom heard a knock and opened the door. Christopher had arrived. "I'm sorry if I put that doubt in your mind. You have been special to me since the day I found you. Nothing can change that – ever. Okay?"

Livia began to tear up. "Okay," she said. "I had to hear that. Losing you would kill me."

"I can say the same," he stated. "Will you put Alice back on the line?"

Livia handed Alice the phone. "I don't know if I have said enough to her," Tom asserted. "I love both of you unconditionally. I plan on doing so forever. I'm sorry if my shock got mistaken for anything else, because I never considered that."

"Then I will see you later," Alice said. "Enjoy your time with your mates."

Alice's bridesmaids and professional people began showing up in the suite as more showed up at Tom's room. Tom made sure, though, to greet Christopher and shake his hand beforehand, to let him know he appreciated him for helping Livia. He explained that his utter shock never had meant to hurt her. Christopher nodded, telling Tom quietly what Alice's Uncle Jack had said as they headed to their rooms. Christopher confirmed that Livia had become upset and would have beaten herself up over it had he and Uncle Jack not been there. Tom realized the unforeseen effects of what he had said – and not said. He hoped never to make that mistake again.

Fortunately, none in the wedding party, male or female, knew anything about it. Livia had put on her now pale blue gown and got her hair done first, since the bride typically left last. Another worked on Cathy's makeup. The rest just drank tea and chatted. The men did much of the latter two things, though each tried at great length to get each other's tie correctly. It seemed only Bertie, and strangely to the others, Christopher, knew how properly to fix an ascot tie. Bertie found himself quite impressed with how deftly Christopher could do it, asking him where he picked up such a skill. Christopher replied that he could do a cravat, also, thanks to a grandfather. Some thought maybe Tom's tie should look different so Christopher made it work to everyone's satisfaction. Tom used pre-fashioned items to serve as a barrister, so he had limited exposure to formal wear, which explained his refusal to accept a top hat. The men would head to St. Mary and St. Cuthbert first, so Christopher headed back to his room. Livia, having her hair and makeup done, also departed, giving everyone a warm send-off before taking her leave to return to her room. There she would add her hat to complete the outfit and get her bag.

Christopher had just contemplated what to do after taking a few more potion drops when Livia unlocked the door and entered. Despite her more modest daytime frock, highly appropriate for the wedding, he told her that she looked stunning. She smiled and shyly thanked him. She had not seen Christopher's white shirt, dark grey cravat and trousers with black, almost Austen-like breakaway jacket and returned the compliment. He looked impeccable. "I knew what you needed," he asserted. He told Livia that Tom invited him to hang out with the groomsmen in her absence and that no one but he and Alice's cousin knew how to fix an ascot tie, which he found amusing. "I had no idea few knew that," he observed. "I gave your brother more of a cravat."

"Doesn't surprise me," Livia said. "Tom is not a suit-and-tie person mostly – the stuff he wears comes as it needs to look. Most ties here today do not require the same skills, either."

Livia and Christopher took a type of minibus to the church with other relatives staying at Lumley Castle. She made sure to get on early and head straight to the back, giving her the opportunity to see Lydia Woodcock and her date, a bartender where Lydia worked, named Frank Crawley. He stood just a few inches taller than either Lydia or Livia, had medium brown hair fully slicked back, a dusky skin tone and hazel eyes. Told she could not wear white, Lydia wore a very loud red mini-dress with a very open neckline. Christopher instantly picked her out. He whispered his surprise that a minister found that dress suitable for a formal, afternoon wedding.

"He probably had no say," Livia surmised. "I bet she begged her mother to buy it."

At least, the mother of the groom wore a mauve-colored dress of a decent length and coverage for her age and the event, along with a hat. Livia figured that Rev. Woodcock had insisted that she wear something akin to what Livia later saw the bride's parents wore: Mrs. Beatrice West sported a deep green, ¾ lacy sleeved gown with a hat and gloves whereas Alice's father, Ernest, wore a similar ensemble as the groomsmen but would not forego the top hat.

Livia sat in a row behind the Woodcocks, with other relatives. Behind them sat some of Tom's co-workers from Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard as well Mr. Wilson, the Framlingham solicitor, with his wife, and others Tom knew from Framlingham College or Durham University. Mixed in were some people from Rev. Woodcock's congregation who wanted to see the service, at least. The bride's side had her parents, her ten-year-old twin brothers, Matt and Kyle, their nanny, Uncle Jack and his neighbor and many cousins of varying social status, some with children, some not. Others sent gifts. Also attending were friends from Durham University, Newcastle University and near her Norfolk home. It was a good-sized crowd, perhaps about 200 or a bit more.

All the bridesmaids passed in their pale orchid organza dresses, with material, bejeweled flowers in their hair and shawl wraps pinned by blue cameos. Then came the bride. Alice's floral, diamond tiara sparkled brightly as she seemed to float down the aisle with her father. Alice wore pale blue shoes no one could really see and a pearl choker that finished with a heart-shaped tanzanite stone. The beaded and detailed bodice, with some of its flower-like shapes, especially on her rose-shaped cap sleeves and tiara pleased her parents, as did her gloves. The fairly short veil and subtly shimmering skirt and off-white color suited her. Yet she would remove the gloves for the exchange of rings. The bouquets and decorations largely consisted of lilies, pale orchids and white roses. Livia beamed as Tom and Alice made their vows official. She did not fail to notice that Christopher fixated on the flowers. It passed, but for a brief moment Livia suspected the mind of Professor Snape had focused on something – _her_ name. Livia realized that he did not recall why.

The service ran like clockwork, including the ease with which Audrey took Alice's bouquet and gloves. The two photographers got everything right, it seemed, at least in terms of where they set up and what they likely captured. Before departing, the bridal party stood for photos, but Tom insisted on getting at least one with Alice, Livia and Christopher. Livia shot Christopher a look, as if that might pose a problem. He reassured her quietly that the photograph would show exactly what they all saw. As they continued to have pictures taken, the rest of the group staying at Lumley Castle returned to change for the outside cocktail reception before the dinner and entertainment.

When they returned, Christopher merely transformed the color of some of his garments and spruced up his shoes, Livia had gone into the bathroom to change her dress for the evening, the deep blue silk, wide-strapped gown with side slits, which she had altered from its original, flashy burgundy red and shorter length. She changed her shoes to a silver color. She had not changed her hair but made a headpiece less obtrusive and asked Christopher to help her with a necklace, which he managed quite easily. "I know what I need to do, and I have your back, Livia," he reassured her again. "They will all think you are safe with me, at least."

 _Safe?_ Livia wondered what he meant. She did not know. She could imagine what some might want to see or hear, but she doubted that word would give them what they preferred. Sure, some would act quite protectively towards her, but they would rather he seem taken with her, like he had done with Ben Spence watching. She did not want to tell him anything, though. That he was there said more than enough for her because she felt she needed him, especially then.

Livia and Christopher enjoyed the Inner Courtyard drinks reception for the most part, though at first kept to themselves. It seemed Lydia found something even more garish, almost neon, and seemed determined to make everyone notice her. A few members of Alice's family started congregating around Livia and Christopher. Bertie had warned all of them, and they were content to chat more quietly and ignore Mrs. Woodcock and her bratty daughter. They remarked to Christopher how nice his cravat looked and found it astonishing that he had done it himself. He told them he had fixed Tom's tie, also, which they all liked and had assumed Bertie had done. It seemed there was a genteel portion of the reception occupied by the West family along with Livia and Christopher. Some of Tom's relatives as well as Alice's friends found their way to that group, too. At least outside, most could keep their distance from Lydia, if they wanted.

Livia and Christopher found their inside seats just before a Master of Ceremonies began introducing the bridal party. Livia did not sit with them in the Barons Hall, a warm, ornate and sophisticated Georgian setting. Tom and Alice put her with Alice's parents, brothers, Uncle Jack and his neighbor, Anne. Alice's parents were delighted that he had come and understood that Livia had something to do with it, which he confirmed. They confessed to not realizing fully why he had lost touch with everyone. Uncle Jack explained it had to do with his choice of a wife and disputes he had with deceased family members. Some could not accept his late wife nor that, given a kind of ultimatum, he still married her. After that, a few lingering problems just meant that he never seemed able to present her to anyone. He grew tired of visiting people by himself, as if Renee did not exist. He did it for a time, hoping it would change, but that never happened.

Both deeply regretted to hear that, though they understood both sides of the dispute, especially as it existed so many years before. They relayed how happy Alice was to have him come. He said he felt the same though about two decades had passed since he gave up visiting. Anne stated that Renee would have loved to have taken part because she knew this bothered Jack. Essentially, Anne wanted to come in memory of her friend, first and foremost, since they enjoyed a sisterly bond for years. Only after Renee had passed had she and Jack become good friends.

The meal began well, after the initial toast to Alice and Tom, with a creamy soup, followed by a salad, a marinated pheasant dish with roasted vegetables then a cheese selection. Everyone at the table again complimented the Wests for their excellent selections. They refused to take credit for the wedding cake forthcoming, since Alice chose that herself with Tom. The signal for cutting this cake – a mousse-filled layered chocolate cake with white frosting – came when a Barn Owl dropped symbolic rings onto the table in front of the bride and groom. When Tom learned of this service, he insisted that they find a way to use it, as both he and Alice would find it meaningful. The Wests explained that the Castle offered this gesture for weddings held there, but the staff found a way to incorporate it into the reception. Livia understood it like no one else, except for Christopher. This Barn Owl, a very large female, had exquisite shadowing and chest flecks, which somehow caught the light as if made of gold. She resembled Sydney a good deal.

The Great Scots already had set up a two foot high platform with their equipment in the Barons Bar adjacent to the Barons Hall. After the diners had sufficient time to finish their cake, the Master of Ceremonies opened the door and invited everyone to enjoy the night's entertainment. As promised, Jimmy McNaught announced that, as requested by the bride and groom, they would begin the first dance to their first song to which they ever danced together and invited the parents of both to join them and the eventually the entire bridal party. The bridal party decided they rather provide a chorus since everyone among them knew the song, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."

Christopher asked Livia about it. She told him Tom often thought of the song during his work with Mr. Wilson and thought about it long afterward. By happenstance, a friend played it at a party, and Tom asked Alice to dance with him to it. McNaught's voice was strong and easily carried over the chorus of bridal party members who wanted to sing it versus dance to it, especially with a microphone. Finally, Livia got a chance to dance with Christopher, and he seemed to make the most of it. "Safe" did not seem the appropriate word, as he held her well and acted both polished as a dancer and totally captivated by her. No one would question it, unless they knew what Livia herself did. Even so, he started seeming so convincing that she nearly thought there had to be an iota of sincerity about this, at least. If he wanted to win her over, he easily could do just that. It blew her mind, really. She knew that he had taken more drops to remain as he was at some point, but she did not recall if he did so during dinner or what.

Before the first set ended, Tom came to dance with Livia, whilst Alice danced with Christopher. Tom kissed her on the forehead and hugged her. He asked if she forgave him, but she did not see why he needed that. She just needed reassurance from him. Alice warmly spoke to Christopher. She must have flattered him greatly, too, because at one point he looked a little sheepish. She also asked him to promise that he would continue to take care of her, given that they could not ensure her wellbeing as they imagined. He vowed that he would do so. Tom caught the last part of that and basically said, "What she said. You promise me, too?" He assented.

The band then took their first break after about an hour and one of the staff asked Gary if he was ready to go forward when the band reassembled after taking a break outside. Gary and Penny had come over to see Livia with the same staff person to check that all were on the same page. They flipped a coin to decide who led first. Livia won. She said the group could do anything by Simple Minds and asked if he could do the backup singer as Boy Gary. He said he could but wanted to know which song. She suggested "Alive and Kicking."* He agreed, saying he knew it, calling it a generous part. He also said he would do "Time (Clock of the Heart)"* as they suggested. Penny told Christopher she would keep him company, if he did not mind. He readily assented.

The band returned from their break and Jimmy motioned for Gary and Livia to join him, telling the assembled group that each wanted to do something in honor of Alice and Tom. By flip of a coin, the lady would go first, though her talent did not involve singing as a female. Just then, out the corner of his eye, Christopher saw a staffer briefly set down a tray with three drinks, which looked like iced water with lemon slices. He saw Lydia pass by the tray and thought she put something into one of the glasses, though she had hidden her action fairly well. Staring at the glasses carefully, he thought the center one looked slightly darker. The waiter did not notice and put the three glasses in front of Jimmy, Livia and Gary in a sort of triangle, with the darker liquid at the top of it, closest to the three. Christopher has started to tell Penny he would be right back when Jimmy picked up the center glass and left the stage. So instead, Christopher motioned to a staffer and told him Jimmy picked up a liquid he suspected was tainted, and he should get it away from him. If he didn't, immediately give the man a tablespoon of baking soda in another glass of plain water and toss the contents of that other glass and get rid of the glass.

Meantime, Livia began to sing, having told the musicians what she wanted them to play. Having heard her use that voice before, the rest of the band wanted it to sound perfect. It worked extremely well. Livia bobbed her head with Gary picking up the featured secondary singer well and his mimicked voice worked with the part. She ensured he picked up the solo leading into the final chorus, and the whole band seemed into doing it, too. Her voice was strong and heartfelt, yet Christopher also could sense and partly hear Jimmy McNaught coughing profusely. He had consumed some of the tainted drink. Christopher flagged another employee, told him Mr. McNaught had a huge problem and retrieved a vial from his pocket. He put two drops into a nearby glass of water and told the server to have him drink it all, even if he had to hold his nose to do it.

Penny asked what happened. Christopher told her that Livia warned him that Lydia Woodcock would try something – and she did. He saw her slip something into a drink she thought would be Livia's, though she tried to mask it. Instead, Jimmy McNaught had taken it. He was trying to suppress the man's coughing fit so Jimmy could continue to sing. He had come prepared. Penny found herself shocked that Lydia would go that far and that Livia's boyfriend had anticipated her actions and could handle them. After Gary took the lead for the second song, Christopher said he wanted to briefly go check on Jimmy McNaught.

Christopher found him outside, still coughing but less harshly. He just had begun to settle down. Christopher informed Jimmy about what he had seen and that, whilst not the intended target, he needed the tonic to continue. Jimmy thanked him for his concern in between coughs. Christopher made sure he drank what he had put into a glass of plain water and told him to hold his nose if necessary to finish it. He would feel better fairly soon then fully back to himself.

Christopher returned to Penny and asked how Gary was doing. "Just great," she said. "They look so happy up there. Gary either practiced for this and I didn't hear it, or he knows this song like the back of his hand. Good thing I'm married to Gary and know the whole story, or I might get jealous – because I am that type."

Christopher saw it, too. They were talking to each other and having fun. The least he could do was make sure Penny had some fun dancing, which she appreciated. Jimmy told a staffer he had not recovered sufficiently to sing yet, so asked if Gary and Livia would do another song, maybe something with some length. Gary made an announcement that Jimmy McNaught needed a few more minutes and they would do one more song. Livia conferred with the band then with Gary. The longest song she could think of that they would easily know was "Bad" by U2,* but she had to be sure the lead guitarist and bass player had no issue doing those key parts. They said go ahead. Livia and Gary agreed to alternate verses, with Livia telling him at certain parts she would sing at a lower range and to take the higher octave if he wanted. Livia started and alternated verses with Gary. Christopher realized what she sang had another meaning for her; it explained her own conduct in recent years when she came to the school in January to prank someone she knew.

She even guessed about the bloodshot eyes, having seen his whiskey once. He knew who she really sang it ostensibly about with so much feeling, but he figured she had no idea that he could realize it. He also recognized that the song went on for longer than the average one, so she made a virtue of helping Jimmy McNaught recover by fusing it to something she understood fairly well. She had found a way to relate to someone no one could understand, let alone find sympathetic.

When they finished, everyone, even the band instrumentalists, applauded Livia and Gary. Gary took her hand and raised it with his and ensure both bowed at the same time. He also kissed her on the cheek and added into the mic that he had not developed his own voice without her help. Jimmy McNaught retook the stage, cleared his throat and thanked them both, but held onto Livia for a moment asking into the mic that ever since he first heard her, he wondered what her own voice sounded like. Again, he cleared his throat and asked if she could let him hear her own voice. She looked wide eyed and put her hand over her mouth but also realized something had happened and Jimmy still wanted a few minutes before continuing. She asked the keyboard player about his knowledge of one artist on their playlist. He assured her he knew everything and the band could handle whatever she wanted. She would test him because she asked for a somewhat obscure song called "Summer, Highland Falls."* He smiled broadly. He said, "Lass, I have loved that tune for years. We will be happy to do it." So she announced the song, he began and she sang:

 _They say that these are not the best of times  
But they're the only times I've ever known  
And I believe there is a time for meditation  
In cathedrals of our own...  
_  
Christopher had never heard this before, much less in Livia's own voice. She did it incredibly well. He could tell it held special meaning for her, literally or not. He pondered the fantasy aspect more than the similarities referenced later, since he had tried to give her essentially that. She must have felt great sadness that she could not return the favor. He decided to try to convince her otherwise.

Gary had rejoined them before Livia's own song finished. He asked Christopher if he knew she could sing quite skillfully in her own voice. He nodded. Gary seemed surprised. "Hang onto her, Christopher – you won't be sorry. Just promise me you'll take good care of her." Seemed to be quite the developing pattern. He agreed to yet another promise regarding her.

He also traded dances as the evening progressed with the other bridesmaids whilst the groomsmen danced with Livia. They ended the same way, whether it was Adam, John, Bertie, Jake or Doc – they all seemed eager to hear Christopher promise to treat her well and take care of her. He kept agreeing. Christopher finally told her, "Every gentleman here it seems wants me to take an oath regarding your wellbeing."

"That's only because you-know-who hasn't approached you yet," Livia asserted.

Christopher explained to her what had happened before and why Jimmy McNaught needed extra time to recover. He drank something she had wanted you to drink, he said, to ensure you could not sing. It failed completely, and he made sure Jimmy would be able to continue.

"Thank you," Livia stated. "I needed you for that. Thank you for spotting it and assisting in Jimmy's recovery. Lydia easily could have ruined this reception. I can't imagine the fallout. I could kiss you for that."

"I don't mind," he said.

So she didn't stop herself, didn't think about the consequences or implications. She just gave him a sincere, heartfelt and sizable smooch like the best she had ever received herself. He seemed a little surprised at how passionately she did that. His answer – let's have another glass of champagne. One soon turned into several.

At that point, Lydia Woodcock and her date wanted to switch partners. Christopher showed confidence. Frank tried to denigrate Livia over several things and claimed he knew the "real story" of the fraud and bastard she was. Livia bore straight into him, like her Potions Master inspired her to do it, telling him simply to enjoy that manipulative, lying weasel for as long as he could stand, since everyone in the bridal party would tell him that he deluded himself – she had lied through her teeth and had done so for years. Livia suggested he ask them all about this before he bought into her warped reality, given Tom had gone the extra mile on her behalf and Cathy recanted any support of her lies. The town even apologized to Livia about it and the court case no longer existed. Livia also suggested that he might want to get out before he got stuck by her or with her.

Lydia, meantime, had tried her charm offensive as well as attempted to convince Christopher that Livia was a manipulative fraud abandoned by a mother who knew she would turn out evil. Christopher would have none it. He told her he knew about the thumbtacks, what she did to the cat, Sarah, who ran away to join Livia because of this and that she deliberately injured herself to blame Livia. Moreover, he had caught her trying to taint a drink she thought Livia would consume, but Jimmy McNaught took it off-stage instead. He provided the means for Jimmy to continue singing. Her plot had backfired. "I know exactly what you are, you manipulative, selfish, spoiled, untalented and wretched mess." He eyed her with pure contempt and disgust, menacingly hissing: "In fact, you deserve a taste of your own medicine. Enjoy." Lydia suddenly felt sick to her stomach and ran off the floor to the lavatory, with Frank following shortly behind her.

"What did you do?" Livia asked.

"She'll have fun throwing up for the rest of the night – just a taste of what she tried to do."

"Are you kidding?" Livia questioned. "I could kiss you again."

"I won't object," he answered. "Had too much to drink for that."

She did and this time he seemed much less surprised and more enthusiastic. She had forgotten about everything else except wanting to kiss him. He seemed also very present in that moment, either unconcerned or dismissive of any consequences. They found that same page at that moment – only the present mattered then, not the past or the future. Of course, he still wanted another glass of champagne – or two.

As the two enjoyed another round of champagne, Livia could see her father, Rev. Woodcock, approach. She quickly warned Christopher. She did not know what he would say exactly. He purposely walked towards them. She did not know where Mrs. Woodcock was, so it remained possible that she would affect whatever transpired. Since he came alone, he made no attempt to take Livia away from Christopher. Instead, he complimented her on her performance and told her that Cathy had informed him as to why she had refused to serve as a bridesmaid to Alice, which he regretted yet to him also seemed both selfless and prudent. He told them that his wife had gone to the lavatory owing to Lydia's sudden illness. "I know the best thing I ever did for you as a parent was enable your brother to help you," he admitted. "For that, I am very happy and yet very sorry that I did not do more to make that unnecessary. May God forgive me."

"I do not know what to say, sir," Livia stated. "Tom means the world to me." Christopher recognized just how nuanced and multifaceted that last statement was.

"He has kept me apprised of certain things about you," Rev. Woodcock continued. "So I am glad I have met you this weekend, Christopher." Rev. Woodcock shook his hand. "I need to ask you something. Can you vow to me, as a minister of God, that you will comfort and protect my daughter as I could never manage properly myself?" Livia realized the weightiness of such a vow to be made to a clergyman. Agreeing to this before Tom, his wife or their friends paled in comparison.

"I can and I do swear to it," Christopher affirmed. Livia wondered if he crossed his fingers or toes somewhere that she could not see. He sounded completely sincere.

"Thank you," he said. "My best to you both." He kissed Livia on both cheeks and firmly shook Christopher's hand and touched his arm with the other before returning to his seat.

"Christopher…" Livia began.

"It's fine," he insisted. "I told you I took this seriously." He hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Another round, why don't we?" Livia did not know if he meant dancing or drinking. He actually meant both – and more than one of each. He was sweeping her and maybe himself off their feet. She could not distinguish this as mere fantasy nor how she felt right then.

The event too soon came to an end. Everyone applauded the band for their performance, great indeed that it was. They had named themselves well. Jimmy introduced all the musicians – Geoff McDonald, drums, Ryan McReynolds, bass, Dylan McNaught, keyboards, Shane McThompson, saxophone or various, Craig McNulty, lead guitar. He again thanked Livia and Gary for their vocals, adding that Livia McWood could sing with them anytime. He also thanked Livia's date, Christopher, saying that he knew why. Jimmy did not wish to embarrass anyone so he offered no description. Christopher and Livia would tell Tom about it at brunch. They had retired early from the reception to their suite, and no one would see them until the Sunday brunch.

Livia and Christopher held hands as they went back to the Earl of Somerset Room. Livia's heart raced like it had never done before. Partly, the conflict came back to her, yet mostly the evening had given rise to feelings she scarcely could have predicted a day or two prior. Overwhelmingly, she still wanted to kiss him over and over again. After closing the door, he removed his jacket and, as he hugged her, she started doing exactly that. He did not resist at all, not even as they moved towards the bed. She landed in it and, clasping him, pulled him on top of her. The moment had become quite intense for both of them. If she knew how to undo his tie, she would have removed it. He loosened it whilst she got rid of her shoes. After about at least 20 minutes in the room, he had sobered up just enough to pick his head up, if still about an inch from Livia's face and suggest to her that they should stop before they went any further.

"That's what Bill Weasley said," she remarked.

"I cannot say if he was right or wrong, only that he had nothing like my situation."

"What if I do not care about the consequences, and I am old enough to know?" Livia asked.

"The problem is that one consequence might be that I never see you again," he replied.

"Noooo," Livia told him. She closed her eyes. That hurt. She did not wish to imagine that.

He gently picked her up from behind her shoulders so she sat up in the bed. "I think those are the stakes," he affirmed. "I feel a lot of conflicting things, which perhaps enhances the tension more than would otherwise exist." She could feel his pulse racing like hers. He kissed her again, more tenderly. "We should go to sleep to attend the brunch tomorrow. After all, Alice and Tom need to know what nearly happened earlier." She held onto him as he helped her feet find the floor and she headed into the bathroom to change. Then they switched and she set the clock. He got into bed with her, pulled the curtains shut and, for an entirely different set of reasons, enveloped her firmly with his arms as both started to drift off to sleep.

Perhaps two hours later, he woke up and in the darkness could still see the back of Livia's moderately long, wavy deeply brown hair cascading over her neck down to the bed's surface. He still had his arms around her but looked at his hands. They did not look 20. He picked his head up some, and he stared at her sleeping, peaceful face. She looked so beautiful, even in the dark. For the first time, all of him consciously appreciated her as a woman, one who possessed so many extraordinary gifts. He wondered a bit what would happen if she woke up and could see him as he was. Would she be happy? Would she still want him? He had crossed a line with her – or nearly had – that he should not have ever approached. Now what? At least, he thought she did not know.

He kissed her on the top of her head as he carefully extricated himself from her and made his way to their bathroom. He saw who he expected to see in the mirror, and it was not Christopher Prince. He took more potion drops, rinsed his face and returned to the bed. She seemed to turn some whilst still asleep, and he clutched her snugly as he worriedly watched for his hands to change in appearance. He saw them change and put his head down to sleep.

Before he fell asleep, he heard a loud banging at the door. He pondered it for a few seconds and realized what it meant. He carefully removed himself from Livia again, wrapping her figuratively-speaking and ensured that the bed curtains totally protected her from any disturbance. With wand in hand, he went for the door and partly opened it, having anchored his foot behind it.

"What do you mean by coming here at this hour?" he called out in a sneering tone through a small opening in the door. The inner Severus Snape had come out in full force again.

Lydia Woodcock and her date Frank Crawley had not expected him to be at the door though they tried to push it open, anyway. They were probably hallucinating. They both made some incoherent statements that seemed directed derisively towards Livia.

"You better leave this instant before I make both of you regret the audacity of you coming here to bother anyone," he spat out menacingly. When they tried to touch the door, it felt like their hands had gotten scalded by boiling water. Both quickly withdrew their hands and seeing the vicious look on his face, both started running down the hallway. With ease, Christopher got them to tangle their feet together and trip each other up. Both crashed hard onto the stone floor, masked under only a fairly thin commercial carpet. Both had bloody noses and at least one would have a black eye by daybreak. Satisfied, Christopher secured the door. _They will not do that again._

Christopher took down the protection he had given Livia to ensure she had not woken up. He returned to bed and settled back in. Yet by resuming his position, he did awaken Livia who shifted fully onto to her back and asked if he was okay. He reassured her and gently kissed her and told her to go back to sleep. She had sobered up some. Still, she felt conflicted staring into his face.

Both awoke with plenty of time to fashion something appropriate for the brunch and to pack most of their things. Christopher ensured he took more of his potion, too. He told Livia about what happened as she slept and that he had taken care of it. The way he figured it, Lydia Woodcock would never bother her again. He would make sure Tom understood everything that happened, as would Rev. Woodcock. Livia could only thank him and hug him. She closed her eyes and held him a long time, as if she attempted to convince all of him to remember that she meant it.

The brunch took place in a room called the Garter State Room, a sumptuous, Georgian styled room with high cream walls with embossed-like patterns and a pale yellow, complementary-patterned ceiling. Its windows feature heavy, burgundy window treatments yet the room seemed to bask in the light of day. Tom and Alice wore clothes they would wear on their outbound flight from Newcastle International Airport, leaving for it shortly after the meal. Since some of the guests could not stay for the meal, the room got modified into several larger tables from one dais and guest tables. Livia and Christopher arrived early enough to snag seats near the bride and groom. Christopher took Tom aside and explained what he saw during the reception and what happened overnight. Fortunately, Livia had not witnessed either incident, and he had ensured neither caused any real harm. Tom profusely thanked him for minimizing the problems that could have arisen from either episode. Alice asked Livia what happened. Livia said Tom would likely tell her later and that this merely concerned one attempt as disrupting the reception and another regarded an effort to disturb her overnight. Both failed.

The meal included traditional, cooked breakfast fare, which did not entirely appeal to either Livia or Christopher. They liked their tea, muffins, toast, cereal and such, rather than the heavier foods that most guests savored. When Rev. and Mrs. Woodcock arrived, Christopher told him everything, which could explain why Lydia and her date Frank had checked out. Christopher surmised that their faces looked a bit too ugly after they both fell. Mrs. Woodcock seemed a bit put out by Lydia's absence but put on a show to seem like she fussed over her son and daughter Cathy sufficiently. She never showed even a pretense of concern regarding Livia, but Livia ignored her. Audrey and Jake had also left to return to their daughter as soon as they could. Gary and Penny attended, seeing that a few hours would not make much difference for them. Still, everyone left made the brunch quite congenial and a great way to wind down the weekend.

Tom had not thought that Alice's family could have gone to any greater lengths for their daughter with all that they planned, but in their wedding card, they had enclosed the deed to their Durham house. They had paid off the loan entirely. Tom confessed to Livia in the King James Suite afterwards how awestruck that made him feel. Alice told him that they did not think either the wedding or the house seemed too outrageously expensive. More pleasing to them, to Alice, concerned the fact that everything had gone well, and that the queen had sent a congratulatory card to the newly married couple. Apparently, Bertie knew who would ensure that happened and spoke to the right person. Rev. Woodcock had not known how to match their gifts, so he had made sure the honeymoon arrangements worked well by paying all the upfront costs.

The only issue that remained concerned taking the cards and the vehicle belonging to Alice and Tom back to their house. Christopher volunteered that he could drive a manual transmission and would have no trouble settling Livia into their home. Given the daylight, and people about, Christopher moved his and Livia's bags into the automobile along with the gifts, cards and mementos Tom and Alice had amassed. Livia eyed him quizzically, but she had an idea as to who actually owned a driver's license. The hotel had called for transport and a wonderfully antique-looking car would convey Alice and Tom to the airport. Everyone went outside to wave goodbye once everything else had been settled. Christopher had Tom's vehicle and house keys, but he simply waved as all the other guests left before him. He had gone slowly and waited intentionally. Christopher would not really drive. Once everyone had left and he had resumed being Professor Snape, he started the engine and asked Livia to direct him towards where Alice and Tom lived.

* Author's Note

The Simple Minds's song 1985 single "Alive and Kicking," written by Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and Mick MacNeil, appears on their album _Once Upon a Time_ from the same year.

The Culture Club recording of "Time (Clock of the Heart" first appeared as a 1982 single off of their 1982 album _Kissing to Be Clever_. Written by Roy Hart, Boy George, Mikey Craig and John Moss, it later was included in a 1987 compilation of their music.

The song "Bad" first appeared on U2's 1984 album _The Unforgettable Fire_. With lyrics by singer Bono and music by all of the group, including The Edge, Larry Mullin Jr. and Adam Clayton, the group released a live version of this on its 1985 record _Wide Awake in America_. A version sung at the Live Aid concert became lauded as a breakthrough for the band's success worldwide.

A recording of "Summer, Highland Falls," written by singer-songwriter BIlly Joel, was released first as part of the album _Turnstyles_ in 1976. A live version of the song appears on the 1981 album _Songs in the Attic_.


	29. Settling into Her New Role

Livia tried to not say too much whilst Professor Snape drove but had to ask him about getting a license. He told her that he occasionally had found it useful when younger, but he had not driven in years. His father found someone with a car and compelled him to learn, since he never had much use or respect for his or his mother's abilities. That person felt compelled to continue these lessons when he became orphaned. Livia noticed that he tended to operate most devices by hand motions rather than physical contact. Still, he intently concentrated on what he saw. His father never had owned a car but coveted having one, if not his son having one.

He casually asked Livia about how the weekend had gone. Livia told him about the attempt to taint a drink or otherwise poison her and that the band's lead singer had taken the glass instead. Christopher had taken charge of the man's situation. He asked if she told her brother about herself. She said yes, though he initially seemed overwhelmed by the information. She felt scared at first, but it seemed to go well enough by the end. As they got closer to Tom and Alice's house, he inquired if she had behaved herself.

"I guess," she said. "I am not sure specifically what you would define that as being."

He seemed to not want to get precise about the matter. Who would find that conversation more embarrassing? She thought she detected reticence on his part to press her. He did not.

"What did they think of your gift?" he asked.

"Surprised," she answered. "But my father essentially paid for their honeymoon and her parents gave them the deed to the home we are approaching. In light of that, a card with £800 is meager. I should tell you that you did a brilliant job with Tom's tie. All of the bride's relatives told us how impressed they were with it."

"Really?" he inquired, somewhat surprised they fussed over it.

"Apparently, other than Alice's cousin Bertie, you showed quite a talent for that."

"That should not altogether shock me, I suppose, given how traditional clothes have given way to ready-to-wear casual, almost disposal, garments." He realized that ability became rare.

"I must tell you something," Livia asserted. "Almost every male in the bridal party, the bride herself and my father, a minister, asked you to promise to take care of me essentially. They cornered you, and I am sorry that they did."

"Do not worry," he stated. "I doubt what they asked conflicts with what the headmaster has thought. He has attempted to train you so you can defend yourself, to ensure your safety. What they asked likely, at its core, amounts to none of us ever having to send a 'next of kin' notification to your brother. If your wellbeing is ever in doubt, I would likely need to act."

"I am glad you do not feel pressured," she told him.

Just then, after a row of hedges, Livia directed him to turn into a somewhat small, paved brick driveway. He got a good look at two-story stone-façade home with its small front yard space with some shrubbery. Since it was daylight, he retrieved her bag and his as she gathered all the cards, including the one containing the deed to the detached house. She took the keys to open the front door and they went inside. What looked like a very traditional structure by its exterior had a great deal of amenities considered modern inside, including the enclosed glass room, called a conservatory, which would be deemed a Florida room or a sun room elsewhere. He saw how it allowed a lot of sunlight to enter and give the cat, Abby, a place to see outside from her cat tree. The enclosed backyard seemed about 3-4 times larger than the small front area. The ground floor had a dining area and a living room separated by a stairway close to the front door.

Livia took her bag and sent it to the floor of her upstairs room. She inquired if the professor would like a full tour before he left. He furrowed his brow. Livia stated that she never had gotten to show anyone anything and wanted to do it. Before he could say "okay," Abby had jumped down from her cat tree and made her way to them. Livia patted her on the head though the cat made her way straight for the professor and started doing a figure 8 around him and rubbing his leg. "Are you trying to make me stay or leave, Miss Woodcock?"

"I thought you like being annoyed in general," Livia said. "So Abby has staked her claim."

"Hmm, well done," he concluded.

Livia got a box for all the cards she had and showed him the house deed and then headed up the stairs to give him a tour of the office areas, bathroom and bedrooms, leaving the box of cards and deed in Alice and Tom's room. Professor Snape paused whilst looking at her room, first drawn to the "Purple Rain" film poster. "This is Prince?" he asked.

"Yes," she affirmed. "Loads of talent, including playing multiple instruments, put into a rather diminutive body for a 'normal' male. I doubt much is truly average about him, though."

"This I gather is the singer you saw at Live Aid, though not how he looked in 1985," he declared. The singer had maybe shoulder-length (or longer), mostly straight dark brown hair, if swept more to the viewer's right side. He wore only an open leather-like vest, a cross and a key on a chord while clutching a guitar. His blue eyes stared intensely nearly up into the camera lens and viewer. His expression smoldered provocatively.

"This was taken a few years after that," Livia admitted. "He changed his hairstyle."

"You don't want me to tell you who I think he resembles a bit," he said.

"I know it – don't say it," Livia responded. She knew he thought of Ben, not Christopher nor any parallel between Bono's and his own hair would ever occur to him.

The third image of the brown-haired, brown-eyed Michael Hutchence all in black drew a short examination but the short text below the picture apparently said enough. It drew no comment. If the professor had detected any common thread or any insight about Livia, he kept it to himself. She figured he probably had an idea but did not want to open any conversation that might drift into an uncomfortable direction.

As they headed back downstairs to where his own bag lay, Livia asked him if he wanted anything before he left. He shook his head and said merely that he would see her in a few weeks. He grabbed his bag. Livia just considered another question she needed to ask, but knew he would leave, so she grabbed his sleeve and left with him.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"I had another question," Livia answered. "But where are we?"

"This is my parents's home," he replied. "What did you really want to know?"

"Well, I wanted to know what currency you preferred me to use for repayment," Livia inquired. "I intend to reimburse you, you know. I do keep my word."

"Whichever is fine," he told her. "Might be easier to just transfer money at the wizarding bank to my account there."

"Okay," she agreed. "Do I get a tour? And do I need to know where I am to go home?"

"You really are trying to annoy me today, I gather," he asserted flatly.

"Are we having fun yet?" she asked.

He held back a smile. _She almost got it out of me._ He took her through the various parts of the house, such as a study full of mostly dusty books and a small desk, an antiquated kitchen, a parlor, an upstairs, untouched master bedroom and the one he used, the room he had as a child.

Livia looked at everything rather blankly, which seemed dank and dark overall, before finally speaking. "Did you ever enjoy being under this roof when you were younger?"

"Not really," he answered.

"Then why keep this house, especially the way it remains?" she asked. "Do you care?"

"Not really," he responded. "I got used to it."

"This house is part of the problem, sir," Livia said. "It's full of things but not life. It's part museum, part mausoleum."

"Not your call or concern," he stated. "I will get you back home." They reappeared in Alice and Tom's house. He was about to depart when she stopped him before she went with him again. "Now what?"

"Professor Flitwick has insisted I start calling him by his first name, at least out of earshot of students," Livia recounted. "Various faculty have differing views on this, he told me. How do you want me to address you, sir?"

"No one has ever asked me that, which is strange given I have taught there for about a decade. I never really thought about it. Faculty obviously use first names with each other privately, but that is not your question. Are you asking for permission to use something?"

"No," Livia replied. "I am not in a position to ask for anything. I just wanted to do whatever suited you best. I thought it would be both professional and ethical for me to ask you."

"I will let you know. Goodbye, Miss Woodcock."

Once back home, alone, he pondered the absurdity of her request. _She kisses the stuffing out of me and then wants to know what to call me. Nicely done, make me choose._

For the next few weeks, Livia did a lot of film watching and music playing, among other things. She conceived of a cross-stich project for Tom and Alice's return, thinking it a great use of time and items she could buy. She also walked into town now and again to see what had come out. No one would take that from her – those four Slytherin students could just sod off. On those days, she usually went to the cathedral chapel, too, and silently talked to the Venerable Bede. She wished just once he would answer her. She'd take anybody – St. Cuthbert, the bishop, the canon or rector. Of course, she could not truly confess to anyone living or likely able to answer. What was she supposed to say? She found herself hopelessly drawn to someone who did not really exist – or if he did exist, he would never admit to it? She rented the film "Roxanne" and wondered who really spoke to her; could she call anything Christopher ever said or felt authentic? How similar or dissimilar was the film to what happened? It had to be dissimilar on some level. He had one love, and it was not her. It was not himself, clearly. She realized he met her whilst a boy living at the home he kept, and he lived there as if he waited for her to return. No one competes with a first love who as a ghost had cemented herself as an idealized object for his suffering, guilt and longing. He would carry that torch forever as himself; Livia knew it related to something big, too.

Thus, he provided a fantasy weekend, for herself and maybe for him, too. She needed to ventilate her emotions and refocus, since she needed to return to school in about a month. She had an orientation to attend and other staff to meet, administrative or academic. The lesser staff, if small, given what witches and wizards could do, had their own union, too. Though many of these things seemed hidden to students, she thought them necessary to a school's success. If sufficient tutors did their work well, Livia may not have needed to work with students whilst one herself. Of course, no one took written work as seriously as she did. The faculty had expectations, but rarely did they formulate them in assignments that gave students obvious hints about structure, arguments or using sources appropriately. Anyone with requirements regarding expository writing should make these aspects clear, especially to young students needing such prompts. Moreover, assigning such things orally only complicated the matter. Such a task required an organized listener who could process words and recall not just details, but how to prioritize them. Livia could change this prevailing attitude. That truly would constitute a significant legacy.

Tom and Alice had left sufficient food in the home, but Livia thought she could procure a few things as well as use some wand work to make the place look its absolute best. The shopping she accomplished in a more conventional manner, as it gave her another excuse to walk to town. Besides, she found replicating Abby's food a bit challenging, though she used her animagus as a cat to understand what Abby liked. Livia realized that she would not permanently make a good cat, given she did not like the standard food that much.

Upon finishing her first wedding cross-stitch piece, she moved to a different hobby – trying to sound like R.E.M.'s lead vocalist. An American accent and a regional phrase like "Losing My Religion"* took some time, but she could almost fill the house with the sound. How could she prepare for being a tutor more than what she already had done? Reading up on music, as she often did when she had little better to do, she wagered that the song's use of the mandolin could fool some people into thinking it came from a wizard instrumentalist, not a muggle. Of course, Livia thought the best musicians probably had gifts in wizardry, whether they knew it or not. It explained Mozart and young adults with extremely special talents.

The lyrics of "Losing My Religion" really summarized aspects of her "relationship" – if one could use that word. Indeed, "complicated" did not begin to encompass it. She knew her place, to some degree, but it had also become a little blurry, too. She had no idea what to do about that, with one exception. She knew Tom and Alice and their friends would pester her if they never met Christopher Prince again. She somehow felt it safer for him if she remained quiet. Yet she wondered what could she tell "him" or ask "him" about it:

 _Consider this, the hint of the century  
Consider this, the slip  
That brought me to my knees, failed  
What if all these fantasies come flailing around...  
_  
The gauntlet appeared before her. She did not look forward to making excuses or inventing a Ben-like story involving "Uncle Severus." Still, she doubted the wisdom of confessing to the ruse. Perhaps it violated her promise to him or to the headmaster to not say truthful things about him, especially if he ever needed this disguise again.

That did remind her, though, to pay him back. So on Thursday, 1 August, she traveled to Diagon Alley to head to the wizarding bank. She asked how difficult it was to transfer money from her own account to that of another customer there. She had her account number but not his so they had to retrieve the information. Having gotten her own balance, she could see she could reimburse him fully, once they calculated the amount to shift to him. They gave her a receipt for it, she took funds for herself and she left satisfied. She grabbed some ice cream before returning home.

Livia made sure to look the other way when she passed the place where they sold owls. She knew they did not have a bad life in most respects when sold there. No witch or wizard would treat an owl like Lydia treated Sarah. To do such a thing either had become unthinkable or perhaps could lead to some sort of charges. She wasn't sure which was true, since she herself used more independent creatures than trained and registered ones. Still, she wanted to buy them all. Shelley did, however, transfer Brontë's registration to Livia, so she figured she should know something, by asking Hagrid or Brontë. Livia liked to think of owls as able to fly freely and voluntarily render aid. She knew them capable of great loyalty but something about flying wanted her to see them differently, perhaps because she communicated with owls with more complexity than most witches and wizards. She knew the lifespan of many wild owls was short and tenuous, though. She tried to find a middle ground between protection and expectations of service.

Tom and Alice returned home on Monday, 5 August, moderately tanned from being near or on water. They seemed quite happy with their excursion, though they had considered ringing home to see how things were. Livia gave them her gift, which they loved, and showed how she had organized their cards to send acknowledgments back and put the deed in front of all, not sure where they would place that. She ultimately discovered they had a fireproof safe for such important documents that they kept hidden. They quickly dropped off film for development and would soon see a contact sheet of the wedding photos, from which they could use for cards as well as albums. They brought Livia a delicate-looking brooch from a Florence market vendor. Both seemed impressed at the state of the house. It seemed interior and exterior looked great. She asked if they were ready for another confession, which at that point seemed anti-climactic. Livia told them that Sheila Silver had given her tips on how to clean things, so she had spruced up the house.

"I guess we know who's putting up the inside Christmas decorations this year," Tom stated.

"Hey, what about the cooking?" Alice asked.

"Glad you see an upside here," Livia replied.

They also wanted to know if Livia would want a wedding album herself. That sounded nice, she said. Of course, then Tom wanted to know more about Christopher Prince. Had he stayed at the house? When would he come back? What does he do, or is he not finished with his lessons?

"No, not sure and not sure he's finished," Livia asserted. "I don't even know what to call his uncle now."

"What do you mean?" Tom inquired.

"My former head of house told me I should call him by his first name when not in front of students. Apparently, this is not a universal thought for a tutor's conduct. For the past six years, I have called Christopher's uncle either Professor Snape or sir. I do not know if that changes or not."

"I know what you mean," Alice agreed. "Some universities here are very formal about titles, whether it be 'Doctor' or 'Professor' or similar. I'm not sure if I will remain Miss West or when they will call me Mrs. Woodcock. Anyway, a few places have started becoming a little more communal beyond the advisor or instructor calling a postgraduate student by his or her first name. I think in some American universities postgraduate students call professors by their first names, with some unique exceptions. I think some in my position skirt the issue and avoid it, unless an undergraduate's presence makes it clear what name to use – at least until explicitly told otherwise."

"Do you want to call the man by his first name?" Tom asked.

"I did not suggest it," Livia responded. "I figured it is only my prerogative to ask what he wants. Strangely enough, he told me no one had ever asked him that."

"Why is that odd?" Tom inquired.

"Because Christopher's uncle had taught at the school before I was a student there myself."

"How old is he?" Alice queried.

"I believe he's 31," Livia replied.

"Indeed, not that old at all," Alice said. "To a child, yes, but not all students. He may want a title simply based on that. How old is the professor who requested that you use his first name?"

"Significantly older," Livia answered. "He seemed to know Uncle Jack for some years."

"I think Alice is on to something," Tom stated. "An older professor already stands far apart from students and tutors. His expectations differ, too, as well as how students perceive him. A younger one may feel the need to have a more obvious distinction. Also, I have noticed that they tend to be tougher on students because their memories of 'I could do that' are fresher. They wind up with very high standards of the 'why can't you do it if I could' variety. I have seen this in my own profession – those toughest on me are closest in age."

"I think no one ever asked because he has commanded that distinction from the beginning," Livia asserted. "And, Tom, you are so right – he has extremely high standards."

"He may have felt it necessary, then, to command respect," Alice said. "I know if I were teaching undergraduates, and in my early 30s, I might not seem different enough. I knew a postgraduate student who had to show ID on campus because someone assumed his baby face made him look like a first-year student when he was closer to my age. I heard a story about a young female instructor who had a student not believe her when she said she was over 36 until she showed the undergraduate her driver's license. On one level, that's a compliment to a woman's vanity, though it might not entirely be one in terms of professional respect. I think, the younger one is, the more in control one must seem whilst teaching. If Christopher's uncle still wants you to use something formal, I would not take it personally. He did not complain about the wedding, did he?"

"No, I can't say he did that," Livia responded. "He did tell Christopher to 'behave himself' at it – whatever that meant."

"I guess he wouldn't like to know that you two shared a room, then?" Tom suggested.

"Christopher took the warning seriously," Livia replied. "Sharing a room had no impact."

Alice looked at Tom. "I don't know if Tom wants me to be happy or disappointed there. I am not sure I could have shown that much restraint if I really liked the fellow, as I think you do."

"No comment," Tom said. "Except to say that I am surprised. I would have never guessed that given his readiness to promise to look out for you. His uncle must be very old-fashioned."

"Guess those tie-making skills run deep into other things, too," Livia stated.

"Bertie told me about that," Alice revealed. "He was impressed that such a young man had that ability and doing it seemed so effortless. Only by lots of practice did Bertie get that right."

"I don't know how many other living relatives each has," Livia declared. "Or if that only matters in terms of holidays and the like." Livia wanted to set up future excuses.

"Well, we'll make sure we find a nice picture of you two for your room," Alice offered.

"Guess we're not taking down those posters just yet, though," Tom asserted.

Livia later got to see the honeymoon photos, which were spectacular: Great scenery in various spots, nice portraits taken by a passersby or staff someplace. Alice and Tom wanted things for an album and chose a number of pictures, since the contact sheet of wedding pictures proved excellent, too. Livia loved that the photographer with the groomsmen got a picture of Christopher fixing Tom's tie whilst Bertie seemed to be giving it his approval. They chose one bride and groom picture to make numerous copies for everyone's thank you note, whilst they put together albums for the Wests, the Woodcocks, members of the bridal party and Livia. Tom's picture with Christopher and Bertie made every collection other than the Woodcocks. Tom figured either his mother or Lydia would complain how he got there but Frank did not. Also omitted in that album was anything exclusively of Gary and Livia singing, unless other people also populated the image. Livia's album entirely duplicated what the Wests, bridal party and Tom and Alice received. Livia thought it looked appropriate to show Professor Snape. It might help her talk about what to do regarding future inquires. She wanted to be careful and have him decide what to do.

Livia realized that she needed to be on the grounds to begin whatever training got set aside for new employees starting the morning of Monday, 26 August. Besides a quickly finished wedding album, Livia got some new, more adult-looking clothes, thanks to a trip with Alice. Alice's own shadowing of faculty and advising younger students gave her some insight as to how to do this in a way that looked professional but not too strictly so or faculty-like. Livia could keep her Ravenclaw robe and just remove the crest and make it a little more flowing like an academic robe, without being exactly that. She had to find out if she should wear something like that or not. She would have to ask the head tutor, who she understood to be a 23-year-old very tall, dirty blond bloke named Nils Nilssen, who had quickly established himself there or just had timed his stay right versus those who started before him. Other tutors, house or general, voted for the head tutor, who represented them if any complaint arose involving them with other staff or faculty. He also reviewed progress reports on students sent by each tutor, which also went to an instructor, if the instructor initiated the interaction. Each house usually had two tutors, though Professor Flitwick often had more, depending on the number of candidates for the position that he thought suitable.

Only four tutors covered the entire school and often called themselves subject tutors or general academic tutors. Still, Livia understood that, on occasion, one function involved reaching out to first-year students if they saw a problem that student might encounter, personal or academic, if the personal issue did not relate to one's house. Those who handled job counseling did their own thing and, whilst they associated with the tutors, never fully considered themselves part of the academic side of the school. They liked their relative independence from classes and faculty. They required contacts outside of the school to function well. Livia never made much use of any tutor or counselor. Indeed, the only time she spoke to a tutor about her own work was to tell the young woman that she had her academic and personal demands under control. That woman had moved on a few years prior. Most general tutors had independence in what they did and consulted faculty or the headmaster, so their student interactions had some limits. They socialized in their own Senior Common Room but since each faculty member knew what the tutors's strengths were, the tutors rarely discussed shared students. A student needing help with Arithmancy or History of Magic likely would go to Nils first, whereas one looking for help with writing assignments, Muggle Studies or Potions could see Livia. When Livia got to see what wound up a solo office space, she made sure she could play music in it as easily as in her room, in case it helped a student relax – or motivated herself. She retrieved her old cassette player from Durham for it, making sure she left a note when she brought it to herself, so no one questioned where it had gone.

Whilst going through orientation, Livia had deductions made for her union dues and a percentage to go into the school's fund for helping qualified students in difficult circumstances. The headmaster wanted to meet with her on Thursday, as he wanted to give her some other responsibilities that he wished to discuss privately with her. She had just sent a letter to her brother via Brontë during some downtime on her birthday, Wednesday, 28 August, and had just turned up her CD player to see if she had gotten her new voice down. She worked through much of "Losing My Religion" in what she thought was a secured room where no one could hear her. She just sang the last line when she heard a knock and opened the door. She had no idea if she had given him the hint of the century or said too much or what.

It was Professor Snape. "Found a new voice, I see," he asserted. "Are you taking a short break or a longer one from settling in for next year?"

"Well, hello to you, too," Livia said. "I don't really have anything else scheduled today, sir, so I found some way to amuse myself. The band is called R.E.M. Since one prominent instrument used happens to be a mandolin, I figured I could play this anywhere, anytime, eventually. Call it my gift to me."

"Happy Birthday, then," he stated. "Why are you losing your religion, might I ask?"

"It's not literal," she answered. "It's a regional expression of personal frustration. If you find someone particularly maddening, you could say the same."

"So I could do this over you, then?" he asked. She thought she detected almost a sarcastic, wry smile.

"Maybe," she replied. "It depends on how or why I frustrate you. I can't say you've ever said too much to me about anything. Perhaps to someone else."

"I see," he said. "Well, I was going to inquire if you have time to help me today."

"Okay, but I can show you something first?" Livia asked. He obliged. Livia got an album from a shelf near her desk. "I thought seeing these might interest you, perhaps."

He paused at the photo of Christopher fixing her brother's tie with Bertie essentially supervising. "Did you just get that picture?" he inquired.

"No, it is in every album except the one sent to Rev. and Mrs. Woodcock. You know why."

He did. He also saw the picture with Livia, Christopher, Alice and Tom. "It looks nice," he stated. "Her parents really went all-out for her, didn't they?"

"The floral tiara is borrowed – and probably worth more than anything they spent. I believe it was some heirloom dating back maybe 100 years. I put its image in a project I made for them."

"Might be older than that," he observed. "Anyway, are you ready to work now?"

"Sure," she affirmed. She locked her room and they went down a back staircase to the potions room. As they arrived, she asked: "Have you thought about my question?"

"Yes," he answered. "Since you are so recent a graduate, I think we should just start with 'sir' for now."

"As you wish, sir," Livia stated. "What about addressing me?"

"Is there something you want?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied. "My ego means nothing in this matter, so I have no opinion. It's entirely your choice."

"So you will not object if I call by your first name – in private anyway – and you do not?"

"Whatever suits you, sir," she declared. "I am not in charge."

"Okay, Livia, get the lists ready as we have done before," he said.

She would think about his pronouncement later. She totally focused on the inventory. He went through it rather briskly, given some preliminary cleaning, and the fact that they had become accustomed to the routine. He got his re-order sheet, knowing which took longer, and got his list for the crows and owls to locally retrieve. They finished in under an hour, just over 45 minutes to run through everything.

Livia brought to the front what needed to be addressed immediately, diving two groups into owl tasks and crow tasks. She ensured Sydney, Mel, Brontë and Sevy came as well as Alastair, Benedict and the rest of their murder. The whole routine of window opening, food provisions, health inquiries and task division handled as ever before. Still, she smiled at them as ever and acknowledged them to the fullest extent of respect. Professor Snape briefly disappeared, which Livia found odd. He returned shortly afterward and a tray appeared a few minutes later with tea and some snacks. The house elves had filled his request. He converted one into a small cake for Livia, for her birthday and to wish her luck in her new position. She raised her eyebrows.

"You know, I'm not a complete arse all of the time, Livia," he asserted. "But in a few weeks you may doubt that statement. I have my reasons. Do not ask me ever to explain or justify myself. Since I am sure some students in my classes will come to you, given your reputation among the other heads of house, you will know things on the surface either seem typical or perhaps beyond typical. Don't ever forget this: I have specific intentions that I must conceal. Do not ever question them, however pressed you feel to ask or to find out another way. And above all, if you ever do figure out my reasons, never speak of them to anyone. Never. Give me your word."

"Yes, sir," Livia affirmed. "I give you my word. Is there any expiration date on this?"

"If there is, you will know when it has come. If it is not obvious, say nothing."

A few of the crows came back first and she directed them appropriately. Then a few more came, with only Alastair, Benedict and the owls left. She increased the food left outside and resumed sitting. "Do you have a reason to doubt me, sir?" Livia queried.

"It's not necessarily about doubting you," he responded. "A lot will happen in the next years that will try you in a variety of ways. I confide in no one. The headmaster comes the closest. I am not sure about how much you know, or will know, but you must not impede what must happen, especially if it does not directly involve you."

"And if anything directly involves me?" Livia inquired.

"Speak in such a way that betrays nothing that you know regarding me – same as before. It will become harder to do so, not easier. Do not ever defend me, either. If you want to amuse upset students by impersonating me, it is far better than finding an iota of justification."

Just then Alastair, then Benedict, entered the room. Livia went through the same routine, ensuring all was well and everything appropriately left behind. Just as they left, one by one Sydney, Mel, Brontë and Sevy came in. She told them about her brother's use of a Barn Owl during his wedding reception and told them the owl looked very large and most resembled Sydney. They had all taken mail to him, she thought, so they all liked the story. Sevy asked if she went to the reception with his namesake. She told him, in a way, yes, but no one knew. After leaving their contents in the proper containers, Sydney and Mel made a respectful chitter, departed and ate whilst Sevy and Brontë landed on the table. Sevy had more to say. Brontë chirped in agreement. Both got on his sleeve. He nodded at both, and they flew outside.

"Whatever Sevy said seems quite interesting if not embarrassing to you," he asserted. "Time to tell me, no? What were you talking about?"

"I was telling Sydney how Tom and Alice used a Barn Owl at their reception as a cue to cut their cake and that it looked like her, first," Livia answered. He folded his arms and glared. "Okay, Sevy asked me if you went with me, and I said 'sorta' which he understands differently." She paused. He waited for more. She exhaled. "He said he thought we looked cute together. Happy now, sir?"

That she looked disconcerted made sense, but he had no answer but: "I see. Did you show him the pictures, too?" The fact that Livia seemed flustered provided him with an escape from dealing with his own honest reaction, which he would think about later. She was too mortified to try to figure out his response, which he found most convenient. Otherwise, she might have laughed at his question.

"No," she replied. "This incident, though, does suggest to me that I may as well add this, too. My brother, his wife and their friends will want an explanation over Christopher's absence at their annual holiday party. I'm open to anything you suggest, since I doubt telling the truth works."

"No, that might lead to your Uncle Jack knowing," he agreed. "Since I now know how to do that, I should maintain the option to do it again, if it ever becomes useful. When is their party?"

"Usually the 24th of December, a Tuesday this year," Livia said. "Let me know what you think I should tell them because I believe I will need a good story that they will accept."

He said little and withdrew. Livia knew that he had heard her. She figured he had to think of something and had no immediate idea. He oddly had no potions to make, either, unless he made them. She thought it odd because he seemed a little surprised. Uncle Jack knowing could mean exposure here, so she did not question him on the issue. She just wondered if he really thought Tom's relatives and friends would not ask. He probably did think that.

Back at her room, Nils briefly stopped by to talk to her about some of the residential tutor duties he wanted her to address regarding students at risk over problems adjusting to school. Livia wanted to know what he meant. He referred to her situation. As he knew it, she had no relations when she started. He thought they should identify students she ought to engage on this level who had no parents present owing to muggle status, death or illness. At that point, he had only identified four that he knew of for sure who fit these parameters: Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter and Dean Thomas. He told her the girl, with thick, long golden brown hair, had muggle parents but great talent, even more than Thomas, in almost the same situation. The first boy, a little soft and dark haired, had parents, but they had been attacked, driven insane and hospitalized. He lived with a grandmother. The arrival of the third had been anticipated since his birth; he had dark hair and round eyeglasses. Livia did not recognize the name, so she asked for more details. Nils told her that the Dark Wizard tried to kill him as an infant along with his parents. Somehow his mother, Lily, put herself between the child and the wizard. She saved her son at the cost of her life and possibly the wizard's, too. No one knew for sure if or when he would return. _That story, that name. Does it explain everything?_ Livia got an idea regarding Professor Snape's warning – _her_ son with someone else. The pieces fit. _Classes could be ugly. Should I even watch?_

"What about that boy's father?" Livia asked.

Nils said the man, James Potter, was found dead in the same house, where they were supposed to be hiding. They had been betrayed by a person they trusted. A court jailed a man for this as well as other murders he committed. He seemed to take the whole trial as a complete joke, though the crimes were grave and numerous. His behavior disturbed many. Livia thought about her own hearing and how she did not react but how she might have done so if incapable of suppressing her feelings. _If the man was sane, a number of things could prompt this behavior – both unrepentance as well as aggrieved innocence, in fact._ She wondered which it was. Given her past, she did not presume guilt.

Livia decided she would draft letters to each inviting them to talk to her if they felt compelled, since she could somewhat relate to their situations – for better or worse. Was having a deceased or impaired parent who had loved and wanted a child better than being rejected by a parent likely still alive and who gave no information to locate the other parent? She knew the isolation at school relevant to all four. Maybe writing a note of reassurance itself helped. Livia liked the way that staff like her could view the sorting and first feast, which would give her some additional information, as well. She found herself determined to carefully study the event.

First, though, she would visit the headmaster to see what he wanted which she did on Thursday, 29 August. He greeted her warmly, which slightly surprised her, given their last meeting did not end well. She expressed as much. He told her that half of the four paid the fine, being the families of the two students in her Potions class. He further said that he sympathized with her annoyance, but it might serve a greater good if she left no huge footprint as a student.

"Livia, you are now part of the staff, essentially," he stated. "You have a responsibility to the wellbeing of the entire school, which means all of its students. Are you still adamant about your status in regard to working with Slytherin students?"

"No," she responded. "I have resolved my dispute with Professor Snape. It did not come cheaply for him, though – I will tell you that."

"I don't need to know the details," he responded. "Perhaps it is better that way. I do want to know if you are prepared to do either of two things – to practice dueling directly with me and to continue your lessons with him, as well."

"Am I still that horrible a duelist?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "But the time may come when you need to be more than merely competent or even good. I have much higher goals, and I know this skill is one area where many powerful people become vulnerable because situations presented to them were not remotely fair."

"Nils recently told me more about what happened to a new student's parents, one Neville Longbottom. Very tragic for him to live knowing that and seeing the results."

"Yes," he affirmed. "I knew his parents very well. They were more than competent or good yet a group of people tortured them to that point. So whilst I think you would succeed against many people individually, that is not sufficiently capable. I have very specific goals. I can show you more, and Professor Snape's lessons may protect you even better than mock dueling by itself."

"I seem to be compelled to spend a lot of time with him," Livia observed.

"Indeed," the headmaster agreed. "I think your skill sets are very similar and your temperament shares something in common, too – perhaps you clash owing to that similarity. You both hide a lot yet you have found out at least a little too much about him, I think. Still, you have shown great discretion. It will be tested severely. You must swear to keep your vow – to me."

"I do," Livia assured. "He has warned me, too. Yet he thinks I share your sense of humor."

"I can see that. Still, I cannot stress this enough: you'll need to recall it as the temptation grows. I do not ask you to compromise your own integrity – just nothing about your promise to me or to him. It is greater than serving even this school. Someday, you will understand."

"Yes, sir," Livia agreed. "When do you want to have me schedule time I spend either with you or Professor Snape?"

"For me, make it Fridays when the students are eating dinner and I have finished with any seeking me out," he said. "No one will notice much. You will have to ask Professor Snape what he wants. By the way, Livia, part of what you do with him helps him maintain the sharpness of his own skills. If we make enough progress, I may say the same thing. And yes, I want you to be that strong. This school will thrive so long as it has at least one defender here of great skill, youth and will who can take on anything. Others may claim that prominently, but many will have parts to play. This is not about credit. I take a very long-term view, one that will more than survive me."

"I understand, sir."

After taking her leave from the headmaster's office, Livia stopped by Nils's office to establish what her office hours should look like. He had her pick a few varied times during the week as well as a time before school Quidditch weekend matches, to give students opportunities that limited conflict with student schedules. He noted that the weekend time usually involved the more personal problems, though given the need for students to write things over weekends, the students might ask about that, also. Each general tutor also shadowed at least one professor's classes, sitting well away from anyone, with the point usually to not be noticed except under the rarest of circumstances. She wanted an example to gauge what he meant. He struggled to imagine one. Maybe a serious departure from a traditional, standard or approved text. Maybe a convoluted assignment that, if you did not understand, a student could not do it well. Maybe something beyond common practice in terms of faculty seriously hurting a student physically or vice versa. If a professor treated a tutor like a student or worse, as in the example above, that would not only constitute a serious contractual breach worthy of a formal complaint, it could get an instructor fired. Nils provided Livia with a handbook laying out various bylaws and obligations in these areas. She memorized that rulebook and later placed a copy in her room. As head tutor, Nils could float in and out of any class he wanted at any time, so long as he did not disrupt the proceedings, unless something dire took place as mentioned. Given what others indicated, Livia had to shadow the Potions and Muggle Studies classes, but of the others gave her Care of Magical Creatures, also. What if they took place at the same time, she asked. He left it to her discretion – she could alternate. With her 1991-92 schedule mostly set, she sent a note via Sevy as to what she should schedule with his namesake and when, having relayed that the headmaster set a Friday time. He sent back a response with a late afternoon time in the middle of the week, when she had a morning office time set aside. It would follow his last class that day. She agreed.

Before the students arrived, Livia made a visit to the tower where she most frequently found Helena Ravenclaw. Filius, as she now called him, would continue to tell her how to access the Ravenclaw halls, whether it be to fetch students or himself or to see Helena. He had become aware that Livia spoke to Helena at times and decided that if Helena intended to bestow any wisdom on Livia, he should facilitate easy access. Livia enjoyed seeing her; Helena felt like a mentor and an old friend. In the absence of Shelley, whose father worked out something for her to live near the O'Neill family as a way to test if they would make their relationship last, Livia only had Helena as a female voice – unless she counted Sydney and Brontë. Livia had a good relationship with the female faculty, but none really approached how Livia could confide in Helena. Helena also knew something about Livia's situation yet told no one about it. They shared a kind of reluctance or perhaps misfortune over their personal choices, too. Helena actually asked to see the wedding album of Livia's brother and sister-in-law. She asked Livia what she was doing in fashioning a boyfriend out of a faculty member, the youngest, but still most likely an unobtainable one and, moreover, a most untenable situation overall.

"Yes, Helena," Livia admitted. "That is what I have done, essentially. I was hoping you could say something to me to get my head on straight about this."

"Well, I told you my personal life does not offer anything useful about such things," Helena stated. "He is a solitary man with many traits you have uncovered. That you could even do that and actually appreciate anything about his character marks you as very unique. He does have a particularly keen instinct to protect you, perhaps because you have grown up before him."

"So I remain a little girl?" Livia asked. That explains the situation some, she thought.

"Perhaps not so much now," Helena replied. "He is complicated except for his devotion to his own agenda. He allots himself a singular purpose, and nothing you ever will do can or should diminish it. Yet he has repressed himself for years over this, though nothing like the number of centuries I have spent here. What I see in this picture constitutes the happiest he has ever looked – that is, better than anything on these grounds."

"And it's an act," Livia observed.

"Much of his life has become one, though – so why should this be more of an act than the Professor Snape everyone here sees every day?"

"Like you said, it's every day," Livia asserted.

"Stage performers can work every day for months," Helena stated. "Whilst some only take a role once a year, say an insincere ball date. Which one is more or less real? They may be the same. You must discover what you can call real and what you cannot. Time in a role will not say."

"Thank you, Helena," Livia asserted. "You are wise. Wish you had been able to live by it."

"If I am wise, it is because I have been here so long. But thank you. I am here because I wanted to be wise. I stayed here to become this and to use it as best I can. I also need to say something when the time appears right and the right person stands before me."

Livia opted not to pry, sensing she was not the person Helena needed to see. Livia knew better than to offend the figure that served as an intellectual mother or mentor. Helena generously offered her insight and asked for nothing in return. She would never betray Livia's confidence. Livia felt she shared something with Helena or had a bond of some kind that she needed to honor. Helena still lived through Livia and felt that honor worked in both directions.

Livia spent Saturday visiting Hagrid and "her" Barn Owl friends. For old time's sake, she took a turn entertaining the birds outside with her headphones, something she knew she could not do once the students arrived. She even picked some of her older favorites, like the songs she sang at Tom and Alice's wedding. She even got a few Beatles songs in there, though a reissue of some of their music.

She took her dinner in the Senior Common Room, though she had only begun to learn the names of other general tutors, like the pixie, thin medium blonde Clarissa Clairmont and the tall, thin light brown-haired Mark Watson. They would cover Transfigurations, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Herbology, though Clarissa wanted to follow Divination, too. The electives usually got split by interest. It seemed the division of subjects had some randomness to it, in that these tutors had a strong knowledge of most, if not all, the curriculum. None wanted to cover Potions, though, and Livia's O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. results made Nils's choice pretty obvious. Nils also made sure to inform Livia that tutors should not be wandering the grounds during the term. She questioned some of his movements on and off the grounds she heard rumors about, but he said little, since he chiefly went to Hogsmeade. She opted to inquire about Hagrid and her owls. He bent some but wanted to eliminate her other activities. Livia told him she did it because students had not arrived. He accepted the point.

When she returned to her room, she heard a tapping at her window. It was Sevy. Somehow, someone else could get him to deliver a note. Professor Snape made the same warning about her musical interludes outside that Nils had. She wrote back on his note that she had done it "for old time's sake" before the students had arrived and, as such, did not see the harm. Her postscript stated that she hoped that he had enjoyed being annoyed by it, also. Of course, he did not reply. She hoped that he smiled a wee bit, at least. She had figured out that his sense of humor did exist but, as with much about him, not where anyone would expect to find it.

* Author's Note

The 1991 song "Losing My Religion," written by band members Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, appears on the 1991 R.E.M. album _Out of Time_. It became an unlikely international hit for the "alternative rock" group, as did its award-winning video.


	30. Meeting the New Class

Livia mostly slept well, after sending out a note to Tom. She felt prepared for the new academic year and whatever it would bring. She assembled where the rest of the tutors observed the arrival of the new students and their sorting. It was like opening a balcony window. Livia thought it great at first that Professor Quirrell had returned though her attention drew immediately to his purple turban. He taught a new subject for him, which concerned her, since no Defense Against the Dark Arts professor lasted more than a year, but something else seemed different about his energy. She believed something had changed, but from her distant position she could not figure out what. She saw him sit next to Professor Snape, which she also thought odd, since she did not recall them being particularly friendly years before. She whispered to Clarissa that, though she previously had known Professor Quirrell, she thought something might be different about him and she should handle herself carefully. Clarissa, not knowing Livia well, seemed dismissive of this advice and rather perturbed that a new tutor would try to give any to her.

"Take it or not, Clarissa, I don't care," Livia said. "Some people have learned the hard way to pay attention to what I say. Were you around when I made a small fortune off of Bill Weasley's date leaving him at a Winter Ball?"

"I heard about it," Nils asserted. "I started shortly thereafter. It became quite the story when you spent the rest of the night dancing with him yourself, intentional act of yours to split them up or not."

"I did not plan that," Livia declared. "Ask Percy Weasley if I even knew I singled him out for my wager when I made my statement. Percy considered your idea, too, but Bill himself denied that I had anything to do with her leaving. He had contemplated breaking up with her, anyway."

Livia noted that all four of the students she had watched had gone to Gryffindor house, though the sorting hat took its time on some. Upon first seeing Harry, she though he reminded her of someone she had seen, but she could not place where she had seen him at first. He resembled someone she had seen but not met. _It relates to one of Professor Snape's memories. I have to see the scene again and hear it._ She noted that the new Weasley boy, Ron, who she had met not long ago, went to the same house as every Weasley before him, starting with Bill. The twins seemed to be starting a little to resemble Bill, but she did not see any of the boys truly mirroring him. She would always smile thinking about him, even if he spent his time with whatever blonde had caught his fancy. Livia knew he would never represent "the one who got away" for her. He let her go – which would not have changed, even if she ever had dated him for any amount of time.

Tutors assigned to specific houses would go to individual heads of house or meet students in their assigned common rooms. School-wide tutors did not have a singular place to introduce themselves. It was up to them to inform students that they existed one way or another, say outside a class they shadowed. Also, individual heads of house could refer students directly to any of them, as they saw fit. Livia figured her first priority, though, remained to send short notes of introduction to the students she presumed could feel the most isolated, though her initial observations suggested that two of them, Miss Granger and Mr. Potter, had begun to integrate themselves into Gryffindor via their classmate. Still, she sent them note first to congratulate them on their admission, then on finding a place for themselves. Nonetheless, she tried to reassure them that, owing to her own situation, she knew something about the isolation they might feel at times from not having immediate family to share the experience. Should they want to speak with someone partly familiar with at least some of their problems, she would be discrete and allow them to freely give voice to any issue they faced.

Harry Potter sent back a short reply, thanking her. He wondered, however, if she truly knew what it was like to have no parents. She responded saying that she never knew either of her own parents, having been abandoned by her mother less than a day after her birth. Though she knew the woman's name and some of her story now, she had no desire to meet her. Of her father, she did not know a name and knew that he had no idea of her existence. The woman who supposedly adopted her never wanted to be her mother, either, and her actions alienated her from her adopted father. The closest thing to parents she presently had was her older, adopted brother and his wife. Livia told Harry that at least he could be sure that his parents both loved and wanted him and that both had given their lives for him. She admitted that she could not tell which was worse – indifference, absence or the total loss of loving support. Each carried their burdens, but if he questioned her sincerity because her circumstances had not matched his, he was wrong. A more bitter person than she would try to claim that being unwanted was worse. She made no distinction or pecking order because she did not live in his shoes and he could not inhabit hers. He sent back a note acknowledging her reply and said she had given him something to ponder. He had known indifference from a supposed guardian who treated him poorly and thus had some idea about what she meant. He could not imagine going beyond that to the type of rejection inflicted upon her.

Hermione Granger sent back a longer reply, indicating her intention to bury herself in her work. She felt she had something to prove given her status. She indicated a strong will and a strong aptitude, from the way she wrote, as well as her thirst to learn. Livia wrote back saying that she had done the same thing, owing to the unusual circumstances of her own admission. Owing to those, she proved herself by passing her second year exams within her first calendar year, as well as taking on assisting many students in her own house. She bypassed a year because her admission came later than other students, and she wanted to catch up to students more closely her own age. Livia did not see that as necessary here and encouraged Miss Granger to find a balance between her ability to learn and her ability to take part in her house. Livia also encouraged her that, if too many students wound up seeking her help, to get either a house tutor, her head of house or herself involved, so she would not become overly burdened. Livia did admit to her a secret – that she had tutored students in her own house, Ravenclaw, as a way of better mastering a subject. Being able to instruct or assist others meant having a firm command of a subject. That, in essence, explained her transition to being a full-time tutor. Both the headmaster and Professor Flitwick wanted her to do this. Yet too many student requests can mean redundancy and a law of diminishing returns if it gets in the way of one's own work. If Miss Granger had trouble distinguishing this or drawing that line, Livia suggested that she should not hesitate to elicit Livia's help. The girl sent back an acknowledgement and that she would remember what she said.

Dean Thomas sent a fairly short reply, thanking Livia for her inquiry. He felt good where things stood, owing to some new friends. He seemed oddly unconcerned about his status. Livia decided not to press him.

The fourth student Livia wrote wound up being a much longer correspondence. Livia found much to like about this unassuming boy, Neville Longbottom, who suffered various slings and arrows of misfortune. He seemed a little mystified at her attention, given what to him appeared to be his weaknesses. Livia assured him that the sorting hat must have put him in Gryffindor for a reason – and perhaps it was that he needed to take a step back from himself and forget his existing limitations. He needed to focus on getting a little better day by day, week by week. Perhaps thinking was the problem. He needed to act more, not just think and especially think to the point that he second-guessed himself. He also had to remember he had been loved, though those who loved him most could not tell him so. Since he often wrote short responses, it took quite a few days for Livia to get everything across. She understood he often followed the lead of those in his own house, for good or ill. She thought that he had much to say about his parents and grandmother and, if he needed an ear, she would provide it. He thanked her, though he also expressed some befuddlement over her interest. She again explained why her own background made her sensitive to such situations, though she did not mean to imply his or hers ranked as better or worse. Each had plenty of sorrow impossible to measure or compare.

He opted to acknowledge that note in person, shortly after she checked up on him in the infirmary. He wound up with a broken wrist after a broom-riding accident. His visit had caught her off-guard, as hers had surprised him. She had her cassette player on in her office and turned it off. She told him the tape player reminded her of her brother, who acted like a parent but was a really a guardian. Her adopted brother had taken on that role after the abandonment of her real mother and the alienation of her adopted parents, mostly via her adopted mother. He found that quite surprising, given Miss Woodcock's reputation as a strong student. He realized she possessed great resolve and that he needed to find such a thing within himself, if he could.

She told him to think about the rune of Isa, symbolized by the straight line and its association with winter and standstill. Much went on below the surface, though usually this only became visible owing to the fragility of an ice's thickness in places, like the misadventures he had that drew others' attention. He may not be able to force movement but it abides, nonetheless – because without winter the thaw and bloom of spring would never take place. It may mark a delay in development though its delay also could protect things yet to emerge. One poetic interpretation involved patience in awaiting this thaw and taking comfort in knowing that it would come. Livia summed up the rune's message as: Trust his own process and that the sorting hat did not err. He found the encounter striking and over his head some, but ultimately he remembered it well.

Whilst this correspondence continued, Livia made her first appearance in Professor Snape's first-year Potions class. She identified herself and gave her office hours and location information should they want her help regarding this class and especially any written assignments, since those were her specialty. When she sensed a few, particularly Slytherin, students scoff at her presence as they walked past her, she felt it incumbent to tell them that she had received perfect scores on both Professor Snape's O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams, which no one else could claim at that point. She would not broker having her abilities questioned. If they cared, they could ask some older students what happened to the last two Slytherin students who dared to do something like that to her face. By warning those boys in Professor Snape's own voice, a few students widened their eyes. Livia merely stated in her voice that she was glad she had gotten their attention. She was a better friend than enemy but would refuse to help any student who disrespected her. With that, she withdrew and shut the door. She passed Professor Snape in the hallway and bowed to him. "Sir, they are ready and know who I am," she said. He just continued on his way to the classroom. He seemed to have a steely focus that she knew very well, if this seemed intense even for him. She suspected why, but he seemed too much in a hurry for him to bother with trying to figure her out.

Livia proceeded to the Muggle Studies class. She had a good idea what Professor Snape would be like to first-year students, particularly the Gryffindor students, so she made herself more useful elsewhere. The professor there actually stopped the class to introduce her, noting her particular strength in this area, despite being probably more than a half-blooded witch. When a few found that comment puzzling, she asked the professor if she could clarify it, which he allowed. She told them that her mother was an American pureblood witch who, for her own reasons, abandoned her to a muggle friend, who left her at a parish door, raised for a time by the local rector's family. Her father remained a mystery to her, other than the fact that he likely finished as a member of Slytherin house in 1972, which almost certainly meant at minimum half-blood status. When she had a name, she could answer the "how much" question. Nonetheless, being at least partly raised in muggle society gave her a great deal of knowledge pertaining to the material covered. If they had an interest in muggle musical tastes, she told them she maintained the ability to play such things in her office. One of her greatest memories involved attending a concert there.

With that, she resumed her silent presence and allowed the class to continue. At some point, the professor came to her office to hear what she had on hand and ultimately found a way for her to speak about it and her firsthand experiences in his class. He could speak in theory whereas she could illustrate almost anything he ever discussed – be it issues of currency, politics, law, music or even simple games. At some point, he wondered why she had never shown a desire to teach the class herself. She gave the same reason she had given before: She did not like grading students. She liked demonstrating, sharing and interacting. Testing and grading might blunt her enthusiasm or disappoint her. He said he understood, since many people who taught wrestled with that. He felt students earned their grades, thus his evaluation did not reflect on him at all. He gave nothing. She assented but did not feel it the way she should if she wanted to do it. At present, she did enough.

Livia attended Professor Snape's last Potions class mid-week, which had more advanced students. A few knew of her and found it ironic that a student who could stand up to him might proctor for him or tutor his students. A few had whispered before he entered that the headmaster must be trying to antagonize him, maybe even compel his resignation. Livia found this utterly amusing but, as usual, showed a strictly composed face and never betrayed any emotion.

After the class filed out of the room, she told him what they had whispered before he entered, which she personally found hilarious. She could not hold back the laughter by that point. He just looked at her. "Is there a reason why you have avoided appearing in my class with the first-year students so far?" he asked.

"I figured maybe you preferred that," Livia answered. "I do not interfere, and they know where to find me if they want to find me. I have a very good idea about what happens."

"I think the students who might have gone to you just gravitate to the Granger girl, who seems determined to show everyone how much she knows," he stated.

"I never felt a need to prove that to other students," Livia said. "Some knew anyway, like Shelley Silver. Overall, though, I did not think their opinions made a difference. If I was satisfied and so was the faculty, I felt justified sufficiently. I am sure Professor McGonagall would tell you that pleasing myself took precedence over her, though."

"She has said that," he confirmed. "Sometimes faculty thought they bored you, too. You listened, but you did things as you wanted. Why she never took any pride in your complicated transfiguration of two of my students mystifies me, frankly. Sure, the circumstances were not ideal, but I thought that should have proved to her how well you took her instruction and could use it."

"Maybe she would have liked it if I had been in her house," Livia suggested. "She treated me fairly, but she knew I preferred my own standards to hers. I made it hard for her to evaluate me at times because I had my own sense of style or taste and did not accept a uniform standard on things as she occasionally wanted. I am not the über-conformist most assume that I am."

"I know," he acknowledged. "Actually, I respect that more than others. It makes you unpredictable, often helpful when it counts most. They should recognize that, too."

"I also made the mistake of petting her animagus once," Livia revealed. "I was lucky she did not hold that against me too much, though I did tell her as a silver tabby how pretty she was."

"I could see that turning out badly," he stated. "Okay, where should we start?"

"I know," she replied. "I want to see if I can get something specific from you."

"Go ahead," he said.

She did. He put up a number of defensive strategies, both familiar and new but she picked through them all and saw a blue sky and put herself as a peregrine falcon on the tree. This time, she watched the robed boys antagonizing him. She heard the dialogue and saw a face she wanted to verify in terms of his resemblance to a boy she recently had seen. _Oh, that explains so much._

"I gather you succeeded," he observed. "How?"

She told him of picking a few locks and using a few familiar things. She wanted to confirm something she suspected – a resemblance that explained her absences from his first-year classes.

"Oh – don't say it, Livia," he requested.

"I know," she responded. "Now you know that I know who his parents are precisely. It explains a lot to me, including why I have thought that you would prefer me to keep my distance. I have figured out way more than even the headmaster suspects. I will not tell him exactly that, however. I have learned at least one thing you would never want that boy to know – not now, certainly."

"How do I keep that from anyone else with anything like your skills?" he asked.

"First, I looked for a specific thing, which in itself is rare," she answered. "How many people will have that insight to start? You also need to make your locks a little more sophisticated, maybe like the Ravenclaw riddle answers. Use your unexpected sense of humor – don't tell me it doesn't exist, either. Was the other boy nearby really the one who betrayed them?"

"He was convicted," he asserted. "He did it. Why do you ask?"

"Because I felt his loyalty in that scene," she stated. "He did not participate for any other reason. He really did not care. He had his own issues and that just distracted him. One of the others really felt reluctant about it, too. I find it hard to believe someone could throw away such a strong loyalty that transcended so many other things, even if in this case it became directed against you."

"Well, he did," he affirmed.

"I don't understand people, I guess," Livia responded. "I have made that mistake before. That knife from Ben Spence is probably still in my back, regardless of what I sang to him."

"Don't say that," he said.

"That's rich coming from you," Livia observed. "How many are in your back, sir?"

"I lost count," he dryly responded.

"Well, I remember mine," she said. "Every. Single. One. Still there. Or not."

"Maybe we should work on false memories given when someone attempts to extract truth." He gave her some exercises to try and ways to plant them to seem organically part of her memories. When she pronounced herself ready, he worked through them.

She put up a number of defenses, necessary to make the uncovered "memory" seem authentic. When he got through them, he found the young man known as Christopher Prince dancing merrily with her dreaded sister, like nothing wrong had happened. He pronounced that as promising and somewhat innocuous. Someone would find that authentic, but could she provide something that seemed closer to her heart, if phony? She wanted an example, but he had trouble supplying one. "You're not giving me much to go on. And I think you will regret that, too."

He tried extracting something of great value to her. Again, she set up walls of defense, even a Ravenclaw passcode, fortunately one he had overheard. So far, so good in terms of seeming appropriate. When he got to a night sky, he found Livia on the stone bridge with Bill Weasley walking away from the school and proceeding to a far more significant encounter than occurred.

"That was wicked, Livia," he concluded. "And really out-of-bounds."

"Closer to a woman's heart, though," she observed. "I told you to direct me."

She made her point. In a normal girl's life, that would have counted as a huge thing. She was not a normal girl, however. He made some suggestions, in terms of false accomplishments in dueling practice or, better, mock failures. He thought appearing weaker than she was would give an impression that would assist her. So she aged herself in memories of failures in practice with Professor Flitwick. She also changed the headmaster's answer to her when she asked him if she had continued to perform poorly even after graduating. He still seemed kindly enough to appear to be himself, but he did not mince words in pronouncing it a great Achilles's heel for her. Professor Snape seemed satisfied with these.

"I presume the headmaster did not say that," he asserted.

"He wants me to work with him directly now," she stated. "Whilst not at maximum ability, he hopes that someday I will become a worthy enough adversary to keep him sharp. He thinks that is what happens here, though I am less certain."

"He is right," he affirmed. "He does not flatter you. You have the talent to supersede me, actually, but I will not pass that torch without a huge fight. Or dishing something out after what you put to me. Try me again. I want to see how I do with a false memory to you."

She went through the motions and quickly picked her way through his memory. She found the two of them in the Earl of Somerset Room – but it was him, not Christopher, who watched a film with her in the bed, eating popcorn. Later, when she woke up in the middle of the night she saw his face. She asked him how he was and warmly embraced him. Then she closed her eyes.

"I don't think I should watch more of this, sir," Livia said. "You out out-of-bounds me."

"Told you I will not yield without a fight," he affirmed.

"At least you could have laughed at the film, though," Livia offered.

"That would not be a convincing detail," he responded. "Let us end here for now."

Livia joined the other tutors in the Senior Common Room. Some would leave quickly for the house common rooms where they helped students directly study. Nils, Livia, Clarissa and Mark usually stayed longer, with their meal winding up becoming an informal meeting where Nils typically asked the other tutors for any pertinent information. Livia mostly talked of her ongoing correspondence with several first-year Gryffindor students with difficult childhoods. She thought they got on fairly well, with Miss Granger very focused in her work and Mr. Potter already having befriended the present Weasley brothers in his house, thanks to his classmate, Ron. Since Ron's immediately older brothers, Fred and George, tended towards levity, this would give Mr. Potter a good basis for adjusting. She also had thought that the headmaster had taken great interest in him, which would also help. She further asserted that, from what he told her of his life, it sounded like he would like school better than what he had left behind. Mr. Thomas had also made a great friend.

Therefore, of the four, Neville Longbottom continued to concern her the most and she would continue exchanging notes with him. Nils liked what he heard. The others had not come across the same personal issues, though Clarissa did admit that, having seen Professor Quirrell up close, she also had trouble fixing his character. She did want to tread carefully, after all, and apologized to Livia for doubting her. She may have not noticed it except for the warning. Since it remained fairly early in the term, no other significant issues arose. Livia returned to her room, though she drafted a note to Filius regarding upcoming written assignments and that they need not come merely from the professors she covered, since she had done most of whatever came up herself. He should feel free to direct anyone to her that he wished or to suggest this to his own tutors. He sent a reply of thanks.

Livia's sessions with the headmaster did test her limit and beyond. She had grown more creative and disguised her actions better, but he still proved his mastery on a weekly basis. She asked if he enjoyed humiliating her. He dismissed the notion, saying he enjoyed watching her think through things and just react. He thought she grew more competitive as the weeks passed, even if the results did not obviously change. He liked that she had endurance and encouraged more variations of what she had termed "rope-a-dope" to Filius. Making use of an underdog status, however faked, could become a great asset.

As the term continued, students, especially from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff showed up to see Livia regarding their written assignments, especially, but not necessarily for their Potions work. Only a small number showed up at first from Gryffindor, typically older students who had known Charlie. Livia heard that a number of students there discussed papers with Miss Granger, but Livia sensed that she, whilst knowledgeable and detailed, tended towards writing with more verbosity and style than economy or structure. The grades she received credited fully what she knew in spite of whatever meandering points she made. If she intended that others follow her and they lacked her great depth of knowledge, they would ramble or stray off-task and thus receive poorer grades than those who saw Livia. Those students got topical insights in the form of substantive questions but also received assistance in organization, diction and providing the means to maximize the credit they received for the content provided. A few friends of Percy wound up seeking her out, too, given they saw a contrast in grades. Livia had an understanding of the reader or grader's position with a stack of papers, a point Miss Granger did not totally understand, given her age. If everyone wrote papers as long as hers, the faculty would go batty. Livia realized that Miss Granger would figure this out in time. No one could easily change her style, because she had an authentic and strong written voice. In a way, the demands of other students might just get her to think of these things more, especially as she encountered issues or comments written on other student papers. The faculty clearly knew who saw Livia regarding their papers and who consulted someone else or managed for themselves. From what she learned, it seemed Mr. Potter had an admirable amount of discipline in this area and at least a fair amount of knowledge.

No one from Slytherin ever saw her at that point. First, they would never take Muggle Studies. Second, since they had their Potions Master as head of house, he could tell them what he expected. Yet after one of her private lessons with him that seemed mutually useful, he asked her to follow him to his office before going to the Senior Common Room. Livia thought this odd. Inside, waiting for them was a first-year student, one of the Slytherin boys who had seemed critical of her role as a tutor. His name: Draco Malfoy. It seemed the light blond Mr. Malfoy was the son of a couple the professor respected, and they expected him to promote their son's achievements. The boy seemed to not take to this meeting well, asking: "What is she doing here?"

Livia could have asked the same. The boy obviously had little respect for her and wanted nothing to do with her. As far as Livia felt, that suited her just fine.

"I have brought Miss Woodcock here for a specific purpose, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Snape said. "Your parents want me to promote your success, and I think it would benefit you to learn of some things that Miss Woodcock does very well. No one at this school has amassed the reputation she has earned for her writing. No one. Ask the rest of the faculty. Your assignments need some organization and polish. I would betray your parents's trust if I did not make this introduction."

Draco Malfoy still eyed Livia with some disdain. "She's not even a Slytherin."

"She is an honorary member of our house. Moreover, she rejected the sorting hat which had contemplated putting her into Slytherin, citing a legacy. She skipped an entire year here and given that goal the hat sorted her into Ravenclaw. Miss Woodcock, you have not said anything. Very unlike you."

"Professor Snape, sir, I will not work with a student who disrespects me because it is a lost cause to try to advise someone who will not take what I say seriously. I have been down that road. I will never do it again. He either relents regarding his attitude, or you both are wasting my time. My dinner grows cold. You two figure this out and let me know. Goodnight."

Livia left and went to her Senior Common Room for dinner. She amused the other tutors by recounting why she ran late. Only two of them had tried to work with Slytherins. Yet they knew the attitude well. Nils had to admit he liked Livia standing up for herself, saying that he forgot how she had done that with Professor Snape in the past. Furthermore, she was right – she would waste her time with a difficult, unwilling student. Others might need her and value her.

Professor Snape tried working in the other direction by telling the Malfoys that the boy derailed his effort to promote his success by disrespecting the tutor he recommended. By universal account, those familiar with the written work of this recent graduate had deemed her the best writer they had ever seen at the school. He did not take this action lightly. Mrs. Malfoy responded, wanting to understand the nature of the problem better. Why had her son disrespected this tutor? He told her it seemed to rest in the fact that, whilst admitted as an honorary member of every house, the tutor, Miss Woodcock, had resided in Ravenclaw as a student, mostly as the best place to give her the opportunity to graduate in six years, rather than the usual seven. Since the boy's father had joined the school's Board of Governors, Lucius Malfoy knew a bit about this student, who started late, skipped a year and graduated around the same time as those in her age group. He also understood enough about her school career to know that Severus Snape did not take this action lightly, since she had earned detention from him on occasion. Narcissa Malfoy, in one of her parcels to her son, enclosed a note urging him to trust his head of house because his parents did. Of course, that did not make Draco Malfoy necessarily fully compliant.

After another afternoon practice session with Professor Snape, he urged Livia to try meeting with Mr. Malfoy again. His parents accepted the recommendation and his father, on the Board of Governors, held importance. She should not alienate him. Livia did not entirely find herself thrilled. "If the boy gives me the snooty attitude again, I am gone," she stated. "I do not care if his father runs the castle, or the whole free world. If the boy does not want to improve, you waste my time, and I have no problem telling that to his father's face."

"I think it best if you go alone," he suggested. "Maybe he feels the need to be more arrogant in front of me."

"I did not know that you subscribed to the school of wishful thinking, sir," Livia said.

"Okay, I feel that you would just as soon ditch this as go, so I will make a deal with you," he offered. "If you stay with it and pull this off, I will make it worth your time. I won't tell you how, but you'll accept it. Just don't turn him into a 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbass,' okay?"

"Okay, sir," Livia agreed. "But I made no promise regarding what I might turn you into, now did I?" She gave him a little mischievous smile as she exited.

 _She's become even more feisty than I thought. That kid has no idea what he faces._

Professor Snape already had told her how to open his door and had added that, if it served her, use his office to tutor him to assuage the kid's ego. It might help. Livia took a deep breath and entered. She greeted Mr. Malfoy and told him that Professor Snape had urged her to try again.

"My parents believe him," he said. "But I don't see the point of this."

He got up. Livia was too quick for him. By a wave of her hand he was forced back into the chair and quickly entwined by rope to stay there. "So, you think you can push me around, do you?" she stated, grasping his thoughts. "Nobody pushes me around, not even Professor Snape – and your father won't intimidate me, either. Are you ready to listen for a change, or what?"

Having not shut his mouth or fully secured his hands, he conjured a snake in an attempt to scare her – or something. It looked like an adder, though not a huge one. Livia looked a little less than impressed. She called on Sydney to ask if she liked and could kill an adder snake because one had been thrust in her direction. Sydney, the fiercest of the four Barn Owls, told her she likely could do it herself and would come. Livia opened the window and gave Sydney a beacon to follow.

"Mr. Malfoy, you may need magic to conjure a snake, but I need very little to get rid of it," Livia stated. Just then Sydney appeared at the window, perched on the inside of it and quickly swooped down and skewered the snake with her talons. Sydney asked Livia if she could take it back to share. Livia assented and bowed to her. Sydney jumped up to the window and flew off. "Some of us have powers you do not, whether they involve magic or not. So get over yourself before I zip your mouth shut for the next week."

"How did you do that, then?" he asked, puzzled. His surprise kept him from doing anything.

"I have known that Barn Owl, who I call Sydney, since I was your age," Livia replied. "I have fed her, I speak to her and she followed me here from London. She is not domesticated other than doing favors for me. She recently brought me something from my brother, in fact."

"You speak to her?" he queried again, still bewildered.

"As well as I do to you," she answered. "And no, I cannot teach you or anyone how. Professor Snape already inquired."

"So one owl, okay," he said, somewhat dismissively.

Livia laughed. "Oh, you want to play, rather than work on something useful. Okay, you got it." Livia tried to locate her crow friends and told them she had a little behavioral challenge, and they might cow this boy into behaving better just by raising their tails. Alastair liked a little mischief with some of Livia's treats so he'd bring the entire group he had then.

One by one five crows entered the window and lined up on Professor Snape's desk. "Let me introduce you: Alastair, Benedict, Andrew, Edward and Archer. This is what you call a murder of crows. For food they can easily poop in your face or pull your hair out." As Livia named each, they cawed to identify themselves. "Crows are probably the smartest birds in existence. Still not convinced?" Each of them one by one turned around, as if ready to launch their excrement at him. "Your call. We get to work or you get taken down a few pegs by my boys here."

"All right, you win," he admitted.

Livia bowed at all five and gave them plenty of food on the window sill where they retreated to eat. She told Mr. Malfoy she would have them eat nearby in case his ego irritated her and she wanted them to adjust it for her. He realized she meant business and, unlike Professor Snape, his status meant nothing to her. She would break his arm if it meant that he listened.

She retrieved one of his papers. She asked him, based on the first paragraph, to tell her what the assignment was. He knew the answer, but when she asked him to find it in the first paragraph, he could not. "That's lesson one. If you cannot find what it is, then you are losing the reader, who is supposed to grade it. You give no clue as to what will follow. You have to lead the reader, at least with signposts." She showed an example of a paper one of the students she advised had done. "Do you see the difference?" He nodded. "There are several objectives met in this introduction that you do not accomplish. The writer makes the assigned question clear, the writer establishes an overall answer to the question as well as indicates something regarding how he will argue for a specific answer. Indeed, the premise as set up yields something called a thesis statement, which guides what follows. The paper supports this position."

Some sort of "a-ha" moment took place for Draco Malfoy. "So why write a whole paper if everything is in the first paragraph?" he asked.

"Details or depth," Livia replied. "You show a better grasp of the subject by developing the ideas presented in the first paragraph. They are teased out or rendered more complicated. You even may need to also show why a potentially conflicting point does not negate your position. That strengthens a paper, actually. Otherwise, you may show that your list of points support each other together. I understand your father can buy you endless amounts of parchment, so you have the opportunity to draft things, make notes and turn in well-written, well-argued papers improved by several attempts. Some have to think and plan more before they write. Some think as they write. You have a choice as to how you want to work, maximizing what you will earn through your writing process. You need to find your own preferred method, whatever works best."

"I guess," he stated. "You put a lot of effort into this. Why?"

"For me, it was how I learned," Livia responded. "When I could articulate precisely about any topic, I had mastered it. I worked out what I needed to know and why it mattered. By the time I finished, things I subtly understood drew a great amount of commentary to flesh out or verify my thoughts. The faculty trust me because of this. Getting a good grade became a bonus."

"That seems contrary to things we do and must succeed in doing," he observed.

"Ask people who know what I can do," Livia said. She showed her animagus with its refined details, which even exceeded the exquisite actual cat Mrs. Norris. "You may have missed some details in the striping, the neck ruff, the head and eye shape, the hind paws, the toe and ears tufts and so on but one does not get those things down without having a mental grasp, which to me also means a verbal and written grasp. For me, they work together – enhancing one improves the rest. If you can perceive that they are related, then you know why I find this important. Study these two papers and bring me a future assignment and your ideas. I will come here, to preserve the discretion your head of house believes that you want to maintain. Acceptable to you?"

They set a mutually agreeable time, she released him and he left for dinner. Over time he would not be the only Slytherin that Livia tutored. Yet that day she just made her own dinner in the Senior Common Room, where Nils already had gotten updates from Clarissa and Mark. Livia apologized for being tardy, again, but she had just gone another round with Mr. Malfoy.

"Oh boy, I don't envy you," Nils asserted. "If he doesn't make your life miserable, his father will, I imagine. That in itself would make me seek another career." Livia knew Nils did do that last part, though no one grasped exactly what he did or how ardently he pursued it.

"I may have made a breakthrough," Livia stated. "But keep this under your hats."

"How?" Clarissa inquired. "They give me attitude even when I attempt to be helpful, as if I'm the half-wit, when I clearly know the material better than they do."

"I know," Livia responded. "He tried to scare me with a snake. I called my girlfriend Sydney, the Barn Own, and she sunk her talons into it and flew off with a tasty meal."

"A pet?" Mark asked.

"No," Livia replied. "Hagrid built an owl box for her and her partner, Mel. Still, she's a wild Barn Owl that helps me in exchange for food and care. I met her at age 11 when my cat, now deceased, used to catch lots of mice and left them for owls to take from the institution which basically incarcerated me until my brother could get me out of there."

"So that's why you started late," Nils said. Nils had heard things from departed tutors.

"Yes," Livia confirmed. "I have dealt with children like Mr. Malfoy before. I think he realized he would benefit more by listening and engaging me versus fighting me. It wasn't easy, though. When he scoffed at Sydney, I brought in a murder or crows ready to poop in his face, after I already had tied him to a chair. Only then did he give up."

They all laughed. "Too bad the crows didn't get to do it," Clarissa asserted.

"Alastair, the lead crow, basically told me the same thing," Livia said. "He loves mischief."

The others looked at each other. They never heard of anyone talking to crows, much less them cooperating like this and knowing them individually. Maybe they should just send anyone from Slytherin to her. They would, too; Nils made a note to do this in his head.


	31. Questions and Coping

Since other than visiting Hagrid, Livia's movements on school grounds as of fall term 1991 became restricted, she took to walking to Hogsmeade, usually wearing some form of headphones, to visit Alice's Uncle Jack. They had developed a solid friendship owing to her new habit. Uncle Jack told her that sometimes Filius visited, too, since they both competitively dueled years ago. He stated that Filius thought she performed very ably as a tutor. Filius had no doubt about her ability to work with his own students, but he found himself quite pleased that students from other houses visited her. In fact, Filius made a sort of confession that delighted him – sharing it only because he knew Uncle Jack would not spread the information. Apparently, Professor Snape informed the rest of the faculty that he had persuaded Miss Woodcock to tutor young Mr. Malfoy to improve his writing skills. Filius expressed some surprise that Livia had agreed, given his feeling that Livia had a tense, if mostly professional, relationship with Professor Snape.

Uncle Jack had a different idea, but he opted not to disclose much about it. He preferred to ask Livia about it first. When they got around to discussing Livia's work duties, the retired Uncle Jack told her what Filius had said. Livia told him he was right to say nothing. "Filius, as he insists I call him, has no knowledge of Alice and Tom's wedding or specifically who attended it," Livia said. "It is a complicated situation, to say the least."

"I can only guess," Uncle Jack stated. "Does Professor Snape like you or not?"

"That's a good question," Livia answered. "He is very mysterious – intentionally so. And I know I do not have the whole story. What I do know does not yield an easy answer. He has started to call me by my first name in private. I still have not decided what that means."

"That is interesting – maybe courtesy to his nephew," Uncle Jack suggested. "Does he have something on you? How did he get you to work with the Malfoy boy?"

"It was more like I forced the boy to concede," Livia replied. "I restrained him before he could try too much on me, and I threatened him with five crows just waiting for a signal to pick up their tail feathers and –"

"Oh, I get it," Uncle Jack stated. "That was brilliant. Doesn't leave a lasting mark except for the humiliation. There was something unusual about Christopher, though. I could not place it."

"Well, I'm sure he is an expert in hiding things because of who teaches him," Livia stated.

"Maybe that was it," Uncle Jack said. "He seemed so taken with you, but of course, I thought that about Ben, too – but in the end that proved untrue with Ben. I hope you know who you can trust. There are some strange things afoot around here."

"What do you mean?" Livia inquired.

"Well, I think it has to do with the boy Harry Potter and perhaps a bank break-in. I've heard the headmaster's brother refer to something called a sorcerer's stone." Livia looked totally blank, which Uncle Jack blamed on her never reading any wizarding world newspaper, for one. He figured even Nils Nilssen knew, despite not being a native, given the time he spent in the village.

"Harry seems like a decent kid, at least as far as I could tell from my inquiries to him – I made a point of sending something to a number of the new students who had no immediate family in the community," Livia said. "As the newest tutor, I think picking me to do it was easy."

"It's not about him per se, it's the scar he has and what it may or may not signify," Uncle Jack revealed.

"What scar?" Livia asked.

"On his forehead," Uncle Jack replied. "Have you not ever seen his forehead?"

"No, his hair covers almost all of his forehead," Livia replied.

"There are many theories about it, but no one is sure if it marks him as a future Dark Wizard or how it may relate to the one who killed his parents," Uncle Jack asserted. "Do you interact with him a great deal?"

"Not a lot," Livia answered. "I see him around but only have had a few face-to-face conversations. He seems to rely on members of his own house, and I generally have not attended Professor Snape's first-year class. Perhaps I remember that too well." _Close enough_.

"The scar may not be about him, but it may become so," Uncle Jack declared. "My best guess is that, given the circumstances of him having it, it may relate to a dark kind of magic. How does the faculty treat him?"

"The same as any other student, though from what I hear, Professor Snape often can be quite brutal to him, which isn't altogether unusual. What do you mean by circumstances?"

"If I remember the story rightly, he got the scar the night his parents died. Avoiding him might be good until you know what it means. Since Professor Snape may become your uncle, you should find out more, if you can. From what I know, Severus Snape is an extremely smart man – you must know that, already. He may know something that you should know, too. The scar may compel his behavior in some way. He might agree with my view of it."

"He will never answer a direct question about this, though," Livia said. "I did get the idea indirectly that he might prefer me not to attend that particular class, so I rarely do."

"Can you ask Christopher?" Uncle Jack asked.

"He either doesn't know or won't tell me," Livia replied. "But I have another way. Thanks for the information."

"It may protect you a lot more than ignorance or trust," he said. "There have been many differing accounts of Professor Snape. Since most sorted into Slytherin, as he was, often sided with the wizard who killed Harry Potter's parents, you might become vulnerable or have alliances you do not wish to have if you became linked to Professor Snape through his nephew. Only Harry defied that wizard and lived."

"How does an infant do that?" Livia queried.

"His very existence constitutes a defiance, or perhaps even a replacement," Uncle Jack said. "His parents defied him several times as did another current student's parents."

"Neville Longbottom?" Livia asserted.

"Yes," Uncle Jack said.

When they said farewell and as Livia walked back, she contemplated what Uncle Jack had said and pieces of information she did not share concerning what she had seen, what she knew about Harry Potter's background and what Helena Ravenclaw had said. Still, she did not know everything. As Helena said, she had to figure out what was real, even if Helena knew Professor Snape to be protective of her. He presented far from everything to know or understand about the entire man who held his titles. Perhaps Christopher posed the ideal way of asking him since he would not recognize she asked him. Moreover, she had to figure out why he had put himself – his actual self – in that Lumley Castle room with her. She knew his loyalty went to his first love, not herself. But she also considered it a one-sided pursuit in his mind. Livia could not recollect him having ever kissed her, not to mention kissed her in any way that Livia basically had done to him. Was that why he wanted to use her first name? If not, he must have some reason for it – but what?

Entering the grounds, Livia checked on her Barn Owl friends and greeted Hagrid, who seemed so straightforward. She knew some harbored doubts about him, but she saw him as the headmaster did – trustworthy and caring. Sydney, Mel, Brontë and Sevy amply testified to this and she was glad that he liked them as much as she did, even if he could not converse with them. They still had bonded. She told him often how grateful she was that he tended to them so well.

When Livia got back to her room, she found an envelope wedged into her partly open window. The handwriting looked awfully familiar. Professor Snape had one question: "Did you threaten one of my students?" He further stated that, given the boy's family, he would caution her very strongly on the matter.

"Did it work?" Livia wrote back. "What else matters? And given the situation, I could have done _much worse_. That was a rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbass candidate, for sure."

Livia called Sevy and had him take her reply. _He wants to defend that kid to me!? Maybe I should zip_ his _mouth shut for a week and teach his classes for him. I bet the first-year students would love that, heck all his students would love that, except for the Slytherins._ She laughed.

She decided she needed to "unwind" or find an outlet. Sydney recently had brought another CD from her brother – from a new subgenre John sent him and told him he had to hear. It was called "grunge." It matched how the groups looked and played. Livia started getting into this new sound via the band Nirvana and the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit."* At least it sounded feisty and she wanted to feel it and let it go, even though the lyrics made no sense to her. No matter, she practically could growl whilst doing them anyway after muffling the sound thoroughly:

 _With the lights out, it's less dangerous  
Here we are now, entertain us  
I feel stupid and contagious  
Here we are now, entertain us..._

The reference to "little group" made Livia think of her roommates and wonder how they fared. She figured they should be settled enough by now that she could inquire – maybe early next year. Livia later sent Brontë to thank her brother for the CD and let him know how much she liked this style, if even it had not seemed like she would have felt that way some years ago.

She had not expected a knock on her door, given the time or day. She turned off her CD player and opened the door to find Professor Snape. "Sir, was my reply insufficient?" Livia asked.

"You better let me in before anyone sees me here," he said. She did. He did a brief scan of her room and several of the items she had there, from her music shelves to her stuffed toy bobcat.

"What is the problem?" Livia inquired.

"I would like a full account by you of just what happened with Draco Malfoy," he said.

"Okay, but I am playing this in the background," Livia said. She put on Nirvana at a lower volume and, even if he could not decipher a shred of the lyrics, it did not matter. They made a point for her. She first explained his unwillingness at first, and his first attempt to defy her caused her to restrain him in his chair. Then he produced an adder. She brought Sydney in who killed it and took it away to eat. He still resisted her, as if her owl was inconsequential, so rather than zipper his mouth shut, she summoned her murder of crows, introduced each and told him, on her request, they could poop in his face or tear his hair out. When they turned around, he relented, though they ate in the room to ensure his compliance. She then had him compare a paper he wrote to one a student she tutored had written. She told him to study the differences and come back with a current assignment and how he wanted to address it. She would see him again in a few days.

"That's quite a story, so yes, you did threaten him to a degree," he said. "He also tried to intimidate you first. Other than the restraint, you did not use a lot of magic, did you?"

"Mainly in opening the window and feeding the crows, sir," Livia replied.

"Mr. Malfoy was a little dramatic about it, but I guess five crows ready to do that probably made him so," he surmised. "So you might hear something from his father."

"Does the man want his son to get good grades or what?" Livia asked.

"It is a fair point – I am sure he expects a great deal from the boy," he responded. "It is his only child, after all."

"If the boy improves, I did the man a favor, didn't I?" Livia suggested.

"I hope you are right," he asserted. "I just wanted to hear your account before I said anything. Between you and me, he made the job difficult, and you had to break him to get him to work. His parents both greatly spoil and pressure him, so I cannot say how they will react. Given their status, the headmaster may ask you about this, though I will tell him what you told me."

"Thank you for the warning," Livia stated.

"By the way, what is this record you keep playing?" he inquired.

"It is a new muggle sub-genre," Livia replied. "They call it grunge. The song is 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana."

"Definitely has, um, attitude," he declared. "Goodnight, Livia."

"Goodnight, sir," she said.

She thought she detected a few things unusual about Professor Snape that night. Later on, from a few Gryffindor students she tutored, she heard rumors through their house regarding a strange incident at a Quidditch match. Someone had tried to jinx their new seeker's broom, that of Harry Potter. Some thought Professor Snape had done it, though this made no sense to Livia. She again wondered about what Uncle Jack had told her. How well did she know him? Why would he try to harm _her_ son? Would he? Does it relate to the scar? She knew what she would try to examine that issue the next time she penetrated his mind. When had he first seen the scar? Does he know what it means?

The headmaster did send her a note about the situation with Mr. Malfoy but found no reason to intervene. If the student improved his work, the ends justified the means. The amount of magic she used against him did not harm him, or amount to a lot, either. Moreover, she could have lodged a complaint about the snake; it amounted to an attempt to intimidate her in some way, even if the adder was not strictly poisonous. Livia sent him a note thanking him for his interest and support.

Livia's next session with Mr. Malfoy went better. He actually took his work seriously and thought through how to do a current assignment. She gave him tips about how to take notes about an assignment given orally and what kinds of questions to ask if the task did not make certain aspects clear. Some assignments asked for mere summaries or descriptions, but even those needed some kind of organization, to ensure every point covered received maximum credit. No student, she said, should assume how closely a paper is read when an instructor may have dozens to read in a short amount of time. If they cut corners to read them all, having clear indications of his intent and his content became necessary to capture the reader's attention more fully and receive credit.

Livia appreciated that she treated Mr. Malfoy like he was a lot older than 11, but she believed that his ego likely compelled this for two reasons: first, she needed him to comprehend the sophistication such concerns could involve or overwhelm him just to gain his attention; and second, he would give her a limited opportunity to say anything of value to him. Even if he did not grasp half of what she would show him, at some point, he would no longer cooperate or even pretend to do so. The clock would run out, but he might mull over things for years to come. Her sense of urgency proved right. By the end of the term, he pronounced himself no longer in need of her aid. His papers had shown improvement. They could have continued to grow in thoughtfulness, but he claimed his satisfaction with what he had gained. Livia had no desire to fight him on this point when so many other students showed a great willingness to continue working towards their own improvement and success. She found that, alone, he wasn't horrible and even had some worthwhile traits. She asked if she could quietly inquire about his progress, and if he just gave slight gestures, she would know that he continued to fare well enough. He consented. He did not exactly thank her but she did not expect that he would, anyway. To him, it was only her job.

In the meantime, Livia worked on figuring what out what Professor Snape knew about Harry Potter's scar, as Uncle Jack suggested, prioritizing it ahead of other things. She got her chance because she gave him no warning about what she wanted to find. He noted it right after the baby Harry had gotten it. Professor Snape put up an epic fight for her to find it and indeed she could not see the entire scene, as in who also existed in that room. She only saw a ransacked room and Harry in a crib with the scar over his right temple. She understood what the disarray meant but she could not hear anything or see other people in the room. Still, it gave her some idea.

"You got something out of me," he stated. "But you don't want me to know what it is. You've done this to me before."

"Then you get it out of me," she put to him.

He tried. All he saw was an owl, but not a real one. He suspected what she wanted to find.

"I doubt you only saw an owl," he asserted.

"I am looking for something Uncle Jack told me to seek," Livia clarified, without giving away too much.

"What?" he demanded. "I know exactly what scene you reviewed. Don't try to be coy."

"He wants me to know about Harry Potter's scar," she finally revealed. "He wonders if I can trust you fully and feels I need to know more about it – he suspects you know the most."

"The man has a good point, but he sets you up for more danger than he knows," he said.

"He thinks I should decide that," Livia asserted.

"If I were you – or even him – I might say the same thing," he agreed. "Yet even knowing a little about this beyond the common rumors could hurt you, too. Do you believe me?"

"You want me to believe you," Livia declared. "Helena might believe you. It is difficult for me when I know only part of the truth and hear other things that call what I know into question."

"What things?" he asked.

"I know it is a common rumor around part of this school that you jinxed his broom," Livia revealed. "I do not believe this, but I was not there. I only ever watched my friends play Quidditch."

"Let them think that," he asserted. "Say nothing."

"I haven't," Livia stated. "Give me some credit."

"This is of utmost importance," he told her.

"What does the scar signify?" she asked.

"What do you think?" he countered.

"I did not see how he got it, so I cannot say," Livia said.

"And that is why others make suppositions about it," he suggested. "I have my own. I did not see it happen, either."

"But you were there almost right after it happened," Livia declared.

"I was. So was the headmaster," he revealed. "The break-in triggered a signal. But I thought you knew they were being hidden and got betrayed?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "Can I trust you, sir?"

"Yes, but I need you to keep quiet about this," he posited. "I wish you would stop trying to find out everything."

"And I wish you'd find yourself a home that makes you happy versus living your own death," Livia retorted. "You say you cannot or will not. I am just as unwavering."

"I noticed. You have grown up very feisty and, moreover, proud of it."

"I am," she agreed. "Took some time for me to feel this way. I am not going back."

The headmaster seemed to like her enhanced spiritedness, too. It did make her stronger, more creative and harder to defeat in a mock duel. At some point, he complimented her on achieving a much closer affinity with her wand, since she had started doing a lot without it. It took time before she firmly bonded with it. Still, losing it did not lead immediately to her defeat, as it usually did for most. She even began developing a unique way to fake losing it as if it were on an elastic string and came right back to her, with the tether on the opposite hand than the one grasping the wand. She would do this just before someone tried to disarm her. They would believe they succeeded when they missed. It would surprise an opponent who underestimated her and keep her in a duel longer, with heightened potential to win. He endorsed the idea that she have it tethered to her whenever someone engaged her and tried to disarm her so she could recall it. She had to keep that ability hidden entirely; he told her to only reveal it if her life depended upon having it. Further, no one should really know about it. If no one knew, they would not think about snapping a cord. She worked on getting the perfect material for it to harmonize with her technique.

Livia found herself glad she could observe a Winter Ball in a different area virtually unseen, yet none took place. It seemed the equipment loss led to the event being canceled; the headmaster suggested it would fall out of use for a time. The students all knew. Livia wondered why the Stoddard and Grand money had not gone to buying new equipment. Still, she did not entirely miss it. She figured a tutor should not make wagers. They simply had a special meal. She tried to see if she could find a memory of Professor Snape as a student at some special event or dance later and could not find any. He certainly had not gone to anything with _her_ that Livia uncovered, but the idea gave Livia something innocuous to seek out, since it might relate to other things. Maybe he had asked _her_ to something and that became part of a romantic rivalry that he lost. The young man she knew as Christopher Prince would have asked and would have secured some date, _her_ or not, but Christopher essentially represented a do-over. Maybe he had never invested much in any similar event and regretted it later. That conclusion tallied with her findings.

After chatting for a bit over punch with the other tutors, Livia took her leave. She had sent a note the night before to her brother about her holiday plans. Not long after returning, Livia found Brontë tapping at her window, with a note from him and the long-awaited release of U2's new record, _Achtung Baby_ ,* which Tom told her had created quite a buzz, according to John. She immediately started listening to it. She liked the second track, "Even Better Than the Real Thing," but decided to listen first to the next one anyway. She found this song, "One," incredible.* She had to repeat it and try to get his lyrics down. She found each verse more compelling than the next, with its combination of tenderness, tenacity and conflict, building to a crescendo as a revelation akin to a rejection. A desperation became all-too-visible. She repeated it a third time. Livia knew his voice. She just had to master the words. She then repeated the second and third tracks again. The contrast of the two emotionally intrigued her. The first about pleading to draw someone in and the other about the complications when that person proved to hold back or take something away.

Livia considered moving on to the other songs when she heard a tapping at her window. Sevy entered the room with a note to her from Professor Snape. It just said to knock on his door when she finished singing to her new record. _How does he know when I do this? Am I not careful?_ She had found a new strength in sensing his presence, not comprehending it could cut both ways.

Livia decided to turn the player off and found her way to his door and knocked. The door seemed to open by itself. So she entered. "Sir, am I somehow derelict in silencing the things I play in my room?" Livia asked.

"No, not for most, if not everyone, here," he answered. "Even if I showed you a better way, I would hear it. I think you told Shelley Silver that I hear everything. I do. I never have had a problem on this account with anyone when I want it. You are very clear to me because you sing loudly. You don't even need amplification. This is one reason I know you can teach when you deem yourself ready. You can carry a room without difficulty, even the Great Hall."

"I see," Livia stated. "Why did you ask to see me, sir?"

"I have a solution to your problem regarding your brother and his wife," he declared.

"Oh, what is it?" Livia asked.

"I told you that I would make helping Mr. Malfoy worth your time," he asserted. "Since you did help him more than I imagined possible, despite his resistance, I will live up to my cryptic end of the deal."

"I remember you saying that," Livia recalled. "But what do you mean?"

"I will be taking a short break from my time in my mausoleum, as you put it," he asserted. "Your brother and the rest will see Christopher Prince at their event."

"What?" Livia questioned. _Is he serious? Why?_

"I honestly did not think you would accomplish as much as you did," he revealed. "You totally outmaneuvered him. And I think you gave him so much information that you snapped his neck back. You did earn his respect, after all, but he will not say it. I can. His parents were very pleased. Quite an accomplishment. You enhanced their trust in me, which is more useful than I should say here. I will not deny that."

"You seem to know them well, I take it?" Livia asked.

"I do," he agreed. "Both were Slytherin students here for part of the time that I was. They expect me to do right by their son. Both also come from well-known, prestigious families."

"This could present a bit of a logistical issue," Livia stated. "I understand the couple that has a child may arrive early – like in the afternoon – and leave early the night of the 24th. I will already be there. How are you showing up without any of Tom and Alice's friends knowing too much about anything?"

"You suggest what, then, I show up on the 23rd?" he asked.

"That would do, for one, depending on your method of travel," she replied. "If my door is shut, you can get there as you need as well as leave. Perhaps just arrive a bit early on the 24th."

"I like to sleep in on term breaks," he declared.

"Indeed, I think students and staff agree on this," Livia said. "I think late morning would work. I cannot imagine them arriving in the morning at all."

"That I can do," he affirmed. "Seems you showing me your room mattered, after all."

Livia did some preliminary shopping in Hogsmeade and had put into a suitcase several items she would bring for her trip. She had already given Uncle Jack something he liked, since he had an affinity for various types of beer steins. At the time, she preferred apparating to Tom and Alice's fenced backyard and knocking on a back door. Abby saw her first and left to find someone to let her in. Tom arrived, followed by Abby. "Why don't you just put yourself in your own room?" he asked, after greeting her warmly. "How are you? How did the first term go?"

"Tom, you're a newlywed," Livia declared. "Even if my door is shut, I could invade your privacy and see something you rather I did not. I am fine. The first term went reasonably well. I had to corral one particularly annoying boy, but it turned out okay. Uncle Jack sends his regards." He handed her a card from him with a letter inside.

"Livia, we don't carry on all over the house," he protested. "You do know Alice and I lived together before, remember? What did this kid do?"

"Tom, still, keep my door closed, so you never have to worry. I do not wish to sneak up on anyone, and it is easy enough to do even when you know I am coming. As for the boy, he did not want to learn from me. I basically restrained him in a chair, and threatened to direct a murder of crows to, um, poop in his general direction."

"That's hilarious. What the Pythons would have done with a group of compliant crows…so, what's the story with Christopher? Is he coming?" Tom asked.

"I think so," she answered. "He probably will show up in my room late Tuesday morning, before any of your guests arrive."

"Then the decorations could go at least twice as fast." Tom chuckled.

"He would have to know what you want," she asserted. "I can probably do it myself before I could explain anything."

Alice then emerged and also warmly greeted her. "How are you, dear girl?" she inquired.

"Pretty good," Livia replied. "How about you?"

"We are both well," Alice responded. "Very glad to see you. Is Christopher coming?"

"I think so," Livia replied. "Unless his uncle detains him."

"Really?" Tom asked. "Maybe we need to invite him."

"You'll have to ask Christopher," Livia stated. "His uncle is a creature onto himself. I do not profess to thoroughly understand him – certainly not as well as his nephew. Don't know if he'd come. Uncle Jack asked me if he likes me. I can't even answer that straight." Tom handed Alice a card from him.

"Oh, thanks," Alice said, recognizing its source. "Wait, you work with him, don't you?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "Nothing is simple about him. I follow what he wants as best as I can, but he's very enigmatic."

Alice already had begun her own research, so she set her own work schedule, mostly, even when it included research trips. She and Livia spent lots of time together getting things needed for the dinner and for Christmas in general. She asked if Livia needed to shop for anyone and ensured she had everything she needed – like a special toy for Amanda or something for Cathy. Alice shared with her a secret. Cathy and Doc planned something of a civil ceremony or elopement sometime the following year. His family had taken charge of the situation because Cathy thought she could justify a "surprise" wedding, even if she actually knew about it. Livia thought the idea brilliant. Cathy wanted a lasting relationship. She did not need a fancy anything, though she enjoyed Tom's wedding greatly. She knew that getting anything remotely decent from her parents would force her father practically to bankrupt himself whenever Lydia wanted it. Alice also told her that Frank put an end to his relationship with Lydia by the end of the summer. Lydia had said or done something to Frank's sister that he found offensive. Frank took a job elsewhere not long afterward, given that Lydia schemed to get him sacked. Had a new manager not taken a fancy to her, Lydia would have lost her position instead.

Alice, Tom and Livia watched a film at home the night of the 23rd, a quiet birthday for Alice. Tom asked her when they might expect Christopher. Livia told him that she did not know for sure, except that he would likely arrive before noon. She ensured that her door was shut, citing Tom and Alice's privacy whilst actually considering his need not to be seen. Given what Uncle Jack had said, they accepted this, if a little begrudgingly so. Based on the apparent edict on Christopher before to "behave himself," they did not concern themselves about him very much. Furthermore, Livia could run her own life at 19.

The next day, Livia slept through breakfast, which neither Tom nor Alice found surprising. Livia had gone shopping with Alice the prior day but appeared tired. They had no idea when she would emerge or if she would do so alone. Livia peacefully and soundly slept after 11:00 when her room received a visitor. He put his wand away and sat down at her desk, pondering the photograph Tom and Alice had placed there from their wedding. He looked at Livia, who had not stirred whatsoever. He took drops from something in his pocket, adjusted his clothes and he continued to watch her. He noted that she still traveled with her stuffed bobcat. He had seen it at school. It seemed to watch over her from a nightstand. Greyish-brown with black markings and small black ear tips and a black-tipped tail, it did resemble a lynx, perhaps given its use of grey or its life-like, if small, stature. He wondered if Livia had altered its appearance to seem more accurate than the average stuffed toy looked. He decided that he preferred to ponder the cat than this sleeping young woman. As infuriating as she sometimes had been, he often did not know what to do about her. He knew that being there carried a risk – he had gone too far once already. Yet she made a good point. Endlessly brooding in his parents's "mausoleum" served no purpose, either. Of course, he might be better off reading there, as he often did. He also had thought through much of what lay before him. She presented one of the only unexpected complications, for good or ill. She had helped him, and he only had to ensure her silence. She might help him maintain what he had created and needed to create. If the price was a brief vacation from his parents's home, he could do a lot worse. He recognized why Livia held her brother and his friends in high regard – they genuinely treated her kindly. Alice showed great fondness towards him, too, which intrigued and baffled him.

He waited enough time that he became the person Tom and Alice Woodcock, and their guests, expected to see. He saw that as his cue to wake her up. "Livia," he said, crouching down and gently nudging her. "Livia, wake up."

"Wait, are you real?" Livia queried. She gently touched his face. "You seem real."

"I am truly here, and you need to wake up before your friends start arriving."

"What time is it?" she asked.

"About 11:30," he answered.

"Oh," she stated. "Go downstairs and say hello whilst I get myself together. I will join all of you shortly. I must warn you. Tom is likely going to quiz you on the status of your education or work at some point. I had no idea of what to say. That might not be all, either." He touched her face, nodded and left the room. She exhaled. _If I am not careful, I am going to lose more than my religion over him. I have got to talk to him seriously today. I hope I get it right._

She busied herself to look reasonable, but ensured that she could hear the conversation downstairs. They knew to expect him, but they both admitted they had not adjusted to people just appearing in their house. Alice gave him a cup of breakfast tea, the Irish variety being her favorite. "I think Livia goes to the backyard and raps at the door to minimize the issue," Alice told him.

"That's not what she told me," Tom revealed. Alice looked at him quizzically. "She told me she did not want to invade the privacy of newlyweds." Alice blushed.

Christopher laughed. "Did she really say that?"

"She did," Tom replied. "I reminded her that Alice and I lived together already."

"You cannot fault her for trying to be polite," Alice said.

"No, I guess I found it amusing more than strictly necessary," Tom responded. "It's not like we don't have our own room."

Livia made her way downstairs, greeted everyone and settled down to have some cheese-on-toast and some breakfast tea. Christopher sat with her as Tom and Alice brought out various decorations they wanted put up before the guests arrived. Livia ate fairly fast, told Christopher to take his time, as she had to do a few things. Whilst he finished, she got busy. Already knowing how Tom liked the cards, stockings, garland, holly and mistletoe to look, as well as his tree, she started moving things directly from the boxes before they had been opened. Items seemed to be flying everywhere. Tom and Alice just watched in amazement. Every now and again, Livia confirmed the placement of a particular item but mostly had everything under control. Abby even got her ribbon to replace her collar without even being woken up. Livia just told Christopher to pick up his plate as she spread out a special tablecloth.

"Did I get everything?" Livia asked.

"And more," Tom answered. "That would have taken me hours. And it's all very sturdy."

"Did you get all your presents wrapped?" Livia inquired. When Tom shook his head no, she said: "Then go get them and what you wanted to use for them." Livia took care of all that and put everything under their tree. "Okay, what's next? I can't cook anything faster, but I can do some repetitive chores quickly."

Everything was sliced, diced and beat fast. Alice just had to watch various things simmer or bake or broil. This year, she had no need to supplement anything with items she needed to buy. They had all they wanted prepared or in its final stage of preparation done by just after 1 pm. Tom decided to put some seasonal music on and asked what Livia and Christopher wanted to do. Livia said she wanted to sit outside in the back and talk to him. Tom saw nothing wrong with that. They sat in two lounge chairs next to each other.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Christopher asked. "They might think we never talk."

"Nah, Tom thinks I'm gabby," Livia stated. "He found my silence as a student odd. Anyway, one way or another, I have had some questions put to me. I do not know if I answered them well or what I should think, which may or may not be the same thing."

"Okay," he affirmed. "You need a sounding board?"

"Maybe," Livia replied. "First, Alice's Uncle Jack asked me if your uncle liked me, and I totally dodged the question. I think I called him mysterious, and I did not know what else to say. I think that prompted him to ask me if I could trust him."

"I see," he said. "Calling him that likely suits him, if for his own reasons. Uncle Jack can question those things. You don't have to do so. You already know things nobody else does. You must remember that."

"I do, but sometimes he pulls the rug from under my feet, too," Livia revealed.

"Example?" Christopher asked.

"I got several," Livia answered. "He more or less defended a bratty student in terms of how I got that boy to stop playing around and pay attention. The fact that he did so annoyed me greatly. The boy reminded me too much of somebody, so I really did not get that at all."

"Perhaps you shouldn't take that personally," Christopher declared. "Who's the boy?"

"Draco Malfoy is his name," Livia replied. "Apparently his father counts as somebody I should genuflect before or something."

"Then that was the reason," Christopher stated. "It had nothing to do with you."

"Okay, you want personal, here we go," Livia said. "This one still throws me for a loop."

"What?" he queried.

"This will take some explaining," Livia started. "Last term, your uncle wanted me to fake a memory of something 'closer to my heart' versus being innocuous. I asked for an example, but he gave me none, so I concocted a memory of a different outcome of a dance where I essentially was Bill Weasley's date. Let's just say it got a lot more hot and heavy than it actually went."

"Was that what you wished had happened?" he asked.

"Not really," she answered. "At one time, I did. I did it partly because it fulfilled what he requested and partly because I wanted to annoy him for not giving me a sense of what he wanted."

"Why would you do that, thinking it bothered him?" he inquired.

"If not irritate, I thought it might embarrass him more than me, even though he was the one who said Bill was an idiot for walking away," Livia replied. "Anyway, I probably was right."

"Why do you think that?" he asked.

"Because I cannot otherwise account for what I found as his faked memory," she asserted.

"Which was?" he inquired.

"He put himself in the Earl of Somerset Room with me," she recounted. "I couldn't quite watch much of it, but it sure looked like a very different scenario had begun."

"So you were embarrassed," he suggested.

"To. Say. The. Least."

"Interesting," he stated. "The fact that it did not make you indifferent means something, doesn't it?"

"Well, yes," Livia affirmed. "For one, I should not be viewing a 'memory' like that on school grounds with a member of the faculty."

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Are you asking me what I would have done for real?" she put back to him.

"I suppose," he mused. "I am at a loss, too, regarding the motives or your response."

Livia figured that to be a lie – he had to know the reason why she saw that. "I hardly can tell you what I would have done," Livia began. "I know certain things that make the probability of that scenario being real as practically nil. Another word used would be unobtainable. I suppose I would have had to ascertain what he wanted and why. Unless I wore a wig and altered my voice, it seems to me rather implausible. So I cannot account for him doing that beyond shocking and embarrassing me."

"So you don't think he would try to use you, wig or not?" he asked.

"I think not, or he would not care what you do, but he put that memory to me, so I wonder."

"You might be overthinking a reflexive reaction, regardless of how irked he actually was," Christopher suggested. "You were cheeky with him, so he just one-upped you."

"Could be," Livia stated. "I think Ravenclaws can live inside their heads too much."

"Still, if I rightly interpreted what you said, you would not have outright rejected him?"

"I guess not – theoretical though it is," she declared. _What does he want from me?_ "We probably should check on how things go inside." They went inside, with Christopher taking a few drops of his elixir first.

* Author's Note

Nirvana's groundbreaking single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" appears on their 1991 album _Nevermind_. Though the entire band receives credit for penning it, most attribute the lyrics to Kurt Cobain and the music to Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl.

U2's seventh studio album _Actung Baby_ was released in late 1991, though indivual singles from it continued to be released in 1992, including "One" and "Even Better Than the Real Thing." Band member Bono composed all lyrics to these recordings, with the music credited to every member: Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullin Jr. and Adam Clayton.


	32. Handle with Care?

Inside the Durham home at 24 North Road, things looked immaculate and nearly ready. Audrey and Jake did arrive first after three o'clock with Amanda in tow. Everyone greeted them warmly and expressed admiration for the little girl. She had little ringlets of blonde hair and her eyes still bright blue. Audrey deemed her a good baby, from what others told her to expect, though they believed they should set up a portable crib upstairs somewhere for when she needed a nap. Livia went with Jake to bring it in, and she told him that she and Christopher would put it together in Tom's office. Jake brought it to the room and asked them if they needed assistance. Livia told him to rejoin everyone downstairs.

Livia didn't need any stinking directions. Christopher was also a dodge, of sorts, since she would assemble it by a short wave of her wand. "How long should we stay up here before we pronounce it done?" Livia asked.

"How about long enough for this…" Christopher said, pulling her in. "Merry Christmas, Livia." He kissed her, which somewhat surprised her, since she did not recall him doing it sober. Perhaps Tom started giving him brandy when she had gone outside. She thought so. Whatever it was started intoxicating her by proximity. Or something. _When did he get so good at this?_

He started kissing her neck and she leaned in and nibbled his ear. She whispered: "What are you trying to do to me?" She definitely started feeling hot and bothered.

"I guess I found your 'on' switch," he responded.

"Do you have one?" Livia asked.

"I probably should not tell you," he stated.

"Are you challenging me?" she inquired.

"Hmm, maybe," he offered. She found it in a combination of things. She had totally unbuttoned his shirt. They were both completed enraptured with the other, sitting on the floor intertwined, neither with an idea of how or when to extricate themselves. The bizarreness of the situation seemed not to matter for a time, but it flickered back to Christopher's reality. "I hate to do this – again – but I think we need to go back downstairs now."

"I knew you would say that," Livia responded. "I just did not know when." _Is he trying to drive me insane?_

So they both composed themselves, Christopher took a few more potion drops and they both returned to everyone else, pronouncing the crib ready for use when Amanda might need it. Jake thought they managed very well with the project, though Tom and Alice knew they likely simply waited to rejoin them. They all chatted for a time then Alice and Audrey attended to whatever needed to be completed in the kitchen. Tom seemed to have become quite the eager bartender. Amanda went for a nap sometime around six, shortly before the other guests arrived. Newlyweds Bertie and Kate came at about the same time as Gary and Penny, with the latter saying they might head home early, depending on a phone call Gary would make shortly, which ultimately did not require them to leave. Then Cathy and Doc arrived, followed shortly by Adam and Linda as well as John and Lesley. All looked festive and happy to celebrate the holiday together.

Many of the couples seemed to pick one out to remain well fed and sober as the other went to the other extreme. It was not strictly a gender division. Doc, for one, needed to remain on-call even as far away as they were, just in case a cat required emergency surgery. Both Audrey and Jake kept themselves fairly level-headed, never knowing exactly what Amanda might require from whom. If she needed Audrey on the ride back, Jake would drive. Gary wanted to be the life of any party and, since it tended to work to their benefit, Penny never stopped him even slightly – so long as he did not become a sloppy or mean drunk. Neither Alice nor Tom worried, since they had nowhere to go; neither did Christopher and Livia. Livia thought Tom would corner Christopher about himself, but Gary, festive in his deep emerald jumper holding a red tumbler, did it first.

"So, Christopher," Gary began, "what are you doing with yourself?"

"I am finishing my studies and helping a neighbor with a startup, mail order business," Christopher stated. "It involves costumes and other novelty items."

"So where does Livia fit into this?" Gary asked.

"I cannot say as of yet."

"Tsk, tsk," Gary responded. "Bad answer, mate. I hope that your uncle isn't trying to break you two up?"

"That's a fair concern. I'm not actually sure of his intentions."

Tom interrupted, refilling some glasses. "Well, you tell him, he is welcome here, anyway, even if he has any objection to us. We're not a bad lot, you know. We just want to protect Livia."

"I will tell him. He might find that awkward, since he has a working relationship with her. I think he also likes to be alone a lot, too."

"He's not on the clock here," Tom declared. "We have careers, but we do not have to live them every second. Liking to be alone can mean a lot of things and only a few of them are good. We don't talk shop. Surely, he can just enjoy himself and separate who he is from what he does."

"Maybe," Christopher stated. "I am not sure how or if he makes that distinction, honestly."

"That's a shame," Gary said, quickly taking a whiskey shot. "Your uncle's not old at all, is he?"

"Not much older than you all," Christopher answered, drinking some more. "Still, he had a lot of responsibility put on him at a young age. I think that separates him from many people."

"I can show him how to have fun, mate," Gary asserted. "Everyone needs that sometimes."

"If anyone can do that, I nominate Gary," Tom stated, continuing to refill or top off drinks. "You obviously know what happened with that Spence boy. Does your uncle have the same issue?"

"No, I don't think so," Christopher said. "He's old school but not that much."

"Well, then, he is more than welcome here," Tom declared. "We would love to meet him. Just let us know – anytime. I mean it. I am sure Alice agrees."

"Thank you," Christopher said. "I will tell him."

"I heard my name," Alice responded. "I agree to what?"

"That Christopher's uncle is welcome here."

"Oh, certainly," Alice affirmed. "We'll be happy to have him join us. Bring him anytime – just let us know to set a place for him and what he likes to eat. Do you have other family, Christopher?"

"No, I do not," he acknowledged.

"I'm sorry," Alice said. "I cannot imagine. I have very young brothers. I am not close with either right now, given the age difference, but I have quite a family tree in addition to Bertie there."

Meantime, Livia talked with Cathy and Doc about their plans, congratulating their decision for stealth and prioritizing being happy together over a perfect wedding "It'd be nice to have both," Livia stated. "Some of us are lucky to have one, though, and of the two, I'd rather have a great relationship versus one perfect day."

"I totally agree," Cathy assented. "Lydia may have been compelled to behaving some because Alice had important people ready to defend her. I think my mother would force me to have her as a bridesmaid. Whilst that might keep her in check to a degree, I think there's a certain symbolic poisoning if she got too involved, that is, if she acted outrageously."

"Oh, she tried to pull something at their reception," Livia said. "Fortunately, Christopher saw her try it and minimized the problem she attempted to cause, since it inadvertently hurt the band's lead singer. That's why he needed extra time to resume singing."

"Really?" Doc asked. "I remember him thanking Christopher, and no one around us then knew why."

"That's because she tainted a drink she thought I would have, and he took it instead," Livia revealed. "Christopher got the drink away from him and calmed a coughing fit he had over it."

"Blimey," Cathy said. "Redoubles my resolve to elope."

"Just let Tom know where I can send a present or something," Livia stated.

"I may give him a little warning," Cathy revealed. "If I can't manage to get Dad away for it, I think I would like Tom as a witness."

"I like it," Livia acknowledged. "What about the groom's family?"

"They will keep quiet, so my family will attend," Doc stated.

By the time Christopher found Livia, after an aside of a few more drops of his elixir, John had engaged her on stuff he had recommended to Tom, who forwarded them to her. Livia told him she loved everything he sent. He inquired about what she had gotten, which she listed. John expressed surprise she had not gotten _Blood Sugar Sex Magick_ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.* The title raised Christopher's eyebrows. It sounded a little dangerous, and he knew he had started enough mischief already that night. He started thinking he could not move this charade forward, so the time had come to pull back. He had no idea how he could do it well, though. Meantime, John got Tom to temporarily stop playing holiday music so Livia could hear "Give It Away," surprised that she had not heard it. Christopher thought the album title gave the song a different meaning and found himself pleasantly surprised that it sounded more like selflessness than lust. In pulling back, Christopher realized he had to strike the right balance. It seemed everyone there held Livia in high regard. He would have to find an artful excuse rather than an outright rejection – or reveal the truth. Still, he had some regret; he actually felt like a normal person there, though he clearly wasn't himself. Meantime, Tom promised John he would give Livia a copy of the album.

Livia liked the song, but it had come to her attention that Christopher had gotten lost in his own thoughts. He seemed fine when Audrey and Jake roused Amanda and they went home early. He had no qualm about Gary's mistletoe antics – though Livia was not sure if Gary wanted her to kiss Christopher or he did. Seems they both got a cheek briefly. When the last guest left, Alice contemplated what to do first, but Livia beat her to the punch, collecting trash and putting various things in containers for their refrigerator. Livia needed at most five minutes to do everything. Christopher made his farewells and said he would take his leave from Livia's room.

Upstairs, Livia closed the door, and he started talking to her. Christopher told her about Tom and Alice graciously inviting his uncle to dinner anytime he wished. Though they wanted to be hospitable and he appreciated their intent, such an invitation pushed him in the opposite direction. He could not and should not do that. She understood what he was saying before he even finished getting the words out. This had gotten too serious to maintain. He did not know the "right" answer, but the present course had grown unmanageable. Livia understood, though she clearly felt unhappy about it. It was unsustainable. She had to let him go – but not at that exact moment.

"I hear you, and I obviously get it," Livia said. "That does not mean I have to let you go this second, either." This time she pushed him against the door and kissed him as best she could.

Christopher found it impossible to resist her, having a 20-year-old body and little memory of anything before 1989. Yet he knew his time was nearing an end. "Livia, it's time." She still had her arms around his neck when he resumed being who he really was.

Livia lowered her eyes, slowly let arms drop and backed away. "Sir, Merry Christmas."

He felt everything that lay behind those three words. He did not wish to admit this, discuss it or even think about it. "See you in a few weeks. Merry Christmas and goodbye, Livia." He left.

Livia sat in the darkened room for several minutes just digesting the whole thing. She could not disagree. She well knew how untenable the whole thing had become. She had not even pressed him to show up in the first place. Then why did she feel so hurt? Could she have expected any other outcome? Not really. Christopher Prince did not actually exist, and the man who did never could love her. She had to find some other way to live. Maybe she should just use Uncle Jack's view – the potential danger of being associated with Professor Snape made a relationship with his nephew difficult or impossible. He could accept that, so maybe they would, also.

She emerged from the room and joined Tom and Alice downstairs, who just sat on their sofa drinking some cocoa talking about how everything went. Alice asked her if she wanted any, but she said she rather have a shot of vodka instead. They knew something was wrong.

"What happened, Livia?" Tom asked. "Are you okay?"

"I guess I will be okay," she answered. "Just something sticking to me, something Uncle Jack said to me that Christopher seems to find problematic, too."

"What?" Alice inquired.

"Uncle Jack cautioned me about having an ongoing relationship with Christopher, owing to his uncle," she replied. "His uncle has, in the past, associated with some unsavory characters. Uncle Jack warned me that a danger could intensify if I did not know all the facts. Since neither I nor Christopher know all the future implications, I think both of us are ever so slowly pulling back from each other. Don't ask me who did so first – he may blame me and I may blame him."

"I am so sorry, Livia," Tom responded. "He seemed to enjoy himself. I don't understand."

"I cannot explain it entirely, either," Livia declared. "I am sure he meant what he said before, but there are issues bigger than both of us – much bigger than even his uncle, too. His uncle isn't even insisting on this, so it's not really anyone's fault exactly. When I can articulate it better, I will tell you about it. Perhaps saying he opposes the match for unknown reasons is the best thing to cite, though."

The rest of the holiday time went peacefully and without any particular problems. Tom and Alice knew Livia felt a little down and tried to cheer her up. Once again, they merrily attended Tom's office party. Yet the two also had work to do. Time in the Venerable Bede's chapel would not provide a way out for Livia, however. She had to find a way through this herself. Her grief was real, if inexplicable and irrational. Livia could only wonder how she deluded herself or if anything real had prompted it. Maybe only Helena could tell her.

Given Livia's ongoing responsibilities, she returned to campus on Monday, 6 January. She would have taken a turn out on the grounds, but Nils told her that a few students had remained there over the break. She only went out to visit Hagrid and her Barn Owl friends. She could count on them. Yet she missed singing. She decided to try a different area near the forest and muffled herself so only birds heard her. She launched into a song from her new copy of _Blood Sugar Sex Magick_ called "Under the Bridge"* and altered the lyrics to indulge herself and let it all go:

 _At least I have your love  
The birdies they love me  
Lonely as I am  
Together we cry_

She used her own voice. It looked like a moment from "Snow White" except she never had that vocal range. The crows, owls and songbirds all took it in and offered their comfort. They knew something hurt her and had no idea it was a self-inflicted wound. She needed them to cast it aside.

Livia felt better as she headed indoors. She spoke to Nils, who passed by her and told her that the headmaster temporarily placed something in a room called the Mirror of Erised, which supposedly showed what a person most wanted to see. Nils had snuck into the room, he said, owing to the recent loss of a relative. Livia knew that he lied but did not know if the truth really concerned her. In turn, he found it odd that Livia had no interest in it. She had some ideas of what she might see; none seemed useful to ponder. It could not identify her father nor bring Ben Spence back – nor should it, she believed – nor could it make Christopher Prince real. She told Nils she rather write letters to people she knew. She had so many to write that she needed a bigger parliament of owls. So she started with one to her brother, one to Uncle Jack, one to Shelley and one to Ted.

Livia briefly met with the headmaster who was in the process of moving the mirror. She spoke with his pet Phoenix whilst he briefly left then he asked her why only she of those who knew of the mirror refused to seek it out. She told him it could not identify her father nor could it fix any relationship, parental or otherwise, that had gone awry. If she wanted advice, she would rather get it from Helena Ravenclaw. The mirror showed her only a wish – whatever it might be – that she likely could never materialize. He told her that he admired her attitude towards it, as the mirror could bring some comfort, but with it came recriminations and sorrow. She recognized all of the things that it could do, but she did not perceive an obvious use for herself. Livia required facts and wisdom, foremost, not something beyond her control that could torment her. Only the invisibility cloak he once had possessed intrigued her for this potential, but she learned that he had borrowed it and returned it to Harry Potter, the descendent of its owner. Little escaped her notice – ever. She preferred speaking to his bird, Fawkes, since she liked him as well as other birds so much.

The next day, she visited Helena Ravenclaw, after briefly running into Filius, who inquired about her Uncle Jack. She told him he had sent a reply to her letter and seemed fine. She likely would see him that weekend. Filius seemed glad, given Jack's solitary status did not sit well with the man. He said that he knew Renee well and in some ways Livia seemed much like her, which had to give her Uncle Jack some comfort.

Helena seemed in a good mood, as much as a ghost could have one. She liked the solitude of term breaks, even though she still occasionally liked to attend classes as if she remained a student. Helena asked her if she had figured out what was true and not true about Professor Snape.

"I doubt it," Livia replied. "He closed a door for me, so I wonder if or how I can know."

"If he limited himself, it could mean the opposite," she stated. "Maybe you know more than he can stand. Maybe there was more reality present than he dared to admit."

"He told me, essentially, that people I know wanted to welcome him and his 'nephew' at the same time, which would be impossible to do realistically," Livia said.

"I get that," she acknowledged. "That also means they took him as a suitor for you – and encouraged it. That had to be disconcerting for him. If he wanted to continue the ruse, he could have. Anyone who could come up with a potion to idealize himself could come up with a potion to duplicate himself. You have to see that. With a potion, you also can impersonate him."

"He did not want to continue it, though," Livia asserted. "No one gains from that, do they?"

"Probably not," she answered. "But why did he offer to go with you to that event, if you did not expect it of him? He had to gain something from it."

"I am not sure," Livia responded. "He told me that he rewarded me for working with a less-than-willing student of his."

"He could have given you anything for that, no?" Helena declared. "Find out why he did that. Then you might figure out why he pulled back. I said he was unobtainable. I know about that Mirror of Erised. I know what he would have seen from the time he came here – until perhaps recently. Now I wonder what he would see today."

"My guess is Christopher Prince being successful at winning her – the woman that he loves," Livia said.

"I see what you mean," Helena acknowledged. "But you are the only woman he has spent time with as Christopher Prince – not her. If he saw Christopher, would he see you?"

"Me?" Livia asked. "He doesn't love me."

"I would have said that, too," Helena stated. "Yet Christopher Prince doesn't love her, does he? He doesn't know her. He knows you, however, and my guess is that he has grown quite fond of you. So if he has any wish to become someone other than himself, he would become a person who learned from the past without being bound by it or who he once loved."

"He still loves her," Livia asserted. "He would see himself as a child with her as a child."

"I understand," Helena acknowledged. "For years, that's all he could see. It is essential to who he is but not to being someone else. Bother him for his birthday, like you do. He will be surprised and feign annoyance. But go anyway. Be who you are, for him or despite him. Then find the truth."

"Thank you, Helena," Livia asserted. "See you soon."

"Good luck," she said. "Hope it goes well enough. I agree with you. He is horrid to himself on his birthday because of her. He blames himself entirely, rightly or wrongly, for what happened."

Livia got so wrapped up in answering and writing more mail on Wednesday, 8 January, that she put off her usual "visit" till later in the afternoon. She put all four owls to work at once. Perhaps this timing helped her. She did not care too much. She got news of Shelley's engagement as well as Ted's. It seemed Shelley would settle for the time being in Ireland, which suited her father whilst both Ted and Athena worked behind-the-scenes at _The Daily Prophet_. Livia made her peace with reality, not with delusions about herself. Still, Livia took Helena's comments seriously. Helena would have made a better mother for her, for one, than the woman who abandoned her. The more she thought of that issue, the more strongly she felt that her "mother" did her a favor in the long run and that she never was worth knowing.

Livia did not have Kurt Cobain's voice down so she decided to listen to "Come as You Are" and essentially speak-sing it as if the professor was doing it for his own amusement. The contradictory nature of the lyrics seems relevant to Livia. Given what he claimed, she figured that, if he was there, she need not even knock. She was right. He was somewhere in there and heard it just the same. He narrowed his gaze at her, but she betrayed nothing except her memorization of the words that continued to flow out of her headphones until she turned the CD off.

"Determined to annoy me today, I see," he asserted. "Figured if you really wanted to do so you would wait until tomorrow."

"If you wish," she retorted. "I could come back."

"No, don't," he said.

"If you insist on being cruel to yourself, you must take perverse joy from it," Livia stated. "Have at it, then. I will not attempt to dissuade you this year. Happy Birthday, nonetheless, sir."

She walked away. He did not seem interested, and she decided it pointless to try further. He just watched her leave. He thought about the remarkable vocal instrument that she carried away with her, along with her other talents, but he would not ask her to come back, though he had so liked what she had done before. That had been his problem. He had bad timing and an inability to humble himself after the only apology he vociferously insisted upon got brushed aside. He also possessed a stubbornness to cling to things whether useful or useless to the path he made for himself. Though she had made a gesture of some goodwill, the song did carry a sting of sorts, too, via its contradictory lyrics. Still, there was nothing to fix here, he thought. Yes, he had pulled the rug out from under her, in several ways – first going, second in making romantic overtures to her, then by pushing her away. She had suffered an emotional whiplash and retreated to her birds, then in streams of correspondence flying in and out of her window. He saw every owl she knew fly past his window several times over the past few days. Yet none had come to him – perhaps for the best since he had no idea of what to say, anyway, since he had to let go of her.

He later spoke to the headmaster about the Mirror of Erised. The headmaster said several people had become enamored of using it, so he moved it. The only person who found no use for it was Livia Woodcock. She told him she preferred facts and wisdom, not wishes that served no practical purpose beyond self-torture. Professor Snape understood that comment more than he dared to say. The headmaster thought her comment perceptive, though probably coming from someone lacking great personal loss. He did not recognize that she had suffered loss, just not of a type the mirror could help her get past. Professor Snape thought it more likely that she avoided looking at the face of Ben Spence, not Christopher Prince. Yet she still had wished for him to be real from the moment she learned the truth about the latter.

Livia continued her year being busy, typically with Ravenclaw students who either knew her personally or from word-of-mouth in the house. Hufflepuff students came in fairly strong numbers as well. Given the courses she covered, the relative lack of Slytherins neither surprised nor discouraged her. A fair number of Gryffindors did show up, though occasionally Fred and George just liked coming for a snack or to see if Livia would help them prank someone. If it was harmless, she played along, but she made sure to find a way to help the "victim" if he or she took whatever happened badly. Few did, though. The jokes tended to be harmless, and they showed you were somebody. Sometimes, they told her what Bill or Charlie were doing. Even though neither Charlie nor Percy ever said it, they both suspected Livia had taken quite a fancy to their eldest brother, which Livia ultimately admitted – it was harmless to her by then and, moreover, Percy already knew. She said as much. They previously had the notion that tutors were humorless, would-be teachers, a point that may describe many, but they did not see it in her. "If you think that image is universally true, you forget Professor Flitwick – as a Ravenclaw alumna, I cannot let that go unchallenged," she asserted. They conceded the point; they both liked him. Fred and George provided a means for Livia to recalibrate herself. She could separate herself from the person mournfully singing "Under the Bridge," a break she had to make.

So, they inadvertently toughened her up. She became more inscrutable to Professor Snape, and he realized the student had become fully ready to challenge him on what he thought distinguished him better than any other wizard. She even got to empty her mind, but if challenged to show something close to heart, she chose simply to sing something like "Bad" at her brother's wedding with as little detail as possible or "Under the Bridge" in her room. The latter seemed to affect him more, though she did not entirely know why. She kept her mimicry mostly to herself, in case she ever needed that. She finally got an answer to satisfy Helena Ravenclaw's queries over why he allowed Christopher Prince to attend a holiday party, seemed to enjoy himself and took it all back. He did have at least one unguarded, honest moment that he did not expect, and it spooked him entirely. She could not decide if the admission she made to him in the backyard, their amorous embrace, Gary's and Tom's questions or Tom's invitation triggered it solo or it was simply a combination of those along with an album called _Blood Sugar Sex Magick_ that showed him he had gone way too far with her. Livia also realized how to spot Harry Potter's scar and that Professor Quirrell could set it off to the point that it pained him. Why did not seem clear, however. She informed Professor Snape of this and her belief that Professor Quirrell had changed somehow. He seemed to recognize this himself, though.

Uncle Jack seemed happy that things had cooled off between her and Professor Snape's nephew. He had no objection to the young man at all, but he thought any loyalty extended to Severus Snape involved an unknowable measure of danger – and it had nothing to do him per se or with Livia's post. She let him keep those thoughts in mind and convey them to Alice and Tom. She did not know how much detail he had provided, but it likely had sufficed, since they stopped asking about him. Livia still looked at her wedding album copy wistfully at times.

Nils had thought Livia had become the most popular tutor at the school. It somewhat made sense, since neither he, Clarissa nor Mark had attended Hogwarts, a more typical pattern. He thought she might be overwhelmed, but that seemed not to be the case. For as many hours as she worked, she found time to joke with some of the students, like the Weasley twins. They found the muggle device in her office fascinating, even as she claimed it inferior to the CD player in her room. They inherited some of their father's curiosity about such items, though they could not be bothered much to study. She gladly exposed them to things she thought they would like.

Nils also started asking a few people, even in Hogsmeade, about who she had dated. He came to understand fully why she liked talking to the Weasley twins – she had known their brothers Bill and Charlie, particularly Bill. It wasn't just about one dance, after all. He heard about her misadventures with a few other boys, but no one thought she currently dated anyone. Given his status living away from home and recent loss of a long-distance relationship, he figured if she had any time to spare, he may as well gauge if she had any interest in him. He would find time for her.

Her more intense focus also caught the attention of the headmaster. In dueling, she tested his ability to be distracted. She could hold an entire conversation without it bothering her because she had become instinctive in reacting. Livia could manage a draw lasting an entire session, which he found, under the right circumstances, gave her a chance to escape someone if she wished or just to change her position during a battle. Of course, no one's survival could be assured if the Dark Wizard returned and attracted many followers, but he liked what he saw. She was no pushover.

Nils did not know how to approach her. He did review her work but could call himself a senior colleague rather than a boss. Faculty held more power, though even they could not arbitrarily fire a tutor. Only the headmaster could do that and even then a tutor had some legal protections if the dismissal had a specious basis – that was the whole point of having a union. Faculty, administrators and support staff in almost any type in any society usually had some redress. Only the house elves seemed to lack that, at the time. Since at best Nils could recommend her dismissal, which he had no reason to do, he could not deem any pursuit of her constituting a conflict of interest. He decided to make some pretext to see her in her room after spring recess.

Livia had gotten word through Tom that Cathy and Doc planned a wedding near his family's home in Kent, despite still having contacts come from the University of Liverpool's School of Veterinary Science. Indeed, he started working in Framlingham to finish an externship for his 1989 degree. They would hold it at the Tenterden Town Hall, with family having arranged to have a small reception in the historic Barn Theatre of Smallhythe Place afterward, anticipating the site's future use by some years. Tom got about two weeks's notice, but he had anticipated the approximate date so everything fell into place to get there. Livia could meet them in Durham or he could pick her up if the date he gave would not work. Whilst she wished they could pick her up someplace, she knew Tom would want to bypass Greater London entirely, so she made it work. It gave her the opportunity to make alterations to her clothes to work with what Alice deemed appropriate to wear. Livia had become quite an expert regarding this ability, starting with subtle ways of making hand-me-down clothes work to her advantage. Only later did she realize she had mastered interesting uses for transfiguration skills just by "rearranging" her childhood clothes.

Cathy gave her father about 48 hours's notice; he concocted a story about a sick relative needing him. He tried to get his wife to join him, but she declined. He put it down as God's will. He often pondered how he had two wonderful children with her when she clearly showed favoritism to a third, which could haunt her later. The years when they had no children, only Tom or Tom and baby Cathy had been great. Something happened. He must have missed it. Why she resented Livia also made no sense, either, to him. She had been a model child, no trouble whatsoever.

Rev. Woodcock realized that the family of Cathy's soon-to-be husband had set this up much further in advance than he knew. Dr. Rich Davies had various people come from as far away as Liverpool as well as family in Kent. Cathy had called it a surprise, though quite a welcome one. That Tom, Alice and Livia had made the trip told him that they had some advance warning. Still, he promised to stick to her story. Having learned what Lydia tried to do during Tom's reception made him conscious of Cathy's wishes and that she did not want to fight her mother over anything bridal. Rich and Cathy had the wedding they wanted, would have a lovely rural getaway for a honeymoon and return to care for "their" cats. He appreciated the simplicity of their plans, even if the lack of a church wedding did not thrill him. He blessed the couple in the town hall, nonetheless.

Everyone spent the prior night at an inn near the town hall. Alice decided then they should stop in London for a night on the way back to touch base with a few people. Livia took this as her way to exit, first to transport herself and a few things back to the Durham house then collect other things for her to travel to Uncle Jack's home before walking back to school. Livia got a chance to check in on her Barn Owl friends as well as Hagrid, before returning to her room. She actually fell asleep in her room whilst listening to music, still in her clothes. She awoke to a knock at the door.

 _What does he want now?_ Groggy, she opened the door and surprisingly found Nils, not Professor Snape. He realized she had just woken up and apologized for disturbing her. Livia said it was no big deal. She had done a lot of traveling that day and did not fall asleep often with her music player on. Livia told him that she started the day in Kent, then went to London, Durham and Hogsmeade before walking back. He found the description impressive. He wanted to ask her how her CD player worked, so she showed him the carousel, how she loaded it and chose what to play. She showed him how she had rigged it to work while protecting it at the same time, which the headmaster had demonstrated to her. Nils asked her what she liked as to why she played this.

"I like lots of things for various reasons, depending on my mood," Livia said. "But my brother via recommendations from a friend of his sends me these discs. I maintain a tie to my brother that I would not otherwise have. I started this before I ever came here."

"I do not understand," Nils said. "Your brother is a muggle?"

"Adopted brother but also my guardian before I became an adult," she replied. "My birth mother abandoned me. Though I know some of her story, I just as soon have nothing to do with her. I still have only a few clues who my father is. All I really can theorize is that he attended this school, was sorted into Slytherin and graduated in 1972."

"Professor Snape can't tell you anything?" Nils asked.

"If he suspects anyone, he has not told me," she answered. "He said something about protecting people until he at least had narrowed down the list."

"That's a bit annoying," he said.

"Tell me about it," Livia stated. "I had a boyfriend a few years ago essentially dump me because his father could not have his son involved with me, owing to this. At least, that was the man's story. I know the father wanted to call me a bastard right in front of his son."

"That's terrible," he offered. He had heard of this before.

"It got worse. After cowing his son, he made some alliance with a girl's family, and she paraded him in front me at the last event here in 1990."

"I think I heard about that," Nils said. "There was nearly at least one fight about to start."

"My roommates possibly could have gotten expelled for that, if things did not calm down."

"So what happened to him?" Nils inquired.

"Don't know, don't care – it has nothing to do with me," Livia stated. "Just the dagger in my back remains."

"I don't see it," he claimed. "Can I help you get it out? At least play me something you like."

"Well, so many choices," Livia said. "I think I'll let 'shuffle' pick something or other."

They first heard Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," and Nils playfully danced with her, then got INXS "What You Need," which still had more of an upbeat feel, but U2's "One" drew him to pull her closer. "Is this okay?" he asked. He smiled as he almost towered over her. She had not realized he was well over half a foot taller.

"It's fine," she answered.

He dipped her a little and pulled her back up. "Could you repeat that," he requested. "I didn't follow all the words."

When she turned around to hit "repeat," he put his head on her shoulder, with one arm loosely around her neck and the other around her waist. "Where is that dagger?" he inquired. "I can't find it. He left and so did it."

"Maybe," Livia replied. "I still feel it."

"You can sing this, I bet," Nils surmised. "Tell me." She started. "He didn't care for it. He got what he deserved and that was not you." He held her tight to him from that point on.

Livia found this somewhat unexpected. She never though such a tall, Nordic-looking blond would find her attractive in the slightest. He apparently did. She did not know how she felt, except that she wanted to think with her head more than anything else. She wondered if she read anything in the handbook that covered this situation, but she did not think so.

"So," he began, "do you think you can squeeze me into your schedule this spring?"

"I suppose," Livia answered. "It sure beats lamenting the past."

"Exactly," he agreed. He kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Livia."

"Goodnight, Nils."

* Author's Note

The 1991 Red Hot Chili Peppers album _Blood Sugar Sex Magick_ features the song "Under the Bridge" as well as "Give It Away." Both recordings feature the same songwriting credits: Flea, John Fruciante, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith. Both were released as singles, with "Give it Away" in 1991 and "Under the Bridge" in 1992.

"Come as You Are," written by Kurt Cobain, appears on the Nirvana 1991 album _Nevermind_ though it also got released as a single in 1992.


	33. A New Relationship at School

Livia tried to curb any expectations regarding spring in general or Nils in particular. She had work to do, meaning she had to work with him, too. She also did not know a great deal about Nils. Though he had become affiliated with the school for several years before becoming head tutor, she knew that no one stayed in the position permanently. Often, he or she sought a higher rank, though that might involve moving back to their alma mater or another school, if not another field. Alice could explain a parallel between such a role and being a postgraduate university student. If someone with an advanced degree sought to teach, they rarely first did so where they had earned their degree. Sometimes, such a person could get recruited to return but typically after spending time away. Nils also specifically had earned a reputation of spending a lot of time in the village, which made some speculate he had either envisioned a second career or another occupation entirely. This made sense, given the tenuousness of the tutor's role, but no one seemed to know what specifically he did. He never discussed it, and few had become close enough to him to ask.

Livia herself might become quite an exception if she became elevated to faculty without leaving, though she knew the headmaster felt no rush to promote her. She had no immediate desire, either. Sure, the collegial aspect of it would work. Her former head of house would see to her smooth transition, but she doubted he would need to say much. She felt it possible she could leave temporarily or just not hold a prominent post. No, the person she felt the headmaster would develop to champion everything he held dear was Harry Potter. She had no objection; she could see why he had been chosen, even if young. She sensed his great personal strength.

They would work to see the prophecy fulfilled; he and whoever helped him would take the credit. She would seek some stealth function to help him, if she could, and be there when it all finally ended. Call her an understudy, Act II or a postscript. He would do the heavy lifting but so would others. For now, she played a bit part or remained off-stage. At least, she hid in plain sight and did not appear cowardly. She understood the grand scheme but knew that part of it would frustrate and vex her someday. She did not know how she would handle that.

So Livia focused on the here and now. Her office hours remained the same, as did the rest of her schedule. At times, the headmaster wanted her to show up early on the Friday afternoons when he helped individual students, so she could witness what he did and how. He tended towards a gentleness with his students yet could impart information that at times might seem tough to take. He generally treated her like a colleague, so he gave students a sense that they should take her seriously. He never saw her like a lackey or lesser for any other reason than lacking his level of experience, which she could never boast of having, given a very stark age difference. If she thought a student too timid to ask for a clarification, she usually asked for it herself. He knew why she would do that, though the student might feel relieved in thinking she herself had the same question.

This arrangement also ensured they would start on time, if not early. He hoped to maximize his time working with her. He had no complaint about Filius's work but needed to see her creativity continue to mature. He even started asking her to sing during some practices. She still focused, and he found he could as well, which he wanted. He found it amusing that he recognized certain tunes and could hum along to them. Who knew that dueling practice with the headmaster could be fun? Livia realized the secret to his longevity lay in his humor and his lightness of spirt; these remained undiminished. She learned tricks of his to anticipate without weakening herself, too.

The fact that her relationship with the headmaster got more personable helped her maintain professional distance with Professor Snape. She never became cold, but she restrained herself. Despite the personal nature of penetrating each other's thoughts, she constructed an impressive fortress. At times he could match it, but in his endeavor to shake something loose from her, he could expose himself. Over the course of the term, she got a lot more detail from things she had seen. She knew only too well how he often set himself to appear the villain for reasons he guarded, but she had guessed or knew those well. Knowing how combination locks worked in the muggle world, along with passcodes and such, she found it convenient that using the names c-h-r-i-s-t-o-p-h-e-r and n-i-l-s-n-i-l-s-s-e-n plus those of e-m-i-l-y-b-r-o-n-t-e, h-e-a-t-h-c-l-i-f-f-e (making it her own spelling), s-e-n-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y and even t-o-m-a-n-d-a-l-i-c-e. Each had the same number of digits: exactly 11. Depending on who might try to penetrate her mind, using codes of famous muggle authors, actors or words from fiction titles and such could make life especially tough for someone who never read "Wuthering Heights" or "Sense and Sensibility."* Whilst some knew of her musical interests, almost no one knew what books she had read as a precocious child lacking real academic demands. Tom had sent her almost everything he encountered, which gave her quite a selection. She liked making her code 11 characters long, for consistency. Until he found out she had started dating the head tutor and figured out something she guarded, she kept his name in rotation until compelled her to replace it with the enigmatic y-u-n-g-w-e-r-t-h-e-r, a take on "Carl Jung" and "The Sorrows of Young Werther." She possessed an endless array of things to frustrate. Professor Snape tended to try music titles, which explained her avoidance of them. He also tried a few musicians as well as Monty Python and got nowhere, when he felt sure he would succeed. She just smiled and said, "You even saw my memories and still do not recall all that I can use. Feel free to copy anything you like or need, since no one would know how they relate to you." She even suggested a few, based on how many letters or numbers he might want. She had not figured that he had cracked any of those, though he had gotten a few, including Emily Brontë.

Yet at that point, he told the headmaster that she had started to foil him with more consistency, and he began to contemplate unwillingly passing the torch to her. "All the more reason to work with her, don't you think?" the headmaster asked. "A tad humbling for you to think this and to experience it, but if she has become that accomplished, you should keep going. You are not too old to learn, either. She has gotten me to ignore distractions. I used to mute her singing. Now I hum with her and do not allow it to disturb me even slightly. We both are better for the exposure or even the occasional frustration. Frankly, one-on-one, I do not think even you-know-who could fluster her. She could taunt him in so many ways, however. She has great mental flexibility as well as strength. She also has a few unusual tricks that she came up with herself. I do not envy any one person who tries to seriously challenge her. Despite all that she knows, she again has no fear."

"She still can't defeat you, though," he observed. "So I doubt she's that good there. She frequently can stymie me, though."

"It is often a draw within the time limits we observe," the headmaster stated. "Of course, no one is immune to an ambush. The question becomes how to prepare her further for that potential. I want to hide her abilities for this reason. I will only mention them to a select few and only when it becomes necessary. No one would think her worth much trouble right now. Meantime, we both can benefit from working with her, perhaps sharpening and even growing with her."

"As if you need growth, Albus," he remarked.

"You cannot take anything for granted, Severus," the headmaster maintained. "We both have witnessed things that prove this. We have lost too many good people, one way or another."

Livia learned that lesson, too, and it made her approach a budding relationship with Nils cautiously. He knew it. They never discussed it during the day, not even in the Senior Common Room, unless only they remained at their table. Even then, both talked very quietly. They chose to talk more in Hogsmeade. Nils wanted to know there about the lad who broke up the potential fight between her roommates and her former boyfriend, Ben Spence. He had heard two different accounts. Some said the young man came as a friend of one of the organizers. A few tutors claimed he was Professor Snape's nephew. Livia did not know how much she could trust Nils. She had to be certain regarding anything she told him, especially if the risk involved someone other than her.

"I rather not say," she stated.

"That pretty much tells me the answer," Nils asserted. "You wanted people to believe one thing, but the truth is the other. That must make for an odd relationship with Professor Snape."

"Which is precisely why I am not with him," Livia declared.

"How did he feel?" Nils asked.

"Who? Professor Snape?" Livia inquired.

"No, the would-be boyfriend," Nils answered.

"Not sure – and I'm not sure it matters," Livia responded. "He was incredibly nice when I needed his kindness, but the situation clearly has inherent problems."

"You seem to have run into this issue more than once," he said. "Seems to me both of them were rather immature to let a male relative dictate having or not having a personal relationship. What part of 'personal' is hard to figure out?"

"Couldn't tell you," she declared. "I can't change that any more than how I was raised, or who my parents are or why I don't know them." Livia hoped she had put the issue to rest.

Nils attended the Durmstrang Institute, bordering Sweden and Norway. Given that school's reputation regarding muggles, Livia could see why he had no knowledge of the music she possessed, but she could not trust if his interest possessed sincerity. He said he liked the less rigid style of Hogwarts, though remarked that Professor Snape, at least, would fit in well at Durmstrang if he treated every student like a non-Slytherin. Nils also admitted that, had she applied to his school, it may have disqualified her unless it could document her parentage. How she had spent her childhood would not have produced an automatic disqualification, though things she brought to her room or office would be banned. She told him that she only learned anything about her background because of her time at school. He admitted that their strictness would have led to their own loss, given his observations of her magical and non-magical abilities. He also marveled that the most knowledgeable first-year student, Miss Granger, also would not have qualified to study there. He realized why faculty with outside experiences tended to be held in high regard.

"Is that why you spend so much time in Hogsmeade?" Livia inquired. "No one knows."

"I have done a variety of things," he responded. "I cultivate a creative outlet for myself, for one. I rent a work studio and sometimes I share it. I want to develop a potential career, since I cannot guarantee I will become a professor or, even if I did, that I want to teach forever."

Livia's guard remained up with Nils. She let his non-specific answer go, too. Maybe he was sincere, maybe he flattered her. Young men could disrupt her clarity if her emotions upset her peace of mind. Having never seen the spiteful side of Ben Spence, she found relationships less than straightforward. She took that personally, when she compared herself to Tom, his friends or Cathy. She did not know how else to account for her misadventures. Thus, even with this new relationship, Livia tried to exercise some caution. Helena, she hoped, would be proud of her.

Nils had no plans to go anywhere, not then. In late December, he had split from someone he knew from home, a medium-height, slightly strawberry-blonde, long-haired girl named Elise, who expected him to return and settle down with her. Given such an ultimatum, he walked away. He did not want to wait to see if a faculty post opened there, especially without another viable vocation. He would not have much to offer or impress then, and he wanted to see where the life he had started could lead. Yet he had, in fact, begun his search for the right outlet initially owing to a desire to marry Elise. Nils realized Livia did not want to become his "rebound" relationship. He decided to proceed slowly, for the sake of their jobs and her concern. Still, he wondered how her previous boyfriends had abandoned her. Since he often found himself surrounded by blonde beauties, she seemed exotic. He thought her talented, funny, charming and lacking in artifice, if circumspect. He admitted to himself, though, that he looked forward to making his ex-girlfriend jealous. He suspected that Elise had used her ultimatum to push him away because he couldn't immediately rearrange his life for her. She had found someone closer to home to do her bidding.

In the midst of her own tutoring, her continuing lessons and her personal life, she could have missed the biggest development of the year, but no one found that possible to miss. She chastised herself some for not having warned individual students about Professor Quirrell's apparent change in character, especially those outside Slytherin, but perhaps telling Clarissa and Professor Snape might have had played a slight role in the rescue of Harry Potter from his confrontation with the Dark Wizard via the possessed body of Professor Quirrell. With Professor Quirrell dead, the Dark Wizard disembodied and the sought-after stone destroyed, Livia went with Clarissa to briefly check on Mr. Potter in the infirmary after the headmaster had left him. Livia also made sure to send notes to Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, given their courageous efforts to help their friend; the school, she wrote, in its entirety owed them gratitude. Ron Weasley vaguely remembered her from Charlie's graduation, though his twin brothers had to fill in a few missing pieces. He was surprised to learn that Fred and George both knew her well. Fred simply said to him: "She went here. Just ask her who the first boy she ever kissed was." He and George laughed. George added, "I'll give you a hint – it wasn't Charlie or Percy." Ron figured it out – and it did change his view of her. None of the other Weasley kids had a bad thing to say about Bill.

Given the Defense Against the Dark Arts position opened anew, both Clarissa and Nils applied for it. Nils wondered why Livia showed no interest, and she told him of her present desire to avoid the responsibility of grading students. She preferred a more personal, collaborative tie. The other thing she warned both about concerned the transitory nature of the position. She told them that someone jinxed it.

"Nils, you have been here for some time and I longer than you – I know of no one holding that post for more than a year," Livia said. "Even if I wanted to teach, I would not want that post."

Clarissa thought she was jealous since both she and Nils had gotten interviews for it, before leaving for the summer. Nils remembered and realized Livia had not made up a story. Fortunately or not, the headmaster liked him in his present role, which likely made him reluctant to award him the job. When they ultimately found out that Gilderoy Lockhart, something of a pompous celebrity type, got the appointment, Clarissa resigned, too late for another tutor to take her place. Her duties got split between Livia, Mark and the senior Ravenclaw tutor, who would hold office hours in Clarissa's space. Nils later reassigned History of Magic to Mark and took tutoring for the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes himself, though he knew he could teach a lot more than what the curriculum presently required.

Nils still believed Livia. For one, he knew that she had not applied for the post. Second, in recounting previous instructors, who often left owing to illness, he wondered what would happen to Lockhart. Professor Quirrell had died – what was next? More pressing to him, however, regarded the summer break. He wanted to know when or if Livia would visit. She said she could ask him the same, because she did not have a straightforward way to reach him.

"I live with muggles during the summer, so this won't easily work," Livia said. "Maybe if I got my Uncle Jack's help from his home."

"Do they know about you?" Nils asked.

"The two of them do but no one else. My brother's wife is actually Uncle Jack's grand-niece, so they know about him, also, but no one else does."

"Did he have a relationship with his own family before you arrived here?"

"Sadly, no," she replied. "Whoever he previously told rejected him. They're all dead now."

Livia packed up for the summer and secured things that remained in her room. After Livia checked on her avian friends, the two went to see if Uncle Jack possessed the means for Livia to travel with Nils. Livia introduced Nils and they all chatted for a time. Uncle Jack found the young man mature, talented and ambitious, from what locals said, focused and nice looking. Still, he wondered why Nils was anxious for Livia to visit his homeland if they had begun dating only about three months prior. He did connect to a wider network that could get Nils home. His wife had insisted on it years ago. She loved sightseeing and shopping with her husband or best friend.

Nils preferred that method of taking Livia with him, as he had not apparated with people much. Livia told Uncle Jack to let Tom and Alice know she would join them probably in no more than a few days. Nils had to give her a lesson to pronounce his home exactly right, as the network only recognized a native accent. He would follow her to make sure she had arrived safely. She did.

Henrik and Ilsa Nilssen, the former merely a little blonder, taller and more pale than the latter, seemed a little surprised with the arrival of this young woman ahead of their son. Livia greeted them, stepped aside and told them to let their son explain. He came straight away, hugged both of them and provided a proper instruction, telling them that Livia served as a tutor where he was and they had started dating a few months ago. He just wanted to give her a chance to see some of how the rest of the wizarding world lived, since she had never left Britain before. They seemed cordial and accepted Nils's explanation, though they questioned why Livia had no experience in their part of the world at all.

Livia explained a bit of her background, basically saying that she only knew one school since 1985. She had only completed her first year as an official tutor, though she had informally tutored students for years herself. The parents seemed only to know of her school based on what Nils had told them. They confessed to not totally understanding the headmaster's openness for admitting all sorts of students, whereas Durmstrang had much stricter criteria.

"I have found Durmstrang would have missed out on some excellent talents owing to this rigidity, though," Nils asserted. "For example, almost everyone would concede that the first-year student this year who performed the best has no wizarding family background whatsoever."

"Really?" Mrs. Nilssen queried, incredulous. "Is that so?"

"It is," Livia answered. "She is extremely smart, if I'd say a little undisciplined in her writing. She's young for that – she'll get it. I also only learned a bit of my background as a student."

"What?" Mr. Nilssen queried.

"Well, my mother, a home-schooled American witch, abandoned me shortly after birth," Livia said. "All I can say for certain based on the tidbits of evidence I have is that my father was sorted into Slytherin house and likely graduated from Hogwarts in 1972."

"Isn't Slytherin the house most like Durmstrang in terms of students?" Mr. Nilssen asked.

"Yes – and its head of house," Livia answered.

"Livia would know that better than anyone," Nils said. "She tutors his students and shadows his classes. He is their Potions Master. He intimidates many but not her. Frankly, Livia, I think that must bother him more than anything else, especially combined with you getting a perfect score on his exams."

They seemed satisfied that a Slytherin legacy who tutored its head of house's students could not be entirely unsuitable for their son, but given they had not dated long, they did not wish to grill her unnecessarily. After all, he had not introduced her as his fiancée or anything. If that time came, they might revisit the issue or just ask him more about her.

Livia wanted to gauge their response right away. Had they been as hostile as Rodrick Spence, she probably would have gone straight back to Uncle Jack. They seemed mystified but did not seem to need a name – the mention of a Slytherin legacy satisfied them. If Durmstrang would have rejected her initially, this evidence may have satisfied that place, too. Given her foreignness, the name of a specific man might not have meant much.

Giving his family time to set an extra place for Livia, Nils wanted to show her around the village, stopping for a bit at a local, intimate wood-paneled brew house to meet some old friends that he introduced to Livia. She got the sense that Nils wanted to show her off to them. She did not understand why. Perhaps among the many shades of blondness or paleness, Livia stood out, if mostly owing to her somewhat long, lush and wavy, dark brown hair. They had to have seen a brunette before and Nils, perhaps in many ways similar to his friends, had a handsome and kind face. She could not imagine why he would feel insecure. When his lightly strawberry-blonde ex-girlfriend Elise entered with her new boyfriend, the even taller and more pale Alex Sundstrom, she understood. Livia wanted to leave shortly after that. Nils consented. Livia wanted to do more walking, if he really intended to show her the area, rather than dwell on his ex-girlfriend.

"I am not a show pony, Nils," Livia maintained once they were a few blocks away.

"I know," he admitted. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like one."

Livia thought he seemed sincere, but she also knew he still wanted that. Perhaps he had not wanted things to go precisely that way or for her to think that. Still, he had some idea Elise might show up or someone who knew her would and tell her. He was not over her. Livia's caution seemed well justified based on that fact alone. He realized that she knew. Nonetheless, he wanted to convince her of the legitimacy of his intent towards her. They walked up to a spot where they could view most of the town from a hilltop that turned into woods behind them.

"Isn't this a great spot?" he asked.

"Yes. Have you come here often?"

"Not many times since my own childhood," he revealed. "Elise never cared for this view. She had grander ambitions. I guess she thought I was her ticket out."

Livia thought he said something genuine. He did love this spot and she did not. He expressed some regret but sounded wistful, too, as if he just might let go of her. He put his arms around Livia whilst standing behind her.

"Looking down reminds me a good deal of the central part of the town where my brother lives. Durham is very lovely and often under-appreciated beyond its castle and Norman cathedral. It has its share of cobblestone narrow streets, stone bridges, curved structures – you should see it. I really love the area below Palace Green walking along the River Wear."

He turned Livia around and kissed her softly. "If you trusted me, I would want to do so much more than just kiss you," he stated. "After what happened earlier, I know you're not ready."

"True," she responded. "You're not over her. Let me know when you are."

"Okay, I promise," Nils vowed. He kissed her again, tenderly but with more passion. "We should go back to my parents's house."

The path back seemed shorter. Livia thought they had bypassed the tavern they visited earlier. The Nilssen home seemed colorful in a community that rejected uniform building versus gables and dormers and variety. No two buildings looked quite the same. Taking in the interior more, it seemed warm in terms of the natural woods yet the walls tended towards white. The family used a significantly sized oval table that apparently originally came as an heirloom from a larger family. Nils had a number of cousins but lacked a sibling. Nils's parents asked about who they saw in town and where they had gone. Both of them kept the conversation fairly light, but Livia picked up on a little disappointment that their son had not wound up with Elise, despite knowing her ultimatum was intentionally ridiculous. They seemed to pick up on Livia's guardedness. She must have understood the significance of "running into" Elise with her new boyfriend, they figured. Her caution stemmed from this, so they did not hold it against her, despite sensing that Nils had become quite enthusiastic about her. Livia seemed pleasant and polite, but other than her dark hair, they did not sense why he thought her special. They wondered if he thought too highly of her because Elise had hurt him badly by dumping him and making it seem like his choice.

He tried to engage them in what Livia had done to a resistant student whose Slytherin head of house wanted her to tutor him. Nils found the story particularly great with the participation of the crows, especially. His parents seemed more concerned about the Malfoys.

"Who cares if the kid actually learned something?" Nils inquired. "Isn't that why children go to a school?"

"I suppose," Mr. Nilssen responded. "If the boy derived anything useful."

"He did," Livia said. "He did not stay with it long enough for my liking, but I did as much as I could with the time given."

"You talk to animals?" Mrs. Nilssen asked. "I don't think I have heard of such a thing."

"I have to establish a relationship, first," Livia answered. "Then it's similar to talking to a person. But I cannot show anyone how to do it. It's just something I figured out I could do as a child. It started with a pet cat and some local birds. It's hard to describe how I connect with them."

"So there is no magic involved?" Mrs. Nilssen questioned.

"Mostly when I feed them." Livia replied. "Most magical creatures will talk to me now, too, though. I handle all pretty well."

"So what kind of magic can you do?" Mr. Nilssen queried.

"Depends on what you want to see," Livia answered.

"I understand you have an unusual Patronus," Nils offered.

Livia showed them. It was a fully-formed, perfectly sized and detailed silvery bobcat. "It is odd because this animal is neither native to Britain nor Europe."

"It looks like a lynx," Mrs. Nilssen observed.

"It's a North American bobcat, much like a stuffed toy I got as a child," Livia said. "I tried one as an animagus, but the whole point of those is to resemble something that fits in, so I went with something else." Livia transformed herself into a Siberian tabby with its tufts and reverted back. "It is probably related to the Norwegian Forest Cat but not quite the same. They have different face shapes, and other subtle differences. I like a cat being able to tolerate winter."

"Livia, I never asked you, but why do you visit the headmaster every week?" Nils asked. "You tend to note your unavailability just around and after his lesson time with students."

"He wants me to defend myself better," Livia answered. "We practice dueling. As a student, I did this with Professor Flitwick. The headmaster changed it this year."

"Is that commonly done there?" Mr. Nilssen inquired.

"No," Livia responded. "He has something in mind but has not shared it entirely."

The Nilssens had some idea. They looked at each other but said nothing. They had heard of the mischief caused about a decade before there and the assertions by some that the agitator returned and would come again. They figured their son could handle himself. Clearly, the headmaster valued her – why else invest his time? They wondered about the implications for Nils.

The Nilssens insisted she stay the night and, if she wished, return to her uncle the next day. They had a spare room based on hopes of having a second child, which for various reasons had not happened. Nils tucked her in, kissing her softly and telling her that he hoped his parents had seen enough to like her. He thought, though, that her reluctance to boast more about her practice with the headmaster gave them some cause to worry, since he saw it as an honor, regardless of her progress. Nils suspected she had downplayed herself, but he had no idea to what extent she had done so. Nils confessed his skepticism to his parents, who countered that they believed she hid her thoughts and feelings extraordinarily well, too, probably for personal reasons.

Livia was glad that he had not brought up her lessons with Professor Snape, which he apparently thought amounted to nothing more than a weekly meeting to discuss his classes. Nils had no idea what they actually did. Livia knew that the headmaster wanted to protect her then by minimizing her abilities, and Livia would not sacrifice that to impress the family of a young man she had dated for less than four months. Livia had no idea where Nils might fit into her life ultimately, and she knew the long view mattered too much to let her guard down.

The next day, Nils and his parents treated her kindly and he briefly took her around to visit some local shops to pick out something nice for her brother's birthday. She had obtained something already, but Nils insisted on buying a gift. She asked him if he wanted to give it himself, since he had made the effort to purchase it. Nils asked if she had invited him to visit Durham then or what she intended. The present suited her fine, though she did not know exactly where she was and preferred to go home from her uncle's residence. Upon returning to the Nilssens, he told his parents he had bought something for her brother's birthday, and Livia had invited him to deliver it. Since it sounded like a fairly short trip, they saw no reason to object. Livia might be inscrutable, but they thought their son was old enough to decide to go or not. They also sensed that, if he really wanted to leave Elise in the past, he should go – it would serve her right if he did, anyway.

So Nils left some things behind, packed his gift and a few items and returned to Hogsmeade and Uncle Jack's residence. Uncle Jack was surprised to see them both though happy that she would travel to Durham with him. Whilst he had liked both Ben and Christopher, he hoped Livia found in Nils a more mature young man able to appreciate her and not complicate her life. After hugging Uncle Jack farewell, Livia told Nils she had to transport him to Durham with her. More often, she had been on the other side of this, but she believed she would have no problem doing it. Nils trusted her to get it right and not make him ill. Though he became a little queasy, she did just fine. This time, she did go directly to her closed room, in case anyone else was in the house.

Nils was surprised to see her own room. He surveyed the things on her walls, then sat down. He asked if the picture on the desk showed her with Christopher. She shook her head yes. He had forgotten what the young man looked like, but he could see the clear resemblance to Professor Snape. He could not place the event – she told him he attended her brother's wedding with her. That surprised Nils. He had not realized she had spent time with Christopher outside of school. She told him that his attendance became very important because Tom had a sister who hated her. Christopher had foiled her attempt to make Livia sick during the wedding reception, which only he had witnessed. Nils realized how complicated this made her relationship with Professor Snape; he had never recognized that as fully as he did at that moment.

She was about to announce her presence and open the door when Nils grabbed and silenced her by kissing her. He figured he may as well take advantage of the moment. He put himself in between the wedding photo and Livia. He wanted her full attention – at the very least. He released her reluctantly after some noise in the house had startled her. She knocked on her own door and called out "hellloooo" as she exited.

Several people were downstairs, including some of Tom's work colleagues. Seems he had taken a half-day off for his birthday and a few people had called on him. Livia introduced herself and Nils to the group, though she only knew a few of them herself. They made their own assumptions as to why Livia had not come sooner, given the tall, blond sinewy Swede with her. After they left, she made a more proper introduction of Nils to Tom and both gave him gifts for his birthday. He seemed only slightly disconcerted, having heard about Livia's trip from Alice's Uncle Jack (via Sydney) already. Tom figured he would ask Livia questions after Nils left, since they told him he had come to leave a present from his homeland and wanted to see where Livia stayed during the summer, since she had compared aspects of Durham's old city to his village. Tom accepted this for the moment.

Alice seemed a little surprised, also, though she had read the letter from Uncle Jack. The trip there did seem a little random, if explicable given that Livia had compared Durham to Nils's home village. They both knew Nils served as the head tutor at Livia's school and hoped to move up to a faculty position, there or elsewhere. Livia seemed to like him well enough, though they figured she exercised some caution, given what had happened before. They suspected she still harbored feelings for Christopher and felt it best to keep quiet – after all, she had not moved the photograph of them in her room. Whilst they accepted Uncle Jack's view, they had discussed the situation themselves and thought Livia seemed happy – as far as they could tell – with him. They did not know what to make of Livia's intent, though they eventually knew Nils had gotten out of a relationship around the same time – fitting or not.

Livia and Nils spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the medieval parts of Durham, including Palace Green and the shopping parts of its High Street and beyond. Nils thought it interesting that this muggle society coexisted very well with its history. Livia showed him a few places she liked to go, including a walk from its shopping area down a path next to the River Wear past the cathedral above and opening to some open space beyond an old stone bridge. Livia explained that, before she could access her room by apparition, she would land there. She had worked on shrinking items in order to facilitate easier travel, which seemed not to be a common thing, given all the luggage most students took to school each year. She found that better than sending an item elsewhere or hiding it and not recover it, if someone inadvertently moved it.

Nils could not imagine a nicer location to make his serious interest in Livia known fully to her. He did not want to hear a word about Elise. He could dismiss her and her feigned interest in him better in Britain. Nils decided he had to stake his claim before Professor Snape's nephew wised up. He insisted on knowing what he needed to say or do to accomplish this right there.

Livia paused. His overtures to her felt a tad opportunistic. She had no doubt regarding the depth of his lust but wondered how that mattered in the long scheme of things. They had not dated overly long, and, if she gave herself to him, what would happen at school? She let her head overrule any other part of her. Livia told him of her concerns, be they Elise or resuming work as a tutor. They had been so careful, and still some knew they had started dating.

"Who knows?" Nils asked. "I have not told anyone."

"Nor I," Livia answered. "But I have learned that Professor Snape knows."

"Well, that's his problem, isn't it? If he broke up you and his nephew, why should he care?"

"Good question," she replied. "But if he knows, I doubt he is the only one. Since I work with him, I have no idea what he will say, but he might report anything he sees as inappropriate to the headmaster. I would rather not have them take notice of personal matters."

"Neither is here right here, right now," Nils said. "I am. What say you Liv-liv to that?" He made his case with his lips and his hands as well with his new pet name. They had reached the point where Bill pulled himself back and Nils wanted to push forward.

"I don't feel entirely reassured," Livia responded. "My peace of mind needs that."

It dawned on Nils why she cared. He did not want to discuss it or upset her. "For now, I release you," he assured her. "But you will say 'yes' to me one day, Liv-liv. I add that to my goals."

Livia knew he meant that, but she did not know how to take it. Something troubled her, but she did not know if it related to him directly or not or the precise timing. She wondered about what he would do the following year, presuming Lockhart did not return. Would he leave or teach there for a year or what? What if another school wanted him? Too much, too far away, she thought. She forced herself back into the present as they walked through town to Tom and Alice's home.

Both graciously welcomed them. Alice tried to figure out what she could give him that he would like to eat. He seemed appreciative of the effort. His presence reminded Livia to tell Tom that her friend Shelley had gotten engaged to another student she met at school, and her former roommate, Ted, had gotten engaged to another, Athena. Shelley wanted to do a spring wedding the following year, so Livia could be in it, whilst Ted and Athena just wanted a quiet, no-fuss ceremony to get settled somewhere they liked. She figured the latter would occur fairly soon. She would try to attend, if possible, but did not know if it conflicted with her schedule. Nils immediately offered to try to help her at least spend some time there. Both Tom and Alice appreciated his effort to make her attendance possible.

Tom felt in the mood to watch "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" again. Livia wondered about his reason, but he rarely needed one. He loved that film since the first time he saw it. Livia decided if she would be "Liv-liv," she had to call Nils "Ni" based on the film. They all apparently enjoyed saying "Ni" to him many times over that night. In turn, he noticed Alice's tiny sapphire ring and learned about when and why she acquired it prior to her engagement to Tom.

They set up a cot for him in Livia's room. Though not necessarily expecting his behavior to be as chaste as Christopher's, they decided that Livia, as an adult, had to make such decisions for herself – and probably did so already. They just did not know about these. Livia had governed herself well, even when she did understand the implications of everything she did. That described her past, rather than her present. Livia had to negotiate this aspect of her life on her own, at least until they could ask her about him once he left.

Nils expressed some surprise that they saw nothing wrong with them sleeping in the same room. She told him that she once had seven roommates, four boys and three girls, and they had never had serious problems. One of those male roommates had slept in her room in London when Tom and Alice lived there, also. In short, they trusted _her_. She decided to withhold what she did or did not do with Ben or Christopher, though Nils must have guessed.

Though Livia only had a twin bed, Nils insisted on sharing it with her, ignoring the cot and sandwiching herself between him and a bedroom wall. He tried to settle for that closeness for the time being. He could not help himself entirely, though, as his hands started around her waist and drifted upwards overnight. At least a few times, she awoke and asked, "What are you doing, Ni?"

He whispered with his mouth close to her ear, "Seeing if you are awake, Liv-liv."

 _More like trying to wake me up, as if you will change my decision._ She would lie to herself if she said the thought of reversing herself had never crossed her mind, however. Yet, even in the mostly darkened room, she could still see Christopher's picture if she looked in that direction. He practically watched them. She found the situation a bit disturbing, so she decided to sleep it off.

The next day, Nils took breakfast with everyone, but as they left for the day, he told them he would also return home. Of course, he did not hurry his goodbye to Livia there, since they would not be alone once she took him back to her Uncle Jack's house. He maximized every second he could get from that goodbye. He wanted her to be sure she would not forget he would see her again soon, and he would not spend the intervening weeks pining for Elise. Livia remained mostly level-headed. She wanted proof, not promises.

They returned to the exterior of Uncle Jack's home. They all briefly chatted before Nils bid them goodbye and went home. Afterwards, Uncle Jack told Livia that he sensed her ambivalence and did not know if it concerned watching Nils leave or actually Nils himself.

"It's about him," Livia asserted.

* Author's Note

Jane Austen's _Sense and Sensibility_ initially appeared anonymously in 1811, covering three volumes. It sold out its initial run of 750 copies and has subsequently kept in circulation throughout the subsequent centuries. Adaptations of the novel occured in TV serials in 1981 and 2008 and in a major film release in 1995.


	34. Nils

Livia tried to convey her concerns about Nils, though she felt unsure even as she spoke in Uncle Jack's kitchen. "He wants to show me that he's serious, but I question the longevity of that feeling, given we have dated for less than four months. I don't think he is entirely over his former girlfriend. I don't know what to do about that."

"I understand," he declared. "I take it she lives where he went."

"Yes," Livia recounted. "She has another boyfriend, but I have no idea about her plans."

"Given you have to work with him, too, your reserve makes sense," Uncle Jack stated.

"Something else bothers me," Livia said. "No one in his position keeps it forever. I don't know how long he will be content to be head tutor or what he does next. Where he ends up may or may not be where I end up. If we do not wind up in the same place, he may have to deal with her again or someone new. We can visit, of course, but these things are not necessarily easy."

"Are you hesitant about him because your heart prefers someone else?" he asked.

"That is not a realistic question, is it?" Livia countered. She knew not to tell him more and decided not to explain herself.

"Whose heart is realistic?" he put back to her. "The heart may want something that has nothing to do with reason. No one loves for the sake of reason. My parents never did get that."

"I hear you," Livia said. "But I cannot dwell on a hypothetical. See you in about six weeks."

Livia returned to her room and stared at her photo with Christopher. She could not imagine him pursuing her the way that Nils had over those last few days. Of course, why was pretty obvious. She wondered what she would have done had he behaved that way, despite its implausibility. She forced herself to drop the subject – the bottom line remained that he would not or could not.

Tom and Alice had a lot of questions for her later that day. Uncle Jack had told them some things. She filled in the rest, including her foot-dragging about him. She felt insecure about his ex-girlfriend as well as the fact that they had to co-exist as colleagues. Moreover, the possibility hung over her that he could take a post elsewhere. What would happen then? She saw a lot that could go wrong versus what could go right. That tendency likely hobbled her in any personal relationship, she figured, where somehow others overcame it or perhaps just refused to give up. She did not know their secret. Maybe it was just luck.

Later on, Tom and Alice had their own conversation. They saw no obvious reason to dislike Nils. Alice even said some women she knew probably would throw themselves at a tall, blond, slender if well-muscled and handsome Swede – all the more so if he seemed even remotely interested. They agreed that Nils was at least remotely interested in Livia. So they wondered where her heart lay – did she still lament Ben or Christopher? Their money was on the latter, but they could discern that she had legitimate cause for her caution, too, beyond either of those other young men.

The weeks in Durham flew by, perhaps because Livia's time there did not seem as long. One highlight was getting to see "Wayne's World"* and getting re-introduced to the musical genius named Queen. Livia had to make sure she had some of their music on her when she got back. She had not realized how fond Tom was of "Bohemian Rhapsody"* until they watched the film. Livia found Freddie Mercury a difficult voice to mimic, given how versatile he seemed even on one record. Some of it she did as herself and some as him. She did like amusing herself somewhat by trying to do some words like "I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me" in Professor Snape's voice. She endeavored to push aside sympathy for him, though it got her to thinking about singing "Sympathy for the Devil"* in his voice. She just had to do a little hunting to get it in a format she could play in her office, which also helped the time pass. She knew how much certain students, including Fred and George, would uncontrollably laugh. Occasional humor also could help students refocus by giving just a small mental break to reassess themselves and their work versus being upset.

It also reminded her of days hunting for playlist material; she missed that. It reminded her of how Ted and Shelley, especially, would laugh as she sung in his voice. Based on the way Livia thought the time would go, she figured she would return on Monday, 24 August. It might work with Ted and Athena's wedding on the 29th, as well as the redistribution of academic duties caused by Clarissa's resignation. Livia would need to travel to meet Ted and Athena via Athena's family, based on her prior correspondence with Ted. She just had to find out what they deemed appropriate to wear for the ceremony and to bring them something she wanted to create herself with as little magic as possible. She visited a craft store and opted to obtain materials to make another cross-stitched embroidery. It would feature their names and included a rose and an owl to link their names together. A Teddy bear was too silly to her and too obscure for them. So she'd rather call it a ted rose versus a red rose, with a stem of Quidditch brooms versus thorns.

Nils also arrived early and made a quick trip to Livia's room. He wanted her to know how much he had missed his Liv-liv. She was glad he shut the door first. She wanted him to be careful, rather than create any attention over their personal lives. He did not know if anyone was around. Yet he could not imagine when the caretaker ever left – or his cat. Indeed, she had wondered if Mr. Filch had spread a story about seeing the two of them. All the tutors would meet Tuesday to ensure everyone agreed to the way the year would play out. Livia asked Nils about his decision to shadow Professor Lockhart, given it might bother him in any number of ways. He seemed to accept the situation, given that he did prefer a position with more security than a one-year appointment.

The four school-wide tutors did meet on Tuesday: Nils, Livia, Mark and Mary Sherry, a petite, extremely short-haired, light-brown skinned girl, who liked her hair then in Ravenclaw blue. Sherry had some knowledge of Livia from her last two years as a student, owing to the one-time DJ of the music club dance. If she resented Livia for leapfrogging her, essentially, she did not show it. Professor Flitwick rarely hired tutors with big egos. Livia later got the sense that, for this reason, he had not entirely endorsed Professor Lockhart's hiring, even though he graduated from Ravenclaw. He relented given Professor Lockhart's reputation and the tendency of the position that meant he likely would only stay a year.

The meeting came across as professional and straightforward. Sherry had secured the blessing of the other heads of house to tutor all students, even if just in a probationary sense. If she did well, they would keep her there. Everyone reaffirmed their payroll deductions were accurate and duties clear. Each came up with schedules that gave them course coverage and flexibility to see students. They also reviewed the roster of the incoming students. Livia recognized that the last Weasley child, the girl Ginny, finally appeared. Whilst not a difficult case, Livia wanted to see her or write her soon after she arrived, given that she remembered the girl well from her own graduation. Nils decided that Mary, as the new tutor, would handle new students with potential problems.

The headmaster saw Livia on Wednesday to ensure she kept the same part of her schedule open as the previous year, given he wanted to see how she had progressed or backslid since the summer. Livia also asked about something in his office again, like one particular portrait that spoke and another item he possessed. A late headmaster able to speak from a portrait seemed highly interesting, though not better than Helena Ravenclaw, especially. She had become more comfortable in the headmaster's presence and able to ask questions casually. He never denied her knowledge about anything like that. She knew what not to ask. He also recommended to her that she continue her sessions with Professor Snape, though he wasn't entirely sure who the teacher was, anymore.

"You must be joking, sir," Livia declared.

"No, you gave him fits last spring," he said. "My guess is that your desire to obscure your personal life from him led you to become more mysterious than in the past."

"You know about that, too?" she asked.

"So long as it isn't paraded in front of the students or distracts from your work, no one will object, Livia. The cat Mrs. Norris is not going to track you all day nor care if you date the head tutor. She has better things to do. If a student comes into your office upset over something Professor Snape said to him or her, and you help that student by making him or her laugh, I do not object to that, either."

"Good. I already planned something regarding that," she revealed. "Maybe I'll share it the next time you ask me to sing during a dueling session."

He sounded intrigued and they parted for the evening. Nils practically was waiting for her when she got back. "You're still working with the headmaster, I gather."

"Yes, I just promised to sing for him as Professor Snape," Livia said.

"You're doing what?" he asked.

"Let me show you, Ni," she stated. "I came up with this idea to amuse students Professor Snape upsets, but the headmaster sometimes asks me to sing, so that he sharpens his ability to not be distracted by it. So I will do it for him, also."

She rigged a way to play the song quietly in her room that Wednesday night. She just hoped the subject of her singing had not returned yet, but she sensed that he was nearby already. Nils thought it outrageously funny, even before he realized what "my name" was or that Livia called the song "Sympathy for the Devil." He wondered how she could do that.

"I know his voice only too well," she declared. "I apparently inherited this ability, if in an unusual vocal range. I did his voice in front of him, in fact. Anyway, I thought an anxious student might need a little levity. Who wants one of them crying in your office? If this takes away from their emotions, I can focus then on the work. He knows what he's doing, but because the students take everything personally – and I totally understand why – they hurt themselves in not examining what works or makes them better."

"You understand the dynamics of a class, especially his, remarkably well," Nils observed.

"Well, I was his student for six years," she recounted. "I did a lot of observation."

"You obviously can teach the subject, then," he stated.

"I know I can, but I don't want to – not now," she declared.

"Tutors often look to either move up or move on," he asserted. "Which one will you do?"

"I'll teach when I decide I am ready," Livia revealed. "How about you?"

"Depends on the situation but I would like to try teaching," he answered. "I would like something else, too, to balance it. So how much sympathy can I get from you tonight, Liv-liv? How much longer will you make me wait?" He started to kiss and caress her gently.

"I don't know, Ni," she replied. Livia walked over to a quill. She wrote: I have secured this room from all ears save one pair. Professor Snape seems to hear me whenever I sing. He might even have heard what you said, for all I know – if he is nearby. I do not know if he is or not. She fibbed a bit on that last line. He was in very close proximity. She could sense it.

Nils inked: That is very strange. If he did not want you dating his nephew, I don't get it.

Livia penned: Neither do I. He seems to know things, nonetheless, like what music I play.

Nils replied: Maybe it grates his ears.

Put off just enough by their scribbled exchange, Nils forgot about his lust and said goodnight instead. He was not going to try to ascertain which faculty members had returned or not. He would have to find the right moment for Livia to say "yes" to him – he hoped it would happen sooner versus later. He would rent a room in Hogsmeade if he had to do it. He figured out exactly what to do. He thought about it as a belated birthday present when she returned. Perhaps she would accept his sincerity at that point, if he coupled it with the right present.

Given that Livia had spent about half of her life living in a rectory, Livia got a perverse delight out of singing that Rolling Stones song, though she thought it too old to shock anyone. Gary's sense of humor had rubbed off on her as well as Tom. Ted's, too. She tried to replicate Professor Snape singing it and thought of playing it on Christmas, Easter or All Saint's Day, just for the laugh. She contemplated turning in early when she heard a tap at her partially ajar window. The fact that it was Sevy reinforced her belief that Professor Snape had returned.

The note simply inquired about her schedule and her availability to assist Professor Snape with his inventory and pre-year potion making. Livia impishly smiled. She would not pass this up.

Livia went straight to his quarters and knocked. Surprisingly, he opened it without a fuss.

"Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name," Livia spoke-sang in his voice. "But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game."

He shook his head. He did want to laugh, but he did not want to show it to her. _Almost_. "You won't give up, will you?"

"Not as long as can I talk to you," Livia stated in her voice. "I figure if you send students crying to me, I better have something ready to make them laugh. They become too sensitive, and I have to deal with it somehow."

"What is that called?" he asked.

"It is 'Sympathy for the Devil,' sir," Livia answered.

"Well, I guess I look like Lucifer to a few of them," he admitted.

"Nah, he wears red, not black, and you don't have hooves," she described. She also noticed he had cut his hair some. It looked very similar to what she had done whilst they were sitting near Lumley Castle. She recognized that he did not need or want her to say anything, but he figured out that she realized it. "Yes, I see it, and I won't say anything, okay? I feel your dislike of such things. You seem not to know the difference between a compliment and an insult."

"A rather inconsequential thing," he maintained. "So, what does your schedule look like?"

"I have something to do tomorrow early in the day because I am hoping to leave sometime soon so I can attend a pre-wedding party and then the wedding of my friends Athena and Ted," Livia said. "Maybe later tomorrow?"

"We will likely need a little daylight for the crows to contribute, but the evening would work for your Barn Owl friends," he said. "How about four o'clock?"

"Sounds reasonable, sir," Livia answered. "Shall we schedule this year like last year, presuming the headmaster informed me correctly? Frankly, sir, I do not agree with his assessment."

"Okay, well, agreed," he responded. "Goodnight, Livia."

"Goodnight, sir," Livia said. "By the way, I will tend to avoid your second-year class, for the same reason I avoided the same group last year. I attended your second-year class much more last year."

He merely nodded and shut the door. He did not want anyone to know what she already knew – by far. At least, he had some comfort in knowing that her talents were unique enough that they could disguise the things he never wanted anyone to know. If someone had to know, other than Professor Dumbledore, he could not imagine anyone watching his back better. That actually posed the trickiest, unforeseen problem. It might get her into trouble if she ever overtly, rather than covertly, tried to help him. He had to prevent that at all costs. His mind was fixed, and he set his path years before he even met her. He would not deviate from it – ever.

Early Thursday, Livia got her affairs in order and had started packing for her trip the next day, the 28th, for Athena and Ted's wedding. She figured she would go via Uncle Jack's home, which she made sure would work after she bought a card to go with her present. She never asked Nils to go with her. His responsibility as head tutor made the request silly to her. His flexibility made her trip possible. She did not need to have him there, an assertion that she knew Helena Ravenclaw liked. Helena had become her role model. She did not mean that as a sign of disrespect to anyone else; Helena had ten centuries of wisdom behind a youthful, feminine form that Livia found relatable. Slowly, Helena allowed her to shake her hand more often, though it did not happen every time. Helena could not easily trust anyone, and Livia knew better than question her view of that. Livia too often shared her caution. She needed things proven to her, despite her solid instincts.

Livia showed up promptly to Professor Snape's room but found him already in the storage closet beyond it. He already had set up lists for Livia to use. "I did not realize you were in a hurry, sir," she stated. "You should have given me an earlier time."

"My schedule changed," he said. "Anyway, let's get started."

They had come to work with such synchronicity with each other that it might have shocked anyone who witnessed it. No one also would believe that she liked doing this. To be sure, he could be prickly or deadpan serious, but she appreciated his focus and dedication. At times, he even resembled the genius who thoughtfully commented on her papers or made his own notations in his advanced potion textbook. She was smart enough to recognize brilliance, and to at least some, had it herself. She occasionally questioned her own but never his. She considered him brighter.

Again, they finished well under an hour. Current fresh items he wanted would first get allocated to crows who needed some daylight to work. Opening a window they used, Livia summoned help from "her" murder of crows, still led by the intrepid Alastair and Benedict. For crows they were both very intelligent, which said plenty for a smart bird. She bowed to them, gave each of them their assignments and left them food to boost them for their travels. Each departed.

"These were the same crows ready to inflict themselves on Draco Malfoy?" he asked.

"The same group," Livia said. "Alastair, the leader, is actually quite mischievous. He was disappointed that he did not get to do it. He just waited and waited. Too bad you did not know him when it would have done you some good. I know I can count on him – and them."

"I will keep that in mind and try not to get on your bad side."

"You almost did, sir, by seeming to defend Draco Malfoy by asking me about my methods," she revealed. "I did threaten to zip his mouth shut for a week. Had you actually defended him to my face, I might have done that to you – and just have taught your classes for you."

He seemed surprised. "A lot of students would have liked that, I'm sure."

"I know," she admitted. "Gave me a laugh to dissipate my own annoyance."

"Is there anyone you won't take on?" he asked.

"If I feel justified, no one," Livia answered. "Not even the headmaster. You know that."

He figured that made her dangerous – even to herself. He had to reiterate himself because she would do more harm than good if she did not understand. "Remember, do not _ever_ try to defend me – for any reason, no matter how warranted you think it is."

"Yes, sir, and I do not look forward to that," Livia affirmed. "I keep my word as my justification. That does not mean I have to overlook anything else. And that does not mean I will remain silent forever."

Slowly, one by one, each of the crows returned with their assigned catch. They deposited them as directed, Livia bowed to each and ensured they had plenty to eat. Alastair amused her with a little story demonstrating his serious desire to poop on someone who deserved it and expressed hope that Livia would ask him to do it one day. She laughed and bid him farewell.

"What was that about?" Professor Snape inquired.

"Alastair amused me with a revenge story involving someone he left his droppings on," Livia replied. "He also wanted to let me know that he would eagerly direct his excrement towards anyone I wanted. So watch out, sir." Livia laughed.

Professor Snape had to bite his lips or he would have laughed as well. _She even knows funny birds._

Livia saw it in his eyes. "I know you wanted to do it," she responded. "Do it just once."

"I must remain as I am," he observed. "It is getting just a bit closer to dusk. See if your Barn Owls are awake yet because we would want four, if possible."

Two came almost right away, the males Mel and Sevy. Livia gave them their tasks, bowed and they left, with enough food for them beyond the window. Brontë and Sydney needed a bit longer, but they too got their assignments, Livia's thanks and they, too, disappeared into the early evening sky. As Livia watched them, Professor Snape had left and returned with a tea cart.

"With all the powers of wizardry in this world, I cannot imagine anyone who would not give part of them up to be able to do that," he mused.

"Seems everyone wishes for something he or she lacks," Livia offered. "I wish I had a nice settled, successful life like my brother. He may spend the next fifty years with Alice. I would give up at least a few things for that."

"What about Nils?" he asked. "Isn't he at least going with you to your friends's wedding?"

"No, he isn't going," she answered. "I don't need him there, and he has duties here. Had he not shifted a few things, I might have had to miss it myself. Beyond that, I have no idea where he will wind up in the future, so I try not to look ahead too far. That's far from settled."

"Do you regret he did not get chosen for the faculty opening?"

"No, because that position is jinxed," Livia replied. "I have no idea why it seems like no one says much about it. I've figured it out. It isn't difficult. A one-year post solves nothing."

"This is true," he agreed. "Not too many students notice, for various reasons. I applied for it, but for this reason I did not get it – at least for now."

Mel returned first and left his quarry. Livia thanked him as usual. He told her that Hagrid took excellent care of them, and he was grateful for a long life with Sydney. He left to munch outside the window. Sevy came next and did the same, except he landed on Professor Snape's arm and made various sounds. Livia knew what he was saying. She tried to tell Sevy about the unfeasibility of what he stated, but Sevy would not hear of it. He wanted her to tell Professor Snape exactly what he thought. Between Sevy's tone and Livia's desire to avoid translating what he said, Professor Snape figured that Sevy did not understand why Livia could not be like his Brontë. _The owl who names himself after me is loyal to her – incredible. Guess he's not a fan of Nils. How did he miss what I wanted?_ He had failed to see the point that owls do not lament the dead continually because their need to survive and thrive supersedes all else. Only the present matters to them.

Sydney and Brontë followed shortly thereafter, with the same replication of activity. This time, since Sevy already had left, Brontë merely followed Sydney outside. Professor Snape gathered a few more items for use on the table and he and Livia set out to make the potions he needed to mature for use during the term. They both performed in synch and with precision and sensitivity. The available caldrons just then demanded a few replications to produce enough material, but by the time they were finished, everything looked potent and perfectly executed. They alternated storage, so Livia could see his work and he could view hers.

Sometimes he liked thinking of her as his legacy to the school. He would not live forever, but she could extend his life by training so many and likely so well. As irritated as he once felt about the joke that she would replace him, he had changed his mind fully – and yet she would only be turning 20 in a few hours. If they could keep her safe, the school would prosper further with her. Of course, he might have to fight her just to shelter her. He vowed one thing, taking as seriously the promise he made to the headmaster and to her family as Christopher Prince: he would never see, let alone hold, her dead body or have to write a condolence letter regarding her death. He could not bear the thought – the searing agony of doing it once meant that under no circumstances would he ever do that again. He relived that past too many times in his mind to do it again for real.

They parted ways on the stairwell. They simply and cordially wished each other a goodnight. She said she would see him in a few days. He wished her a Happy Birthday, noting with some wonderment that she was going to be 20.

"If I may ask, why does that surprise you?" Livia inquired.

"You don't seem 20," he answered.

"You mean older or younger?" Livia queried.

"Actually, both," he said. "You in some ways act older and some ways the same as when you were 13. I guess the mean of the two makes 20 about right."

She nodded and they parted. _He has a claim on my brain, if just in my brain – and only Sevy seems to have figured this out. If it only followed from that, Sevy. Maybe Sevy read Emily Brontë or saw a Heathcliff himself, if not believed he knew a Heathcliff._

Livia left Friday afternoon for Athena's family home in West Sussex via her Uncle Jack. They had a mostly quiet candlelit dinner in a large family dining area in a rich wooden, wainscoted dining hall. About 12 attended the meal. Both Athena and Ted expressed interest in how Livia got on as a tutor. She told them she practiced dueling with the headmaster, which they found impressive. She also relayed to them the story of how she got a young Draco Malfoy to accept her tutoring him to improve his writing. Everyone had heard of the Malfoy family so everyone wanted to follow it. Except for Ted and Athena, everyone's mouth dropped when Sydney and the crows made their presence felt. Ted and Athena heartily laughed about it, imaging some arrogant young boy getting his comeuppance. "Too bad the crows didn't get off at least one shot," Ted mused.

"That's what Alastair said," Livia told the group. Ted and Athena laughed.

Several at once seemed shocked Livia could command birds and knew they thought such things. "Eh, we've know this for years," Athena revealed. "Livia picked out an owl for our roommate Shelley, and Shelley let her stay there after she graduated."

"Only because I'm an owl matchmaker," Livia told them. "The owl, Brontë, wanted to pair off with a local owl who calls himself Sevy."

"You're still trying to convince us of that," Ted said. "Why would an owl do that?"

"He told me he likes how Professor Snape flies," Livia explained. "I guess I never said so."

"I don't get it," Athena responded. "What did I miss?"

"He can fly without a broom," Livia answered.

"That is unusual," Ted maintained.

The rest of the family seemed to have some idea about how one could acquire that skill. They wondered, as everyone usually did, if he still followed the wizard who taught him that. They said nothing, however.

The wedding took place in an outdoor tent, attended by almost all of their Ravenclaw roommates and immediate family. It seemed maybe 30-40 people attended. They found wonderful vendors to provide food and services. Athena wore a grandmother's lacey white gown and headpiece, while Ted wore a type of tuxedo. Livia wore the outfit donned for Tom and Alice's reception. She played catch up with many of her friends that she had not seen since graduation. It was nice to get together. Most had a date or significant partner, like Shelley and her fiancé, Liam. Livia could only say she was presently dating the head tutor, Nils Nilssen, who had some residual duties, but he had enabled her to attend. A few of them had a vague recollection of him as a tutor. Athena recalled that he was tall and blond. They asked her if she had any expectations about the relationship.

"Seems dependent on circumstances, I think," she asserted. "Head tutors usually either try to get a faculty job someplace or make a career change. It is a transitory position, really, even if one stays with it for a few years. No one stops there. Not sure which way he goes or when."

She overheard a few talking about Ben Spence, since they had contacts within the Ministry of Magic. Seems he tried to transfer to Arthur Weasley's Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department but could not do so, given higher ups did not wish to devote more staff there. So Ben remained in the portkey portion of the Department of Magical Transportation, where his collaboration with Mr. Weasley worked but did not give him promotion potential. Some thought he avoided that intentionally by working an odd schedule that often benefited Arthur Weasley, with either a mistress or an outside pursuit responsible for it. He told no one about it, however. His mother also disappeared, so perhaps he looked for her. Because Ben remained in a minor role, he had neither gotten engaged nor had married Rhonda Wayne. Livia wondered why they had to whisper about it. He could delay his father's edict, but that might be all he could do. Rhonda's father kept trying to find ways to promote him, whereas Ben's schedule made that difficult.

Livia had to push Ben out of her mind and did so, enjoying the ceremony and reception with great gusto. All of the roommates present (minus pro-Quidditch playing Don and Barry), asked Livia to sing something "for old time's sake." Livia had a better idea to remind them all of their school days. She told them she wanted to do an older song she recently learned, called "Sympathy for the Devil" – and they all knew how this might go. Even among the families, enough of them knew of Severus Snape sufficiently to get the impersonation. As much as the former roommates laughed, they all chanted "INXS, we want INXS," so she did "I Need You Tonight," as they wanted. She was lucky she knew how to rig just enough music to do it – acapella was not her thing. Bride and groom did not know if they should feel romantic or just laugh at such a seductive song in the voice of the meanest, most detached man they had ever met. Nonetheless, the whole event went incredibly well. Ted and Athena would do something of a European tour before heading back to their jobs at _The Daily Prophet_. Ted hoped he might run across Bill or Charlie Weasley, even.

Livia transported herself directly to Uncle Jack's fairly late on Saturday after a great reception. He left a note, saying she should meet him at the tavern in town with Anne. She made sure his house was in good order before she left. She figured she would join them at the tavern and walked towards town along Meade Meadows Lane. Instead, she saw Nils approaching her, as if he intended to walk to Uncle Jack's house to look for her. He did not mind seeing them in the tavern for a drink, calling it a belated birthday toast for Livia.

They headed to the pub and shared a drink with Uncle Jack and Anne. She told them about how well the wedding had gone, who attended and what the bride and groom intended to do afterward. She also told them that they insisted "for old time's sake" that she sing as Professor Snape. Nils had not realized that she had entertained them for years with this. She told them she had done what she had worked on lately, "Sympathy for the Devil," as well as one they knew called "I Need You Tonight." They had a good laugh. Soon after, Uncle Jack and Anne left.

Nils whispered in her ear: "I have something for you. I also want to hear the second song in your voice. Come with me." They finished their drinks and Nils led her to an upstairs room. He presented her with a beautiful "promise ring" for her birthday akin to what her brother had done – a small but exquisite sapphire on a white gold band. She found it stunning and hugged him. "I have reserved this room for tonight, in the hopes that I might find you, Liv-liv. Set it up as you need to and sing just for me."

Livia did as he asked, but she knew to do this likely would change their relationship forever. He wanted to hear it again, but this time he wanted the moment all to himself. He reassured her over and over that he only wanted her. He could not possibly let school rules or what-ifs or anything else deny him the "yes" he sought that night. Had she made too much of this or not enough? Livia did not know. The risk was obvious to her. Still, compared to Helena losing her young life, Livia figured that she could deal with the consequences. Regardless of how this turned out, neither answer would have endangered her life. As with the advice she gave Neville, she opted to trust her own process, as well as that of Nils. He seemed eager to turn the page of his life with Livia. So he did need her tonight. He remained attentive, tender and passionate. He wanted to do everything right by her, though he kept waking her up, each time to do it all over again. Nils would not let her have five minutes to herself. He did not even want to get dressed to leave the room the next day, so they did not leave until late Sunday, mostly relying on room service.

Before they got to the grounds, he kissed her again and said, whilst he understood the need to remain professional and discreet, he would not let that determine every minute of every day, no matter what. She told him about the map she had seen and that students had one that could show what everyone did there. "Why would they be interested in us, Liv-liv?"

"Idle curiosity?" she suggested.

"Perhaps," he said. "But that will not stop me, not if we are careful."

They held hands on the way back to her room, with him holding her small bag. Once there, he entered her room with her and seemed ready to start all over again. "I will never get tired of you," he told her. "No matter what happens, know this right now, I love you, Liv-liv."

"You are winning me over, Ni," she admitted. "I think I love you, too."

"I guess I have a little more work to do," he observed. "Tell me when you know that you do, even if you have to knock on my door at three in the morning to do it. Maybe that is preferable if some students have a map of what everyone here does."

Fortunately, it did not seem that anyone missed them and final preparations took place on Monday, 31 August. Nils maintained his composure, though sometimes Livia caught him looking at her ring, smiling just enough for her to notice. If any of the other tutors noticed a spark between them, they never linked it to the ring Livia wore nor knew that anything had transpired. It seemed more like a tension neither acknowledged. If an attraction did exist, people would think it came from their strict behavior, not from ever acting upon their mutual interest.

Soon enough, the fall term of 1992 began, though not without its own strangeness. For some reason, two students, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, did not board the train to school. Their alternative form of transportation caused something of a scandal, though the details, as Livia learned later from Fred and George, suggested the boys had no other realistic choice. The trip, however, wound up damaging Ron's wand. Livia was glad to hear that Ginny had arrived safely. Livia saw that, like every brother she had, she also earned a spot in Gryffindor house. Livia liked her own house just fine, so her pleasure in Ginny's placement derived from the Weasley children's preference to be together. It seemed fitting for Ginny, in particular, who thrived with her brothers.

Livia made sure to find Ginny to congratulate her and wish her well. The girl remembered Charlie's graduation better than Ron, so she appreciated the gesture. Something about Ginny seemed garbled in terms of her energy, though. Livia picked up the girl's crush on her immediately older brother's friend, but that hardly seemed to be the issue. Livia did not know what to call it. She sent a note to the girl's head of house to pay close attention to her. Professor McGonagall acknowledged the note but at the time saw nothing extraordinary. Livia had to remind herself that not everyone knew to take her warnings seriously.

She also warned Nils that there was something about Professor Lockhart that troubled her, too. Livia did not want him to spend too much time in his classes. Nils felt flattered and reassured her that he would take care. Livia had a bad feeling and wished he had not switched classes with Mark. Still, she conducted her own responsibilities as expected, greeting students in all the courses she shadowed, though spent more time with Ginny Weasley's year and the advanced students than the second-year class. She would not tempt herself to question Professor Snape's conduct with them. She would offer support, guidance and suggestions. Livia never openly criticized his standards because, frankly, she had high standards herself. Even if she had a far easier demeanor, she had to remind them that potion making had to be exacting because such a thing as "good enough" did not exist. They could count themselves lucky if the consequences of a bad potion simply amounted a waste of time and resources. Those were the easiest to address.

* Author's Note

The film _Wayne's World_ , directed by Penelope Spheeris, was released in 1992. Its scene featuring several actors singing along to Queen has become iconic.

The song "Bohemian Rhapsody," given renewed popularity in the film _Wayne's World_ , originally was released as the first single to Queen's 1975 album _A Night at the Opera_ , though the band had to overcome the record label's adversion to this. Singer Freddie Mercury solely receives credit as the songwriter.

"Sympathy for the Devil," recorded by the Rolling Stones, appears on the band's 1968 album _Beggars Banquet_. Songwriting credit goes to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, though many believe Jagger contributed more to the record.


	35. Livia versus Lockhart

Not long into the year, Nils told all the tutors that he could not believe that Professor Lockhart spent more time puffing himself up than teaching his subject. He saw many students just to impart basic things they should derive from their readings. Livia knew this was not "sour grapes" talking, though some probably considered this. Livia knew better and offered to observe the class with him if he wanted to make a formal complaint. He thanked her but said he wanted to document some items first, then he could figure how to maximize the impact of what she witnessed.

In the meantime, someone found Mrs. Norris, the building caretaker's cat, petrified. Livia felt glad she had used "Sympathy for the Devil" before, given the serious evil that had started to unfold. Of course, students weren't fond of the cat. Livia had to fit in her schedule extra time for discussions over what to do. Various staff members gave opinions on the matter. No clear consensus emerged because the event, while ominous, did not threaten the day-to-day business of the school – yet. People seemed to favor an ongoing assessment and imagined what act would create a "tipping balance" in favor of changing this appraisal and what measures to take then. The head tutor seemed rather passive in these meetings, which perhaps contributed to the inaction.

More students subsequently experienced foreboding or realizing the problem related to a "Chamber of Secrets" as the year continued and, though Fred and George seemed to think that caused Ginny's great disquiet, Livia had some doubt. She could not figure out how Ginny related to anything that happened because Livia became preoccupied with something else personally closer to home. It seemed worse since it regarded Nils, especially on days when he had attended any of Professor Lockhart's classes. His memory seemed fuzzy at best, lending itself to his demeanor at meetings. He forgot about asking her to attend a class as a complaint witness. He seemed robotic at times with his duties, also. One weeknight, he tried to initiate something with Livia in her room, despite what she told him. He could not remember her mentioning students possessing a map. He also asked her about the sapphire she wore, as if he had not known that he gave it to her. He thought a former boyfriend had done so. He spent a lot of time asleep or in Hogsmeade, often not telling Livia what he was doing. He acted like a sleepwalker.

Meantime, Livia had her fall sessions with Professor Snape and the headmaster. She enjoyed both thoroughly. In private, each treated her respectfully and pushed her. Professor Snape vaguely picked up on things she sensed. He would not discuss Harry Potter with her, but he did express curiosity about Professor Lockhart and Nils Nilssen. He encouraged her yet advised that she tread carefully and gather as much evidence as possible. The headmaster also found "Sympathy for the Devil" hilarious but for only a short time did it distract him. He could recover with lightning speed, so much so that Livia could have predicted the exact moment of his vulnerability and still have experienced trouble exploiting it. On his side, the headmaster thought himself lucky.

Not long thereafter, Nils asked Livia about singing something in her room to amuse him. She had not removed the parchment where they traded handwritten notes. He recognized his handwriting but had no memory of exchanging those comments. Moreover, he only vaguely recalled that she visited him at his parents's home whilst he had almost no memory of Durham or her Uncle Jack. He seemed unwell when he worked. She became scared, and though he had better days, she urged him to avoid Lockhart's class. He would not shirk his duty, however. Livia was beside herself. She kept quiet until she could ask for help and demonstrate why Nils needed it.

Knowing that she had to collect information, she asked Nils to willingly allow her to practice Legilimency on him because the things he forgot had begun to freak her out. She saw significant gaps, much of it recent, but since she was with him and on his mind, they included events of several months past, also. She had no idea as to why exactly. The clincher for her came during the afternoon late in the fall term when she met him before they headed to the Senior Common Room together. Professor Lockhart passed and called her "Liv-liv," treating her as if she were intimately familiar with him. In truth, she had said almost nothing to him ever. Nils did not seem at all upset, either, as if he did not understand what just happened. Yet nobody knew that name. Nils had sparingly used it during the term and never in front of anyone. She wondered if he had forgotten that as well. How could she catch Professor Lockhart? She decided that night to prepare a potion for a possible future use first, since it needed time to mature. She had Professor Snape deduct the cost of the ingredients from her salary. He agreed with her decision to make it.

The wider events of the fall culminated in Professor Lockhart starting a dueling club, to ensure students could defend themselves from an attack from within the school. Livia and Nils decided to attend the evening event. Livia hoped to make a "friendly wager" with him on a duel between Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape. At first, Nils agreed with her – Professor Snape would win and make his adversary look foolish; Professor Lockhart did not need Professor Snape for that. He seemed responsible on the surface, though egotistical to an extreme and not terribly skilled. Then a few minutes later Nils forgot he said that. He had changed his mind, too. Livia's sense of panic had heightened greatly. Nonetheless, Livia's view of the duel prevailed.

When students were used to disarm each other, Draco Malfoy did not sportingly wait until the agreed-upon count to act and tried to hurt Harry Potter, not disarm him. Livia felt no surprise. That was who the boy wanted everyone to see. That he got blasted himself seemed just. She wished she could talk to him more. He could be so much better than that. Livia tried to subtly influence him, but he still had not heard her. He did tend to acknowledge that he was fine, as she requested. Harry Potter speaking Parseltongue to another, more dangerous snake later conjured by Draco surprised many, perhaps even Harry himself. Thanks to Uncle Jack, Livia realized his scar connected to his brain had done the talking, an idea which dawned on Professor Snape, also. That was likely the heir of Slytherin, not Harry Potter. Harry did not open the Chamber. She knew it. She did not need that Marauders Map to know.

Still, the issue with Nils weighed heavily on Livia, causing her the next day to seek out and ask the sneakiest students at the school, Fred and George Weasley, what she should do. She pledged to forever be in their debt if they could suggest an approach for what she thought she needed to do. She explained her suspicions about the professor and disclosed Nils Nilssen's mental state. They briefly conferred and told her they had an idea. George went to Gryffindor, found Harry Potter and urged him to come with George and bring his cloak. He would understand the request when he saw who George and Fred thought should borrow it. When they arrived, Fred and George did much of the talking, though Livia explained the situation to Harry and asked if she could borrow his cloak to witness a class the head tutor attended. Since none of the boys respected Professor Lockhart terribly, especially Harry since he had botched fixing Harry's broken arm earlier, the boys agreed that borrowing the cloak made sense. They also knew something or other about Nils. She swore to them that she would return it. Harry looked at the twins, who nodded that he should trust Livia. Fred and George wanted her to sing "Sympathy for the Devil" for Harry, thinking he would enjoy it. He did. Fred and George even did the "who who" background, since they had heard it already. Harry asked why she so rarely attended his class, and she gave him the best answer she thought he could accept. She said that since so many of his non-Slytherin classmates looked to Hermione Granger, she felt redundant and could use her time better helping others. Her door remained open if anyone needed her, though. That remained her duty to them all.

Livia timed her attendance perfectly for a mid-week class. She witnessed Professor Lockhart firsthand try to make Nils forget what he had seen. She had positioned herself in between the two and blocked Professor Lockhart from harming him that day. She could defend herself even under the cloak and her mental strength as well as her wand blocked him entirely as well as obtained plenty about him from her own stealth penetration of his mind, which he could not block. She held Nils back from getting up until everyone left. Then she revealed herself to a shocked Nils.

"Sorry to surprise you, but Professor Lockhart tried again, I think, to erase your memory of his class, to keep you from complaining about his teaching," Livia pronounced. "My belief is that he has been messing with you the entire term, which is why you forgot a lot of things about us."

"His teaching is terrible," Nils asserted. "I do recall asking you to help me now. But I still don't recall giving you that ring – and I should. I do remember that I told you that I love you but not precisely when or where I first said it. What do we do now?"

"Do you trust me?" Livia asked.

"Given your effort and my admittedly scrambled head, I need to trust you," he answered.

First, Livia secured the cloak in her office and sent a note via Mel to Harry Potter to retrieve it from there during her hours or to send someone in his place. If the latter, she wanted to know in his hand that she would give it to the right person to ensure that he got it back. That person wound up being Ron Weasley, who retrieved it towards the end of the term. Boys who never quite heard of Livia started having a lot more respect for her, if not a small crush, because word spread that she became determined in her dislike of Professor Lockhart. Those young males had gotten a little fed up with how various female students had swooned over him – undeservedly so. Very few students even suspected why she did this – beyond the Weasley boys and Harry Potter.

With the cloak secured in her office, Livia went in search of Professor Snape, finding him in his faculty office. He seemed quite taken aback to see her and with Nils Nilssen.

"Sir, I deeply need your help," Livia asserted.

Nils found this interaction bizarre. Yet he told Livia that he trusted her. So he said nothing. He sure did not want to upset the man Livia thought could assist him.

"This is highly unusual, Miss Woodcock," Professor Snape said. "Why have you come here with Mr. Nilssen?"

"I believe Professor Lockhart has been stealing and purging parts of Nils's memory so Nils will not lodge a complaint about his teaching," Livia declared. "I want you to verify this so I can go to the headmaster then confront Professor Lockhart about it. I need to see the damage reversed."

"What impairments are obvious to you?" he asked.

Livia listed things that Nils could not remember, like visiting Durham that summer with her and giving her a ring for her birthday. She produced the handwritten exchange between them that he could not remember doing. Nils could not recall conversations or meeting her Uncle Jack and performed his duties robotically. Livia asked Nils to also submit to Professor Snape's practice of Legilimency. Livia knew that Nils remembered some rather uncomfortable details regarding their relationship, but the situation required that she do it, in her view.

Indeed, Nils still remembered that he loved Livia in rather vivid detail. The fact that Livia allowed Professor Snape to know this proved to him how dire she thought Nils's health had become. Professor Snape had to admire how she set aside her pride, vanity or embarrassment because she trusted that he would handle this issue appropriately. He saw the memory blanking efforts too, including Livia revealing her use of an invisibility cloak that very day. Nils Nilssen clearly had a compromised memory.

"How did you figure out Professor Lockhart had done this?" Professor Snape inquired.

"Partly timing – Nils always suffered the worst after going to any class of his," Livia replied. "The key in my mind came when Nils and I saw him in the corridor once as we walked to the Senior Common Room. The way he spoke to me said plenty, including now he addressed me."

"How did he address you?" Professor Snape queried.

"Nils gave me a nickname, and he does not use it here in front of anyone – do you know what it is?" Livia questioned.

"I could guess only from what I saw, but beyond that, I would not know," he responded. "Indeed, I have never learned from you that he calls you Liv-liv. I wonder if he recalls when he started using this."

"Exactly, sir, and Professor Lockhart called me that like he was Nils," Livia asserted.

"Only Lockhart can give Nils all of his memory back," Professor Snape declared. "I can help Nils somewhat. He should be in the infirmary right now." He turned to Nils. "I think you should stay there until the students depart, and Miss Woodcock and I can confront Professor Lockhart with the headmaster. Will you permit this?"

"I guess, but what about my time with my parents?" Nils inquired.

"I will let them know I am sorting out a health issue and advise them when they can visit you or take you home," Livia replied. "I will also be telling my own family."

Nils took calming and restorative potions whilst he rested in the infirmary. Livia did as promised, alerting Nils's parents that she had to sort out a health problem with Nils – not life threatening. As soon as he was well enough, she would tell them. Livia also alerted Tom and Uncle Jack that unforeseen circumstances kept her at school; she was fine but Nils needed her help. She relayed that she would explain more when he got better. She pondered future protection, too, and, after speaking further with his mother to verify a few things, figured out something to do.

Professor Snape first approached the headmaster alone with Livia's accusation. From what he saw, he entirely believed her. Moreover, he thought it took courage for her to expose aspects of her relationship to Nils because she knew that she had to do it for anyone to believe her. The young man suffered partial memory loss, and Professor Lockhart caused it. He had no doubt whatsoever that Livia was correct. If tricky, the headmaster felt this issue might serve him in the end somehow.

"Severus, are you saying this to protect yourself?" Professor Dumbledore questioned.

"Not at all," he responded. "These memories are not hers. They are his. She has never said anything to him that I would find too revealing about me." He produced their exchanged notes when Livia feared he could hear them. "Whether her caution is true or a misdirection matters not. I think this shows her discretion even to a young man who gave her a promise ring."

"A promise ring?" the headmaster asked.

"It's like pre-engagement – he gave it to her to indicate his serious intent," he answered. "Her brother did this before formally proposing to his wife. Livia wears the ring, and he forgot that he gave it to her. That must have raised her suspicions tremendously."

"He wants to marry her?"

"If he remembers, I suppose."

The headmaster briefly spoke with Nils in the infirmary just as most of the students went home. Livia retrieved the potion she prepared for confronting Lockhart. The headmaster found Nils's memory a little better with the care he received, but his lapses became clearer, too. Nils confessed that he could not recall when he first told Livia that he loved her, and how much he lamented the pain this caused her. He said he wanted and needed to remember their relationship entirely.

Before the faculty left, the headmaster requested that Professor Lockhart come to his office immediately. He did not know that Livia and Professor Snape already had arrived there. Only Professor Snape realized why Livia made sure the headmaster's office windows stayed open. He just wondered when she would call them. _Wish I had a loyal murder of crows. Everyone should._

Professor Lockhart showed up and thought somehow he was there to advise them. Livia shut him down right away. "No, I am doing the talking, and you are going to listen." He tried to get up, dismissively saying something about Liv-liv needing to know her place. She worked fast. She bolted him to his chair and zipped his mouth shut. "You have just given evidence as to why you are here. Only one person has ever called me that, and you have been taking and erasing memories of his over the entire term. I know this and can prove this. You see this ring? Nils gave this to me in August – and he does not remember it. He has forgotten conversations we have had, and I found his memory the fuzziest after he attended your class. Okay, I will let you speak now."

"It's not my fault if he played you, or if he told me about things he's done with you," Professor Lockhart stated. Livia was furious but focused. She called for "her" crows.

"I examined the young man and agree entirely with Miss Woodcock," Professor Snape asserted to Lockhart. "His memory has been compromised just as she said. She is highly skilled in both Legilimency and Occlumency – and you have no idea. I trained her myself."

"If his memory is compromised, what do I have to do with it?" Professor Lockhart asked.

"He told me from your first lesson what he thought and then could not remember it later," Livia added. "Besides that convenience, I borrowed a cloak from a student that rendered me invisible, and I witnessed firsthand that you attempted to wipe out his memory of that class and whatever he thought about that day – which I am sure explains his lapses about me. I blocked you then by being in between you and Nils and by the fact that I could repel you. You may have fooled a lot of people with your memory charms, but I will not be one of them. I know you are a fraud."

The headmaster pondered how she had borrowed that cloak. Yet she had so much to say that needed his focus just then. She clearly thought that he faked his exploits. The headmaster wondered if he misremembered Professor Lockhart's interview, too. Still, he partly found himself delighted that Livia could expose the man. He would come back to the cloak a short time later.

"I have done no such thing because I am no fraud," Professor Lockhart claimed. He wanted to get up, but Livia tightened her restraint until it hurt to even twitch.

"You have and will restore his memory entirely, or you will have a whole world of trouble heading your way," Livia promised. She told Alastair, Benedict, Andrew, Edward and Archer to line up on a ledge opposite Professor Lockhart's position and gave them special food. "Allow them to introduce themselves." Livia called out each name, each squawked, turned around and hit Lockhart directly with a poop shoot. Alastair, in fact, hit him in the center of his forehead, as if he had engaged in target practice for the occasion. Then they ate to essentially reload. "How many rounds you good for? Alastair tells me he could do this the rest of the day. He loves mischief."

The headmaster passively watched his instructor being interrogated. He considered saying a few things, even stopping her, but considered he might have to duck himself if he tried to curb her actions. His Phoenix Fawkes seemed to enjoy the show. Livia Woodcock felt righteously in charge, and no one could blame her, based on what she found. She fought for someone she cared about and knew neither fear nor shame. She had a mission. They both carefully had prepared her well for all sorts of adversaries. The headmaster only worried if anyone else would learn of her too soon. Yet he thought the jinx surrounding the post could protect her in this instance.

Professor Snape, who really could not stand Professor Lockhart, curled a few fingers near his mouth like he just casually observed the scene from his chair. Inside, he was laughing and kept his mouth in check. Though he could not claim credit for this talent, he felt proud of her. He would contemplate later the memories he had viewed, which had been far more intimate than he had expected. He knew a lot of faculty members would have wished to see the present scene because most of them found Professor Lockhart irritating to the point of their total hostility towards him.

"This does not change anything," Professor Lockhart pronounced, still letting his ego talk.

"Have it your way, but I'm not done," Livia asserted. Each crow fired off another shot as Livia pulled a potion vial from a pocket. "I have here Veritaserum – I made it myself weeks ago – and I happen to know for a fact that you, Professor Lockhart, are not skilled enough to prevent it from working. I will make you spill every lie in every single book of yours regarding the ill-begotten memories of others if you do not restore Nils Nilssen's memory fully."

"I doubt you are authorized to use it," Professor Lockhart claimed.

"Do you think _The Daily Prophet_ will care?" Livia asked. "I have two friends who work there, and they will ensure it all gets published." To her, that was a small bluff at worst.

"I will get her permission if you do not do what she asks," the headmaster added, thinking of friends who could benefit from Livia's actions, too. "You will have to sit here as you are whilst I pay the Ministry of Magic a visit. So, what will you do?"

"You wouldn't, since it would reflect poorly on you," Professor Lockhart stammered.

"To have damaged the health and career of a head tutor trained at a highly regarded school also reflects very badly on us – and far beyond this country. So you comply, or Miss Woodcock goes ahead with myself and Professor Snape as her witnesses. If I were you, I'd do as she asks. Miss Woodcock is perhaps the best potions student ever taught here other than her professor. She could as easily poison you for having the audacity to pry into her personal life – and entirely get away with it – as she could slip you Veritaserum."

"Alastair tells me they are ready again," Livia announced. "Of course, crows can do many other things, but this is their favorite. I won't even begin to tell you what four Barn Owls can do to you for me." Livia let the crows launch a third round. She told them: _I love you boys._

The crows really aimed for his hair that round. They knew how to crumble his vanity. The headmaster and Professor Snape looked at each other, a knowing glance regarding a young woman who, if she could protect the future of the school even half as well, would constitute a huge obstacle for anyone who crossed her way. They chose her wisely in that regard. The only issue would be how to keep her unnoticed and strong until they could fulfill the prophecy. The headmaster made a note to inform a few select people about his goals for her in the long run and, should they survive, how they could use her skills to the utmost efficacy. He could not leave that to chance, even though Harry Potter himself must have guessed something, if he loaned her his cloak.

"Miss Woodcock, something occurred to me," the headmaster stated. "I know of this cloak. How were you able to borrow it?"

"Two older friends of the owner convinced him to lend it to me," Livia responded. "Those two in particular visit me, but not really for tutoring so much as a good laugh. You must know who I mean. They are related to someone older than me who I knew very well as a student. They figured out my fondness for him without being told outright by anyone who knew firsthand."

The headmaster realized who Livia meant, as did Professor Snape. "Yes," the headmaster acknowledged. "Those two are like your crow friends: exceedingly clever and very mischievous."

"I guess I am excessively fond of the clever and mischievous," Livia asserted, then directing her comment to Professor Lockhart. "Which brings me back to my purpose here. Well?"

"All right, I concede," Professor Lockhart said. "Just let me change my clothes first."

Livia told the crows they could depart, as she would be moving to the school's infirmary. She would ensure they had access in case she needed them. She bowed to each of the five and they left. "No need to go anywhere to change," Livia declared. "You might just try to flee anyway." She waved her wand and Professor Lockhart returned to how he looked when he arrived. "We will all go to see Nils. After you." Professor Snape left first, realizing Lockhart could try to leave ahead of him. The headmaster directly followed Professor Lockhart. Livia tethered herself to Lockhart so he could not try to disappear. Livia followed everyone into the infirmary.

Nils did not know what to make of the group approaching him until he saw Livia there and noted that someone had opened a window. Alastair, Benedict and the rest perched above them all, observing and ready to swoop down if she asked for them. Professor Lockhart spoke his incantation and directed it at Nils and restored everything to him.

"Nils, how do you feel?" Livia asked. "Do you remember this ring?"

Nils recounted where he brought it just before she left for Ted and Athena's wedding and recalled giving it to her in Hogsmeade after they shared a belated toast for her birthday with her Uncle Jack and his neighbor, Anne. He further recalled that Jack was actually the great uncle of the pretty, somewhat fair blonde, Alice, who had married her brother, Tom. They lived in stone house with an enclosed glass conservatory outside the old medieval town of Durham. He saw it when he gave Tom a birthday gift he had bought at home the previous day.

"What did we watch that night in Durham together?" Livia inquired.

"We saw your brother's favorite film, _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ ," Nils replied. "Everyone wanted to call out 'Ni!' to me because of the Knights of Ni."

"I am satisfied, though I would like to consult Professor Snape on any additional care," Livia stated. Livia thanked the crows again and gave them special treats they found beneath the window exterior. "Headmaster, you may leave and do what you want hereafter with Professor Lockhart. I only care that Nils recovers."

Livia remained in the room with Nils and Professor Snape. "Do you think he needs anything more to fully mend?" she asked the latter.

"If he allows it, I will assess him," Professor Snape answered. Nils consented. Professor Snape avoided the more private details and concentrated on an overall impression of his mental faculties. "He needs to recover some strength and integrate his recent past more fully. I will send the nurse something to get him on his feet and to assist with that process. He should be well enough for visitors tomorrow or no later than the next day. You did well, Livia. Congratulations." He then left.

Livia took a seat next to Nils's bed and took his hand. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"A lot better," he replied. "I remember why I love you, Liv-liv, and when I first told you, but I wonder exactly what you allowed Professor Snape to know."

"Probably too much, but I needed his support. That outweighed all else, Ni."

"You think he saw everything?" Nils inquired, kissing her hand.

"I don't know," Livia said, dodging the issue. "Your health mattered more than my modesty."

"You want to prove that right here?" Nils queried. "It's been some time."

"Ni, you need to recover still," she replied. Still, she kissed him.

"You tease."

Before he left the school, Professor Snape did deliver a few things to the infirmary nurse. He might have congratulated himself for setting aside any feelings he had about what he saw or heard. He admitted that he envied Nils for the fierce loyalty Livia displayed as much as anything else. He knew she tried to reserve a little of herself. She did not wish to become dependent on Nils but fought hard. She refused to compromise herself, which gave him solace to know that it also meant she would die versus give him away – on anything. She never would fail him willingly.

He shared those last thoughts with the headmaster before he left. The headmaster wondered about something else.

"As much as she might know about you, you now know something about her," the headmaster said. "I highly doubt either one of you ever betrays the other."

"She does know quite a lot, and she won't – that was true even before this episode," he asserted. "But yes, I have learned things she would prefer to keep to herself. We both have, Albus. No one around here even knows what that ring signifies. She hasn't told anyone. Few even suspect that she has any relationship with Nils Nilssen at all, other than a professional one."

"That reminds me," the headmaster responded. "What do you think we should do if he does propose to her?"

"She could be hidden elsewhere," Professor Snape stated. "Except for one thing: if he leaves, someone at wherever he goes may discover how talented or trained she is. That could be dangerous, depending on who it is. At this point, my impression is that Nils still doesn't even know this. The safest route remains keeping her here and limiting who knows how much about her."

"I agree," the headmaster declared. "But will she?"

"Only if you can reason with her," he replied. "She does what she thinks is right."

"Even against this boy?" the headmaster asked, dumbfounded given how ardently she pursued his wellbeing.

"I think so," he answered. "You saw her moral compass and loyalty on the same side. By the way, his parents may come tomorrow. They likely will want to speak to you."

Meantime, as Nils slept in the infirmary, Livia sent notes to Uncle Jack and her brother about the situation. She went into greater depth with Uncle Jack, calling Professor Lockhart a phony who erased people's memories, stealing their stories to make himself look good. She pulled this from him whilst he supposedly taught, whereas he mostly promoted himself. She further explained that he had disguised being a terrible instructor by blanking and extracting Nils's memories. She had to confront him with sufficient backup to get him to restore these completely. She knew she might not be able to explain this to Tom and Alice but hoped she wrote enough.

Livia then obtained permission to visit Henrik and Ilsa Nilssen. She explained that, during the term, she realized Nils had lost parts of his memory and needed a plan to get proof and support to expose the culprit and to compel him to restore it. She also had to show this fraud of an instructor that he lacked any other way out – one that would not significantly damage his reputation, if not himself. She made her threat stick. Nils remained in the infirmary, but she believed he could see them the next day. She arranged for them to reach Uncle Jack's home then. They would accompany the Nilssens to the school infirmary. The Nilssens seemed shocked but grateful that Livia had gone to such lengths to help their only child. They noted her ring and asked her about it. She told them Nils gave to her for her birthday, but when he forgot doing so, she knew he had a serious issue. They asked if it meant anything else. She only said, "Nils has to remember if it does and wants to follow through. How can I hold him to something he does not recall?" She also solidified her arrangement for them to purchase something from the local craftsman she and Nils visited that summer, in accordance with her prior discussion. She already done some research on some charms that the gift could bear.

After Livia left, the Nilssens talked about the events. They felt tremendously aggrieved that someone had hurt their son. They wondered how such a thing could happen and if they should ask him to resign his position and return home. He was no longer a child, but this danger shook them as if he remained one. Yet Livia impressed them with her tenacity and loyalty to him, which led to a positive outcome. Maybe he had not misplaced his affections and trust in her, after all? Moreover, they heard of another, unrelated, threat to students there and questioned how he felt about his own safety. They both had many concerns, which meant they needed to see him quickly.

Livia told the nurse about going to Hogsmeade to meet the Nilssens after checking on his condition. On the way, she picked up a few presents. She arrived at Uncle Jack's house just before Henrik and Ilsa Nilssen arrived. Both greeted the Nilssens heartily, and Livia gave them her last infirmary update. Uncle Jack made a point to tell them how proud he was of Livia for interceding and helping Nils. All four set out together after Ilsa gave Livia the item she brought from Skaa.

Nils was awake when they all arrived and appeared restless to be let out, since he had gift shopping he wanted to do. The Nilssens desired to speak to their son alone, but he overruled them. "I know you want to discuss some serious things, but I will not do so without Livia here," he stated. "I do remember why I bought her that ring, and she deserves to know whatever you say." If Livia stayed, she insisted that Uncle Jack remain there, also.

Nils's attitude addressed part of the Nilssens's issues. Given his perspective, he likely would not want to leave. Still, they brought it up, and he rejected the idea. He was angry about what happened, but he realized that many others had been fooled by the person who hurt him. Therefore, he would not entirely blame the school, especially since one of its graduates helped him. She even got the headmaster and another faculty member to aid him, which he had not expected. He tried to impress upon them the risk Livia had taken, but he did not want to say anything too embarrassing. It was bad enough to contemplate whatever Professor Snape viewed.

The headmaster entered the infirmary then and inquired after Nils and greeted his parents. He understood that they wanted to discuss the situation with him privately, which they did. Uncle Jack and Livia remained behind with Nils. Nils asked if Uncle Jack could pick up some very specific things in Hogsmeade that he could give his parents, which Uncle Jack readily agreed to do, adding that he would get them wrapped and keep them at his home until Nils would take them. "What about you, my dear?" Nils said to Livia. "How can I get you anything?"

"You fully recovered is enough for me," she responded.

"How did you manage to get Professor Lockhart to reverse what he did?" Nils asked.

"I was going to ask for more details about that myself," Uncle Jack said.

Livia recounted getting Professor Snape on her side. He approached the headmaster who then talked to Nils. Nils remembered seeing both. Then she, Professor Snape and the headmaster all waited for Professor Lockhart to show up in the headmaster's office. Full of his usual arrogance, he had no idea what to expect, she said. Livia recounted all that she did along with her crow friends, but said the threat of exposure by a Veritaserum she had made before, rather than what Barn Owls could do, finally got him to cave. Still, she ensured that he could not escape and acted rightly, with the crows perched in the infirmary.

Uncle Jack got a good laugh out of it and wondered how the other two in the room kept a straight face. Livia told him the headmaster maintained some sort of professionalism, as if he witnessed nothing unusual, but he did threaten to get the Ministry of Magic to approve the Veritaserum use as Professor Lockhart sat there restrained and covered in bird droppings. He thought if he had not said that, he might have had to duck himself, Livia surmised to herself. Livia said that Professor Snape seemed closer to laughter, given his dislike of Professor Lockhart. She believed he covered part of his mouth to look casual but he really endeavored to suppress laughing at the scene of five crows sending multiple poop shoots at Professor Lockhart.

"I think he was perversely proud of me, like I was his daughter or something," she asserted.

"I could picture that," Nils responded. "He probably wishes he had that skill."

"He does envy it – he's told me that," she said. "And I have joked with him not to get on my bad side, or they might come after him." _Close enough to what I said._

They sat quietly for a few minutes and the Nilssens returned with the headmaster. Nils's parents told them they wanted Nils to have no further contact with the person who hurt him. Nils questioned how he could fulfill his obligations and do that. The headmaster suggested that Nils and Livia trade who they shadowed. Let her deal with him whilst he minded Professor Snape's classes. Nils protested at first, but Livia thought it an odd but still fair exchange, given her presence would send a subtle message and guarantee his wellbeing.

"What about your health?" Nils queried.

"You've presumed that I met privately with Professor Snape owing to his students," Livia replied. "That is not the case. He has tutored me for several years. That's why I went to him. There is a reason why I can fully control my emotions when I need to do so, and this will aid me. I am also aware of what Professor Lockhart has done and am trained enough to repel any attempt he directs my way when so many others were taken by surprise or by guile. I can run or ruin his mind much more easily than he could do so to mine. You became an unknowing victim, but I think your parents need the reassurance that he will never get another chance to do this, even if you are now aware and can prepare yourself. Besides, chances are he will be gone by the end of the year."

The Nilssens looked at each other. They both knew exactly what she meant in terms of her self-control. They finally admitted that she was far more talented and capable than they initially ever suspected. She fully had earned their respect. Moreover, they accepted her as a suitable match for their son, should he ask and should she agree. As guarded as she appeared, she had done something the self-centered Elise Piersaan neither would nor could do – Livia had put him ahead of herself. She had shown great loyalty and concern. Ilsa, especially, thought it wonderful.

Madam Pomprey, the nurse, said she could release Nils the next day, provided that he finish the elixirs he possessed over the prescribed time. He agreed. Uncle Jack returned home whereas the Nilssens were given a nearby place to sleep. The question became about his release: where did he want to go? Nils did not want to separate from Livia, though he would return to Hogsmeade to see his parents return home. He felt obliged to try to make up for the time he had missed with her. He also reasoned that she would be in the best position to verify that he achieved a full recovery.

Mrs. Nilssen really hoped to function as her son's nurse but had to admit that medical logic justified his preference. Both Livia and Nils retrieved what they would need over the term break. Livia secured her room. Before they left, Livia ran into a still-there Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and thanked both for the positive outcome they had helped her attain and wished them a good break. Nils had not known that and felt stunned. Both students seemed pleased. Livia and Nils met up with his parents and all walked to Uncle Jack's residence. Nils gave his parents the presents he had Uncle Jack purchase, and they returned home. Nils reimbursed him for these, also, but privately inquired if he could do one other thing, to which Uncle Jack agreed. They had a meal there and drank some tea whilst Brontë brought a brief message to Tom and Alice. Livia did not wish to totally surprise them by showing up with Nils. Only when Brontë returned with a short reply encouraging them to come did Livia bid Uncle Jack farewell. She and Nils went straight to her room in Durham.

Livia put her small traveling case down in her room at 24 North Road in Durham and went to the door. Nils intercepted her, however. "I have waited far too long to have you all to myself to let you get away from me now." He picked her up instead and passionately began kissing her. "You will not refuse me here, will you?"

"Doesn't seem so," Livia responded. Remembering this became a medicine in itself.


	36. The Conflict of Head and Heart

Both Livia and Nils knew they needed to greet Tom and Alice, so they made themselves presentable and Livia opened the door. Tom and Alice warmly greeted both of them. Alice noticed the ring almost immediately and made an excuse to get Livia's help in the kitchen, where she inquired about it. Livia admitted that Nils gave it to her for her birthday.

"Is that all?" Alice asked.

"I guess that is up to Ni," Livia answered. "He's been through quite a lot. It would be hard to explain, except by calling it a type of amnesia someone inflicted upon him. At times, it was scary. For example, he did not even remember giving this ring to me. He says he does now, but I am not sure if he's fully recovered yet."

"Do you want him to mean it?" Alice asked.

"I suppose so," Livia replied. "Right now, I have no reason to doubt him, but I have some uncertainty regarding the future. No one who becomes a head tutor keeps the position forever. This can become quite complicated, depending on what opportunities arise and what he opts to do."

"Would you leave your school with him?" Alice queried.

"I doubt it, hence the problem," Livia responded. "The headmaster has indicated his intention for me to stay. Given what I know, I have to agree, but I have not shared this with Ni."

"Maybe he can find a reason to promote Ni, then," Alice asserted.

"It would help," Livia agreed. "How goes your dissertation?"

"Almost done with the primary materials, whilst I consult secondary things as needed," Alice indicated. "I am looking into how personal documents shed light on political decisions or the lack thereof – regarding the first Earl Russell's activities during the Irish Potato Famine."

"Sounds like a subject that could find plenty of interest from historians," Livia said.

"I hope that is the case," Alice asserted. "I found the materials quite illuminating. I have ideas for structure and a thesis, but I need to verify if it all holds up or who might oppose it."

They returned to the dining area where Nils (who everyone kept calling Ni) had given Tom a description about what had happened. Tom had trouble understanding the story.

"So, you're telling me the man who in some way separated his nephew from Livia helped you get better?" Tom asked.

"That baffles me, as well," Nils answered. "Livia went to him to confirm her accusation authoritatively against the person causing me to forget things. Apparently, he convinced the headmaster to interview me and to confront the, shall we say, incompetent instructor."

"Either he is very professionally conscientious, or Livia is now blackmailing him – which is it, girl?" Tom inquired.

Livia again saw it best not to mention anything about Christopher. "First, I'd say he tends to be stringently professional about most things," Livia responded. "Second, he happens to dislike the guilty party greatly, so my humiliation of that man had to please him. Ni, I have to warn you, since we're supposed to switch: Professor Snape has his own reasons for what you will observe next term with the second-year Gryffindor students. I have avoided going to that class because he is especially harsh with them. Don't get too involved. That house's 'star' student likes to show off how much she knows, and I think it really sets him off, among other things."

"Weren't you his 'star' student once?" Nils asked.

"Yes, which annoyed him sufficiently – I just didn't make the mistake of looking like 'an insufferable know-it-all' much in class," Livia replied. "Unless he spoke to me, I said little. Miss Granger is incredibly bright but does not limit herself. I think she still feels she has something to prove to everyone. I understand that, but I went about doing it differently."

"You astound me with how much you learned about how he runs a class," Nils stated.

"Self-defense for a time, but now it just represents doing the work," Livia noted.

Nils spent almost the entire break in Durham. He liked the fact that Livia and he could share her room with the door closed because, in his view, he had to make up for lost time or lost mind. Livia kept in the back of hers somewhere the potential existed that something could go awry, however, even as he seemed consumed with pleasing her in every way he possibly could, awake or asleep, alone or with others. She wondered if her feelings represented prudence or paranoia.

Livia had missed Tom's office party, so she never had to mull whether to attend with Nils. Instead, Nils fit in well during Tom and Alice's Thursday, delayed Christmas Eve party turned New Year's party. Livia sped up the preparations, though this time Audrey and Jake could not make it owing to Amanda's lingering cold. Everyone else came and treated Nils warmly. They saw his obviously fondness for Livia. A few asked Tom or Alice alone why Livia had a new boyfriend; most noticed her ring. Neither could provide a good explanation other than asserting a belief that Christopher's uncle somehow opposed the match. It baffled them that he had helped Nils recover from an illness. They all wondered what the uncle knew. Given that Livia respected him, he had to have his reasons. No one could guess them. Maybe Christopher tried to escape an arranged marriage? Maybe he thought Christopher was too young or broke to be serious?

In the group, Gary and Tom especially enjoyed calling Nils "Ni." Bertie, Kate Linda and Doc did not get the reference, so Tom took off his holiday music and played the film scene that explained the reference. Thus, a chant of "Ni!" started and basically everyone called him that; the chant got so loud that Abby burrowed into Livia's room to escape the noise. Cathy also revealed that she had received word that she would have a child in early August, explaining her decision not to drink that night. A few expressed surprise Cathy would want a child so soon, but she felt the timing worked and did not wish to wait, given Doc had just turned 30, making him a few years older than everyone else. Alice felt she wanted to finish her degree first, and Tom did not want to rush her. Either they would need a bigger house or she and Tom would share a home office space. Tom figured they could only manage the latter if she finished writing and had a position with an office outside of their home. Emma Woodcock surprisingly got over her daughter's "elopement" fairly quickly. Livia, for the first time, began to suspect something that she did not want to mention to Tom or Cathy that could explain this behavior; it never would have occurred to her as a girl.

Before settling in for the night, Nils locked the bathroom door and briefly visited Alice's Uncle Jack, having figured out how to make the trip himself. Nils collected the gift that he had asked Jack to obtain for Livia. A small section of a clothing shop had started selling unique handmade jewelry pieces by an unknown craftsman. Uncle Jack wondered how Nils knew or why the shopkeeper simply said he would settle the bill directly with Nils. Nils had asked for a pair of hooped, white gold earrings with sapphires that matched the ring he had given Livia. The shopkeeper provided a perfect wrapped box, too. Nils planned on giving them to her as soon as she awoke the next day. He hid them under Livia's bed after she turned out the light. Of course, he did not want to sleep just yet. He rarely did. Eventually, he would.

The next morning Nils woke her up to give her the present he got. She had no idea how he accomplished that, until he told her he had asked Uncle Jack to buy them for her on his behalf. She thought them stunning by themselves, let alone as something to match the ring he had given her. Livia had a gift also: a white gold linked chain necklace with a pendant that represented the Nilssen family crest. Ironically, the crest prominently displayed a raptor much like the symbol for Ravenclaw. Livia told him the pendant had a purpose. Obtaining it whilst he lay in the infirmary, she had endowed it with protective charms to aid him against anyone who would harm him. Livia put it on him, activated it and begged him never to remove it. He needed to take it seriously. The charms would never err. He pledged that he would wear it and tell his parents the same, so they would worry less about him. He wound up leaving late on New Year's Day to spend a few days with his parents.

Tom and Alice seemed favorably impressed with Nils – indeed, Alice remarked that Livia seemed to have a knack for dating very handsome young men. You two never even saw the soft-spoken, dashing Bill Weasley, Livia thought. They shared that people approached both of them to inquire how Christopher's uncle essentially could break you two up yet turn around and help Nils.

"Good question," Livia stated. "He did not actively break us up, you know, but in an indirect way I guess he did. Still, maybe he knew I was desperate – or he hated the person who did that to Ni as much as I did. I cannot say." Her instincts told her not to say anything as it related to Christopher. She did not entirely grasp why except that it strictly maintained her vow of silence.

"Any idea how Christopher reacted to that?" Tom asked.

"I don't know," Livia answered. She wished she knew how Professor Snape reacted to whatever he saw transpire between herself and Nils. How many drinks did he need for that?

Livia returned to the school on Tuesday, January 5. She thought the earrings were too flashy to wear every day, so she kept them next to other items she only wore on special occasions. She did not feel up to pranking Professor Snape, but she owed him much gratitude for helping her get Professor Lockhart to reverse the damage he had inflicted on Nils.

When in doubt, Livia went to talk to Helena Ravenclaw. Helena was glad to see her and congratulated her over how she got Professor Lockhart to fix what he had done to the head tutor. Helena had a few things she wanted to say – she pronounced the protective necklace Livia acquired via Nils's parents genius and hoped, for Livia's sake, that he never removes it. When Livia asked if a threat to his safety still existed there, Helena hedged. Livia wondered if she meant something else, but Helena did not clarify. She had other things on her mind. Helena wanted Livia to ask Professor Flitwick about a first-year student named Luna, who got labeled "different" by others. Helena had started speaking to her and found her very kind, much like Livia herself.

Livia got to her main reason for coming: Professor Snape. She wanted to thank him for his help with Nils but did not how to handle it, especially given the fact that he had penetrated Nils's mind twice in the process of helping him. She did not know exactly what he saw.

"He tried to avoid thinking about that, but I'm sure he did at some point," Helena stated. "I cannot say how much he pondered it. I'm sure it made him uncomfortable, for various reasons."

"Such as?" Livia asked.

"He's very private, and I doubt he would ever have done something like that easily," Helena answered. "He admired you putting someone else's welfare above your own ego. I think he envies Nils for you having done that, as much as anything else, but I'm sure he begrudges Nils at least somewhat for those other things as well."

"Why? If I'm just a piece of meat, Christopher could have –"

"He knows that," Helena admitted. "I think that is his problem – you really could have been his. He still loves the girl he has idealized and has felt remorse over for more than a decade. He loves her ardently but somewhere he knows that he can never have her, not even in death. He never expected you nor that you could awaken things inside him that he has kept a lid on for years. He usually feels that he lives between life and death, practically lives a form of death. You remind him that he is still alive. Being alive means desiring things – even beyond his own agenda."

"Almost every year I have pranked him before his birthday, yet I feel this year I should be merely thanking him," Livia declared. "In short, I don't know what to do."

"Do what you have done," Helena said. "He does derive an odd joy from being annoyed and having anyone remember. The funnier, the better. He did suppress laughing over your confrontation with Professor Lockhart. I know you have wanted to make him laugh for years. You more or less had it. Keep trying."

"Thank you, Helena," Livia responded. "I will find Luna. As always, I appreciate you and honor you and will forever lament what you might have been or had."

"Being dead isn't so bad," Helena said. "I no longer fret over things. You will have much of that, I'm sure, and I do not miss anxiety, betrayal or bereavement."

Livia had to ponder a song to do in Professor Snape's voice. She finally thought of something and sent Tom a request via Sydney, which he quickly sent back. Apparently, Alice had picked it up, and he wrote the note. After her first official meeting with Nils and the other tutors on Friday 8, January, she made an excuse to slip away early that afternoon. She collected her music player and headed to Professor Snape's room. She started singing in his voice outside his room:

 _I'm too sexy for my love  
Too sexy for my love  
Love's going to leave me..._*

Livia thought she could barely do it with a straight face herself, but she managed a scowl to help it sound right. How inappropriate was it? Extremely. How funny? The same.

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape snarled as he flung open the door. "Are you out of your mind?"

Livia grinned. "I'll do anything to make you laugh, sir. You know that."

"This is most inappropriate, Miss Woodcock," he stated. "Beyond it even."

"Which makes it funny, sir," she said. "Happy Birthday. I would have come just to thank you, but I could not pass this up. I know I am greatly indebted to you."

"Enough," he asserted. "Inside. Now. And turn that thing off." Livia complied. "You say you are indebted to me. There's only one thing I want to hear – and you know what it is."

"You also know I will do it on one condition," Livia reminded him.

"Yes, agreed," he said.

So she sang exactly as he wished, and he closed his eyes to picture her as a teen. Livia got every syllable and inflection right. If he had not become such a stoic, he might have cried. Livia knew he had not wept, even over her, for many years. He possessed a steely focus.

"Give me your hands, sir," Livia declared. This time, she used her wand, which made the experience go more quickly and effectively. She did not think at first she could clear all the darkness and gunk that weighed him down. Yet she did – and better than ever. "I hope that has helped you. Happy birthday. Good day, sir."

He merely nodded. He got lost in his own thoughts, including about all that happened. Livia had totally blown his mind – again.

Nils had been looking for her. He wanted to spend the weekend with her in Hogsmeade again. She found it impossible to say no to him. He only left a note on his door to ask the innkeeper there if he was needed for anything before Monday. Otherwise, it could wait. No one found this note odd for Nils. He seemed very attached to spending time there long before dating Livia.

Whilst there, Livia had to ask him something. During their spring recess, her friend Shelley had planned getting married. The date came not that long after his birthday, too. Shelley had asked Livia to stand with her. She added that the groom had asked a relative to be his best man. Did he want to go even though she might spend part of the evening away from him?

"I need to be where you are, I think," he answered. "I want to be, rather than risk some unknown lad dancing with you when I'm not there. That's not a present I want."

"Okay, I will tell her," Livia said. "I will try not to be apart from you for too long."

"If I am returning to a room with you, I am not concerned."

Winter term mostly proceeded quietly, thanks in part to Livia essentially teaching students (the ones who realized Lockhart knew little) what they needed to get from their Defense Against the Dark Arts courses. Livia sat stone faced in classes she attended, never responding to Professor Lockhart and certainly showing herself perfectly capable of deflecting anything nefarious sent her way. Livia kept Nils appraised of her activities, which somewhat cut into her time to tutor students on written assignments, though she managed to become ever more efficient in anything she did.

Livia also did get to meet the long-haired blonde Luna Lovegood via Professor Flitwick and reassured the soft-spoken girl that her time would come. They also shared insights about Helena Ravenclaw, who Livia deemed a mentor. Livia encouraged her to continue to talk to Helena as she had already done, reminding Luna that Helena takes pride in the accomplishments of students who are kind to her and share things with her. These give her a purpose and use for all the wisdom she has amassed from being there for so long.

For his part, Nils could not understand how Livia thrived in her Potions classes, given the harshness often exuded by Professor Snape. She told him that she got used to it and never took his attitude personally. She reminded him that he likely started that way to gain respect when he began teaching at an age not much older than the most advanced students. He just never grew out of it. Moreover, the standards and stakes for making potions well are very high, a point they had to get somehow. Nils knew how perceptive her assessment was, particularly given the fact she had figured this out long before becoming a tutor. Every time he heard it, though, it amazed him.

Livia continued to enjoy her sessions with both Professor Snape and the headmaster. Every time, she had to contemplate strategy and react spontaneously. Both gave her a workout: win, lose or draw. Livia would not arrive too soon if Nils attended Professor Snape's last midweek class. Nils knew enough already, if not cognizant that her lessons continued. He never asked, fortunately, as her roommates had, what she had learned about him. He remained more curious about what the professor had discovered about them. Livia saw that Professor Snape's knowledge, limited in some areas, extended quite far in others. For instance, he saw her medallion on Nils and knew of its origin and power from her. If anything made him jealous or troubled, she could not tell. He successfully blocked that from her. From that, she initially gathered that he dismissed any personal stake in the matter and, whatever she may have awoken in him, he redirected it entirely to the woman he lost.

Nils, other than exchanging some letters with his parents and one afternoon, spent the entirety of spring recess with Livia. He had a great birthday prior to it and particularly loved Shelley and Liam's wedding, because Livia wore the earrings he had gotten her and looked radiant in the deep green bridesmaid gown Shelley had chosen for her, Athena and a cousin of Liam's to wear. The best man, as well as the other groomsmen, Ted, and a local friend, made for a nice group to surround the bride and groom. Fortunately, they did not monopolize Livia's time, and she returned to Nils soon enough. That sensitivity perhaps led to Shelley not compelling Livia to sing as Professor Snape; from what Nils said, he heard his voice sufficiently. This time, the Ravenclaw roommates did not dominate the larger group of attendees, though Terence and Selene, late additions who quietly married themselves, numbered among them. Terence and Selene received a special toast. Livia made sure to give Shelley and Liam an intricate cross-stitched, framed embroidery of their names and several four-leaf clovers and sent something similar in quality to Terence and Selene. It became a special wedding ritual for Livia to do this.

Nils just looked forward to enveloping Livia. She seemed too careful to him during school time. It made him anxious to get a position elsewhere and take her with him. Even living with her offsite would help; she never showed any hesitation in her brother's home. To do that, he realized the step he had to make. Before spring term began, he started looking for the right ring, at home, at Hogsmeade and in Durham. At least, he already knew the small size to get for her finger. Again, no one questioned his time away. Livia gave him his space so she had some herself. She also knew his time away had to do with his future direction, so she avoided asking a lot about it. She did not want to know, in case learning his plans gave her a bad premonition.

Soon after returning, Livia found it shocking that Hermione was petrified with no immediate cure, Hagrid was accused of opening that "Chamber of Secrets" and the headmaster found himself suspended. That no one later could find Ginny Weasley seemed greatly disconcerting also. These events seemed related to Livia, but she only had the twins to tell about it. Livia took it upon herself to care for all the creatures in Hagrid's charge, including her Barn Owl friends, though she did so in stealth to avoid recriminations. She exchanged letters with Hagrid to let him know his animals received care, and he reassured her that his innocence would be shown by students he saw before being led away. Livia had a very good idea who he meant.

The headmaster's suspension actually led Livia to spend more time with Professor Snape, since he seemed eager to practice dueling with her in addition to their usual sessions. He did find it distracting when Livia started speaking or singing as himself. He thought about compelling her to stop before remembering that overcoming such a distraction could prove useful. She did manage to beat him thanks to her "rope-a-dope" move of feigning weakness and the loss of her wand, which she had called back like a boomerang and immediately delivered a mock "kill" to disarm and render him disabled, if not "dead." He was stunned. Livia smiled broadly and started cackling.

"How-how long have you been able to do that?" he asked.

"For some time now," she answered. "Since the headmaster has seen it, he can anticipate it."

"It's quite unique," he responded. "I know some try to tether their wand to themselves but not in how you use it. Very creative. What do you call that fakery of yours?"

"Rope-a-dope," Livia replied. "A muggle champion boxer made the term famous."

"You know you cannot use it every time," he said. "Some will try just a direct confrontation, and you will not have the chance then to do that."

"I know," she admitted. "That's why I work on distractions or transfigurations, too."

"How would you deal with someone directing the killing curse at you?"

"Depends on whether I anticipate it – if I can, I attempt to silence the speaker," she replied. "But, no, I have not tried to make the headmaster a dumbass, if you're asking me that."

"I'm glad to see what you can do, but your progress makes it ever more important for you not to let your skills become too widely known. Don't show anyone else that move. There is a plan here."

"I know," Livia agreed. "I hope I am living up to my part – or non-part – of it."

"So far you are," he said. "That must not change."

With Livia's tutoring and the faculty long suspicious, Professor Lockhart got cornered and asked to enter the "Chamber of Secrets" where it seemed Ginny Weasley had disappeared. A note in the hand of the petrified Hermione gave her friends an idea of what lay inside. Fortunately, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, a bit wary of Professor Lockhart, found him trying to flee and forced him to help them. Since Harry knew more, he likely kept a better grip on his wand or greater distance. Taking Ron's damaged wand rebounded on Professor Lockhart, erasing his own memory and somehow forced Harry to find Ginny himself. He had to face the real "heir of Slytherin" who compelled Ginny to open the chamber and release its creature. Fortunately, the headmaster's pet Phoenix could still enter it with a sword and enabled Harry to save Ginny, defeat the monster and destroy a reanimated Dark Wizard. He had wanted to purge the school of "unworthy" students – those without wizardry heritage, rather than bastardized like Livia. It seemed like the same thing to Livia, because it served to de-legitimize someone based on something beyond their control. Of course, attempting this through killing a pureblood witch seemed odd somehow.

The Phoenix's actions explained to Livia why the headmaster did not seem fazed by her use of crows. All of these creatures possessed sentience. She forgot how much greater his relationship with magical creatures extended than many witches and wizards, though this did not necessary mean all creatures in the way Livia interacted with them. Livia was overjoyed to see the headmaster reinstalled and the governor who insisted upon his suspension, the father of Draco Malfoy, himself dismissed. Livia believed justice had prevailed.

Livia assisted Professor Snape in making the draught that restored everyone petrified. She also sent a note to Harry congratulating him for his nerve, determination and, frankly, outmaneuvering that fraud Gilderoy Lockhart who got what he deserved. Only then did she visit the somewhat depleted, unnerved Ginny after various people had fussed over her and allowed her to recuperate. Once she got a general sense that Ginny would recover, she decided to ask Ginny about a few things twins Fred and George had told Livia about her skills. Oddly enough, though, Ginny wanted to ask Livia about Bill. Livia admitted the twins had figured out that she knew him fairly well for a time. Ginny could not understand how she had "let him get away," but Livia told her that Bill had no interest in a serious relationship at the time. When he found himself ready, he would find who he wanted because he tended to find young women interested in him. Despite the fact she had been excessively fond of him, she maintained that he let himself get away, basically.

The school year ended in a very strange fashion given all the commotion, though Livia wondered if she somehow had not tutored students well enough for them to perform in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. The headmaster reassured her that he did not doubt her. If some did, it might in fact be useful in the long run.

Livia wanted to go out and greet Hagrid and find how he fared, given both now had faced a stint of imprisonment. Nils wanted to go outside with her. He directed her to a fairly secluded spot near the forest. Livia knew he had something in mind – actually more than one. First, he told her that the headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff, had offered him a teaching position. IIvermorny also expressed interest, though he preferred to take the post close to home, at a place familiar to him. This information clearly changed their relationship.

"So where do I fit in, Ni?" she asked.

"That's up to you," Nils answered. He took a small box from his pocket and dropped to one knee. "Will you marry me, Liv-liv?"

"I'd like to say yes, but what do you expect me to do when you're teaching?" she asked.

"Perhaps I can find a spot for you," he suggested.

"Staff are not supposed to live together on the grounds, are they?" Livia queried. "I have not seen it here."

"That is true," Nils admitted. "There must be some way to make it work."

"Why couldn't I just continue here, and we live in Hogsmeade like Uncle Jack?"

"I am very fond of Hogsmeade, you know, but I am not sure I want to live that far away," Nils answered. "I am not sure Durmstrang participates in the same floo network."

"Maybe they should," Livia stated. "Then if someone needed to get a message to you to return, you could go."

"Why won't you consider living near my parents – you could still reach Uncle Jack, right?" he asked. "Or I know of a lovely artistic-oriented village, Ulmana, which might be better."

"Are you suggesting that I should stop working?" Livia questioned.

"Not necessarily," he replied. "Durmstrang might take you if you impress them. You could also take up something on your own, like those cross-stitch projects I have seen you do."

"You already told me Durmstrang does not allow things I possess," Livia said. "That has served as my link to my brother. You want me to be further from him, literally and figuratively?"

"He has a wife, you know," Nils stated. "I have nothing against them, but you are old enough to live with me, not them. We have options, too."

"I am nevertheless very close to him," she asserted. "It has been that way for a long time. I don't know if you can understand. None of the options you have listed entirely help me."

"He's not even really your brother, remember?"

"He has been the only family that has ever consistently mattered to me," Livia said. "Why is it so important to you that I live in Sweden? I thought you like it here."

"I need you near me," he declared. "I do like it here but prefer you there. Can you say yes?"

"Where is this wedding supposed to take place?" Livia questioned. "Don't tell me you want it without my brother, too."

"Maybe there might need to be two," Nils said.

"I have a muggle birth certificate, but little here – how is this supposed to work?"

"I guess we will need advice," he stated.

"I have to discuss this with some people," Livia asserted. "I can say 'yes' immediately if we can reside near Uncle Jack in Hogsmeade. Please agree to try to make that work."

"Okay, if we can make it work, I will agree," he said. Livia thus accepted the ring and they proceeded to check on Hagrid and the animals he kept, including "her" Barn Owls.

Before everyone left for the summer, Livia sent notes to the headmaster and Professor Snape that she needed to see both of them immediately. Professor Snape figured out why very quickly, though the idea also had crossed Professor Dumbledore's mind.

"Thank you both for seeing me so quickly, given you have your own plans," Livia said.

"Should we be congratulating you?" the headmaster asked. He noticed the ring.

"Maybe, maybe not," Livia replied. "I'm sure Nils will formally be letting you know when he officially accepts an offer to teach at Durmstrang. I think that is where this gets thorny. He has suggested I either try to work there or live near there. I countered with Hogsmeade, but he is unsure that works for him. He actually asserted that he needs me there with him, which is at once touching and at the same time smothering. The latter suggests a weakness that bothers me."

"Why are you telling us all this?" Professor Snape asked. "We are not your guardians."

"Severus, there is problem here for us, though," the headmaster countered. "Do you want Livia working under Igor Karkaroff? Or even being under his nose? I don't. "

"He is not likely in the Dark Lord's good graces, though," Professor Snape responded.

"And that is all the more reason why he would want to dangle Livia in front of him or other Death Eaters – to save himself," the headmaster asserted.

"You mean the Dark Wizard would attempt to recruit me?" Livia asked.

"Or kill you if you did not join him," Professor Snape answered. "He has done it before. Your brother and his wife would be in danger, too, if he finds you to be a blood traitor."

"A what?" Livia questioned.

"People of pureblood heritage or half-blood status are called that for being tolerant of muggles," the headmaster explained. "You might either be told to renounce your brother or die."

"How could I ever do the former?" Livia posited.

"Which is why I would never want you at Durmstrang," the headmaster said.

"He's right," Professor Snape agreed. "Nils could put you in grave danger and ruin you having a future at all, let alone with us. Many there would agree with the Dark Lord's perspective. Nils is giving me more reason to drag my feet about finding out who your father is."

"What have you told him regarding your reluctance to be there?" the headmaster asked.

"I told him that he would take me further away from my brother and eliminate the bond that I can maintain with him here – Uncle Jack and our shared musical interests," Livia asserted. "Nils has told me already I could not have the musical things I have now at Durmstrang."

"And that's true, so it's an excellent reason," the headmaster assessed.

"Very credible," Professor Snape agreed. "He has no siblings, right?"

"Correct," Livia replied.

"He may not appreciate that at all," the headmaster stated. "Of course, you care more about one person in particular. As things unfold here, I do not want you to leave this area for long, outside of visiting your brother. We have reason to trust this will serve the greater good in the end, even though it will seem foolish in the interim. I hope you can resolve this issue to your satisfaction, but you cannot allow Nils to put you at a school run by Igor Karkaroff. If you downplay yourself, Nils might even tip them off. If you impress them, you will attract the wrong kind of attention."

"It seems his first alternative would have me live there and perhaps do nothing – a prospect I frankly despise. I think Helena Ravenclaw would haunt me daily if I did that."

"That makes sense to me," Professor Snape said. "You are too gifted to waste away, even if it partly helps you. We have to keep your profile low but not allow your skills to fall into disuse."

"If I understand correctly, I believe another school tutor, Mark Watson, will leave after this year as well, which essentially makes you a strong candidate for becoming head tutor," the headmaster offered. "I am sure the tutors under Filius will support you, and I can probably sway the other heads of house to voice support for you to their own tutors, also."

"I would replace Nils?" Livia asked.

"Livia, you are more than ready for that," the headmaster assessed. "The way you handled Professor Lockhart proved it. The students would likely accept it, especially since the Weasley twins like you very much. Perhaps that prospect – and the advance in remuneration it carries – will get Nils to relent on his position, if he has a logical reason for his choice of residence."

"Indeed," Livia agreed. "I am not sure reason drives him."

"You have to decide that and how you handle it," the headmaster told her. "As Professor Snape said, we are not your guardians, though we possess a vested interest in what happens."

"Understood, sirs," Livia said. "Thank you for listening to me and verifying what my instincts led me to say. I have no idea how this will turn out. Actually, that is not entirely true. I have some suspicions but dare not speak them because I do not wish to be right this time."

Livia met up again with Nils. They bought something for Tom, and Nils agreed to accompany Livia back to Durham. Tom's birthday morphed into something of an engagement party for Livia and Nils, also. Tom and Alice expressed great happiness for both. Livia at one point took Tom aside with Nils and asked him how they could handle a wedding or weddings, given some of the legal issues. Nils lacked a birth certificate that County Durham would recognize, whereas Livia did. The reverse held true for Nils's homeland. Tom suggested Nils engage someone on Nils's side who could work with him to reconcile the issue. Tom's best guess offhand was to say that his local registrar might accept a foreign language marriage certificate and issue a license for them to be married in the UK, even if he or she did not entirely recognize the origin of the certificate. The traditional look might not seem odd, given an unfamiliarity with practices elsewhere. After all, diplomas looked very traditional.

Alice seemed very enthusiastic to begin shopping for whatever Livia might want for a wedding. Livia wondered a little about this, since she had never been the best sister-in-law regarding Alice's birthday, especially.

"My birthday on the 23rd is so close to Christmas that I stopped caring that I don't get double the gifts," she asserted. "The Christmas Eve party is basically my birthday party, even if I co-host it – and you helping has been a tremendous gift. I have not missed out on anything. I could not be more blessed than to have Tom, Abby and this house, as well as be closing in on my degree."

Alice found Livia's ring both intriguing and unique. It featured a heart-shaped diamond, a few small baguettes, and an unusual band that, while smooth, had angles to it that refracted light well. She had never seen anything like it. Livia did not know for sure how Nils had obtained it. He perhaps commissioned it somewhere, at home or in Hogsmeade, but he could have made it, too.

Alice wondered if she needed to contemplate two outfits if Livia needed to think about two ceremonies and how formal or informal each should be. Livia did not seem to want anything formally bridal, since she had little idea of how the whole thing would work. That seemed to depend on whatever arrangements were suitable. Nils went home to engage someone to figure out the logistics with Tom and to address any lingering issues his parents had.

Henrik and Ilsa Nilssen merely asked about Livia's desire to remain in Scotland. Nils admitted that he likely would not be able to surpass Hogwarts's ability to promote her to head tutor, which she mentioned in Durham. He certainly believed she deserved that. He understood her desire not to become idle or to become utterly removed from her brother. She really had not developed a hobby or alternative career to fill the loss of a post. Still, he preferred she move close to his work. Nils's parents wondered why he needed proximity when travel for adult witches and wizards did not pose the same obstacles as for muggles. He could not or would not say. He did get a recommendation from his father for someone who could walk him through the legal obstacles to marrying Livia, someone willing to advise Livia's brother, Tom, on this as well. Everything seemed to shape up – Uncle Jack even had started looking at real estate that the two could buy or at least rent, if nothing suitable appeared on the market for sale. He found many locals seemed to know Nils and wanted to help. Uncle Jack decided to use that to his advantage, to entice Nils and Livia to stay there. He believed Livia would benefit more from the headmaster's protection, given his credentials and reputation; he did not understand Nils's preference on the issue whatsoever.

* Author's Note

The song "I'm Too Sexy," from the 1991 album _Up_ , also was released as a single by the group Right Said Fred. Songwriting credit goes to Fred Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass and Rob Manzoli.


	37. Holding On

Almost all of July had come and gone. Other than responding to a few tidbits from Tom over arranging the logistics of one – or two – weddings, Livia had heard only a little from Nils's side. Typically, it came via Uncle Jack, regarding potential places to live in or near Hogsmeade. Nils participated in viewing those but seemed unenthusiastic and preoccupied. On Saturday, 31 July, Livia took a trip to Uncle Jack's residence to ask what he thought regarding this situation. He did not know. He suggested Livia ask the Nilssens or Nils directly.

Livia made an inquiry to Henrik and Ilsa Nilssen directly and opted to visit them and ask. They seemed impressed with her ring but confessed that Nils was not there. He seemed of late to spend a lot of time at the local tavern. Livia decided she had to confront him because the hairs on her neck stood up upon hearing that.

Fortunately, Livia knew the route and it took less than 10 minutes to get there. She found some of Nils's friends drinking at a table close to the bar. They immediately recognized her, especially given the fact that pale women with very dark hair seldom entered. Livia asked where Nils was, and they told her that they had not seen him. She knew immediately that they lied. She told them as much and put her hand close to her wand. Livia felt they hid something from her. Only then did she sense from one of Nils's friends that the place had a back room, partitioned off by a closed curtain. "Nobody lies to me, dumbasses." She rendered them temporarily mute and immobilized donkeys so they could not warn anyone of her presence there or where she headed.

She pulled back the curtain and gasped as she entered. She saw Elise Piersaan sitting astride Nils and kissing him whilst both of their wands and the charmed necklace she had given Nils rested on the table in front of them next to two empty glasses. Livia wondered what would have happened next had she not shown up. Despite Livia's obvious fury, she easily overcame those two caught off-guard. She instantly transfigured Elise to a vine in a clay pot on the floor and seized Nils's wand by calling it to her. She likewise seized his chain from the table.

"What is the meaning of this?" she barked at Nils.

He stood up. He tried to take Elise's wand, but Livia expelled it from his hand. She then retrieved it, snapped it in half and put it next to potted plant Elise. "She-she removed the-the necklace," he sputtered. "I couldn't help myself."

"You lie," Livia spat back. "No one could remove it but you. I made its charm. I know."

"Still, she bewitched me," he claimed. "She sent me something and spiked my drink – all because Alex dumped her. I'm so sorry."

Livia smelled the glasses. The two seemed identical. Only a very few potions of that type would be completely undetectable to her, and she knew Elise lacked the skills to make any. "Remember who I am. Few have potion-making abilities like I have. And I don't believe you. We will not discuss this anymore here. You will return with me to your parents's home. Now."

"You're going to leave Elise like that?" Nils asked.

"She deserves it," Livia answered. "Accept it or become a rat-faced dumbass yourself." He knew she meant it. Nils's friends entered and realized where Elise was. She turned to them. "Water Elise a few times and she will recover. I don't mean from a faucet. You'll all have to drink a lot." They all realized how angry Livia was. They felt thankful to not be Nils. He had crossed her badly.

Livia said nothing during the walk back. Nils kept apologizing and begging her to recognize why he wanted her near him. Elise could weaken him; he was so attractive to her now that he earned a faculty post away from Skaa and got engaged. She liked breaking up couples to prove how enticing she was. She started dating Alex just for that reason. Even when Nils and Elise had dated, she never had pursued him so openly in practically a public place.

Livia entered the house with him and told the Nilssens exactly how she had found Nils in that tavern. They seemed shocked, though Ilsa admitted that the girl, Elise, tended to make her son out of sorts. She retrieved a flower Elise had sent Nils the prior day. Livia could read its intent and enchantment, but the necklace should have repelled it – unless he did not heed it. Livia knew the girl did not have positive or honorable intentions towards Nils, but he fully blinded himself to this.

"I think I need to speak to Nils alone," Livia stated. His parents left the room.

"That woman does not have honest or legitimate intentions towards you, and you must have known that when you removed this necklace," Livia asserted. "Why did you do it?"

"I think I've known that from the beginning," Nils admitted. "I have this weakness for her. I can't explain it. You know I have avoided her. But the second I saw her, she reeled me back in. She's never acted like she cared this much. I guess I wanted that for a long time, fantasy or not."

"So where does that leave us?" Livia asked. "Here I am trying things on for a wedding and you're carrying on with this woman. Could you possibly try to hurt me any more than this?"

"I know," he answered softly. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"Your actions say otherwise."

"Now you know why I need you here," Nils declared. "Then she would leave me be."

"Really?" Livia asked, incredulous. "Seems to me you make an even better case for why you need to live in Hogsmeade, not anywhere remotely near her. Why can't you see that?"

"Perhaps," Nils said. "I just want you close to me. I guess I don't trust myself."

"I will return your wand, but you do not deserve my protection anymore," Livia announced. "You surrendered it when it should have served you. I will not give you this medallion back. I went to the mat for you over Gilderoy Lockhart, and this is what you do to me. I am horrified that you could be so callous when I did nothing but be good to you, even at a personal risk to myself."

"I know," Nils acknowledged. "Can I say anything to fix this?"

"How long have you been carrying on like this?"

"A couple of days," he said.

She shook her head. "Lying doesn't fix squat. You should know better than that."

"All right – it's been almost two weeks," he declared. "I did not know what to do."

"Well, I do," Livia responded. Livia called back in Nils's parents. "Nils has been carrying on with this Elise for the last two weeks or so. Mrs. Nilssen, I give you this medallion. Do not return it to him unless he deserves it, since I put a protective charm on it. If he doesn't, I do not care what you do with it, just that he never wears it again." She removed her engagement ring. "You can have this back. I do not want it now. I cannot take it seriously nor can I plan a wedding with a man who does not love me enough to be true to me." Mrs. Nilssen cried softly.

Nils tried to protest that he did not want her to do that. "Please, Liv-liv, don't give up on me," he pleaded. "I don't want to take this ring back. I need your help. Don't abandon me."

"Abandon YOU?" Livia cried out. "You should have thought of me a few weeks ago, when you started taking off this medallion. I gave you help, not even specifically against her, and yet YOU threw it away. Prove to me you mean this. Right now, I believe very little and I don't trust you at all. You try to say the right things, but if you loved me, you would have done them."

"Let me wear it, to help me," he insisted. "Please. You know I want to do right by you."

Livia looked at Ilsa Nilssen. "I can't explain her hold on him, but he is right – his only chance to do right by you is with it, not without it."

Livia both wordlessly and with words endowed the medallion with several more incantations, put it on him and activated it. "I'm still leaving this ring. If you fail me again, you will instantly lose this medallion and I will know. I will not take this ring back until I'm satisfied that you truly are over her and choose me. You may as well give it to her if you can't do that." Livia pointed at the ring with her wand and hexed the ring if Elise Piersaan ever wore it.

With that said, she left and returned to Uncle Jack's house. "What happened?" he asked. "You were gone a long time."

"This happened," Livia pronounced, showing him her ring-less finger. "Nils started up again with that old girlfriend and removed the protective medallion I gave him. I called off the engagement. He chose her over me, despite the fact that she clearly doesn't love him."

"Oh, Livia, I'm so sorry," he said, embracing her. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," Livia replied. "But he did, and I can't say I'm totally surprised. I considered another virtue of settling here being that he would be beyond her reach. His mother insisted I return the medallion that I gave him. He will likely fail me again. It will wind up on your table, and I will have to deal with that. He refuses to acknowledge what his brain tells him. I can't help him there. I would be dishonest with myself if I did anything other than let him go. He's not a child."

"What a shame," Uncle Jack declared, shaking his head. "I thought he had better sense."

"Maybe here but not there," Livia observed.

Livia went home and received word that she had indeed been voted the new head tutor and union representative. The vote overwhelmingly favored her. The tutors quietly spread among themselves how she had protected Nils against Professor Lockhart and, if getting only part of the story, it still spoke volumes that she would represent their interests well – be it as the union representative in negotiations or in any other manner of dispute or evaluation.

Of course, Tom and Alice noticed straight away that she no longer wore her engagement ring. "I think it's over," Livia stated. "I caught him without the protective medallion I gave him and carrying on with his former girlfriend at a pub. She seems determined to break us up."

"Oh no," Alice asserted. "How horrible for you to have to see that. Why would he do that?" Alice started crying.

"I don't know," Livia responded. "I guess he still preferred her to me. I gave him the medallion back, at his mother's request, but I believe he'll take it off again. It is now further enchanted to alert me when it happens. The only question is when. I think he'll marry her before he ever tries to give me that ring back. And he will be very sorry when he does. He can't see it."

"I'm so sorry you had to deal with that," Tom pronounced, hugging her. "I wish I would have known. And here I was about to tell you how to make the marital arrangements."

"At least I got a little revenge on her," Livia declared.

"How so?" Alice asked, still misty-eyed.

"I caught them off-guard and turned her into a potted vine," Livia said. "I snapped her wand in half and made the spell reversible only if her friends, well, water her with pee."

Both Alice and Tom covered their mouths but still laughed. "I wish I could have done that a few times in my life," Alice stated. "Some girls are downright petty and horrible to other girls."

"I forget sometimes that you can do things like that," Tom said. "That's incredible. Christopher was so right when he said you did Lydia a favor by avoiding her."

"Maybe he'll come back to you if Ni is truly gone," Alice suggested.

"I'm not sure it matters right now," Livia asserted. "I need to sleep some of this off."

Livia retrieved an R.E.M. CD from her brother's collection and started playing "Everybody Hurts,"* trying to focus on the "hold on, hold on" aspect of the lyrics. She attempted to calm down enough to sleep. Livia did not have anxiety but rather sorrow. She held no confidence that Nils would come through for her, though she did find out later, in a letter that Ilsa Nilssen wrote to Uncle Jack, that Nils hid in his room for days, refusing to see anyone that might be a stooge for Elise. Indeed, Ilsa Nilssen also informed Uncle Jack that she had harsh words for "friends" of her son that assisted Elise or covered up what had happened. She told them that they may helped him ruin his life, since Livia had returned the ring he bought for her. She also chewed out Elise. She had realized who would make the better match for her son, and it was not Elise.

Livia contemplated playing "Under the Bridge" again when the owl Ellen tapped at her window. Just what I need, she thought bitterly. Professor Snape wanted her to come to his potions room immediately for an urgent task requiring careful work on something she had never done before. She scribbled back that she would see him as soon as she woke up on Sunday, 1 August.

Livia left a note on her bed describing her early summoning and said perhaps thinking about work provided a good distraction, even though she did not entirely feel that way. She was too numb to think about food. She directly went to his potion room where she found him taking out some ingredients she knew well and some less so. He explained that he needed to make this potion quickly for a new instructor – the headmaster had promised him a supply of it to allow him to teach. He called it the Wolfsbane Potion and it controlled lycanthropy, to keep a transforming werewolf from losing awareness of himself. It needed time to mature and needed to be made every month. He asked Livia to learn it so that, if ever he became incapable of creating it for any reason, she could. If able, he said he did not expect her to do it herself, but he wanted her to assist him. Ultimately, he would ask her to try it herself, but so long as he took primary responsibility for it, he did not want her doing it by herself.

"Sir, this is unusual that you would not trust me," Livia declared.

"Oh, I trust you – it's for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor – but I am not sure everyone else does," he said. "As long as they say it's from me, I must supervise this, Livia. Besides, someone might hear if you made it alone, and that could raise your profile too much."

He laid out a card with the ingredients and directions for her to memorize, though he emphasized the subtleties that made it work. He asked her to lay out all the ingredients in their precise amounts in their order of use, since he was certain all the ingredients were perfect. Just as he was about to begin, he noticed her engagement ring was missing.

"I just realized you aren't wearing your ring," he asserted. "Strange. Did you leave it behind for potion making?"

"No," Livia answered. "I gave it back to Nils yesterday. He was sparsely communicating with me, and I went to visit him to find out why. I caught him with his supposed former girlfriend. He had removed the protective medallion I gave him months ago."

"I saw him with it, but I did not know you charmed it to ward off other women," he stated.

"I didn't," Livia responded. "I only put a charm on it to protect him from anyone who would harm him. His mother insisted I give him another chance to not take it off. I added charms to alert me when he removes it again – but for all his promises, I suspect he will – and for it to disappear from him the second he takes his hand off of it. The only question is when."

"Why are you so sure that he will do that again?" he inquired, honestly puzzled. "I thought he loved you. He seemed happy, and you really did a lot for him. He totally discounted all that?"

"He has an obsession with this woman," Livia replied. "He says he knows better, but his actions show differently. Can't say I get the infatuation. He seemed fine when he avoided her. I think he is a different person around her versus not. I suppose that explains why he became so adamant that I live there, but to me it makes for a better argument for why he should live here."

"I see," he stated. "Seems you need some work, then, to give yourself time to adjust. Amazing that this fell apart in less than a month. I don't know what to say to you. I don't think anything can help. I'm shocked." For the first time, Livia detected an authentic emotion from him.

"She wanted it to happen," Livia asserted. "Certain women obtain great joy from running off with another's boyfriend or fiancé. I would compare it to other forms of overcompensating. This makes her feel superior, though I dished out some revenge when I first found them together."

"What did you do?" he queried. "And how could you think so clearly to use magic successfully under such extreme stress?"

"I channeled my anger into my focus," Livia responded. "You should you understand that better than most. I just release my emotions better afterward. Anyway, she was straddling his lap kissing him, with her back to me. I transfigured her into a potted vine plant, and later took her wand and snapped it in half. The only way to reverse her state was for her friends to drink a lot so they could, um, water her. I temporarily turned them into dumbasses to not warn them, besides."

"Stunning – and he didn't stop you?" he asked.

"I took his wand first and the medallion when I first entered," Livia answered. "When he reached for her wand, that's when I expelled it from his hand and broke it in half. He was defenseless. After that, his friends, who I had temporarily muted and secured, wanted no part in messing with me. If any had so much as lifted a finger to help him, I would have leveled the lot of them. None of them seemed particularly capable. I could have overpowered all of them by myself."

"Smart decision to not rile you further," he observed. "Seems Filius, Minerva, Albus and I, among others, have taught you well. So let's do this now."

This potion was intense and demanded great precision. It took longer than many they had done together and only a small number of things could be sped up. The potion required special handling as well as time to mature. Livia understood his caution about it so much better after understanding what it took to do correctly. She worked very carefully, thoughtfully. Given some of the ingredients, doing this even slightly wrong would have catastrophic effects. It also required a decent volume so essentially working as a pair made sense to Livia. When they finally finished and put everything away, Livia wanted to sit down for a few minutes to rest. She had endured much that weekend, even if she refused to stress herself more regarding the ultimate outcome.

"In a couple of weeks, you will feel stronger," he offered. "You will have a post that requires your full attention. Hold on, Livia. Take comfort in those that care about you – you are extraordinarily lucky to have them. You know why I say this." With that, he was gone.

Quite an exit – bizarre, Livia thought. Livia considered visiting Uncle Jack, but instead just returned to her room to sleep. If it couldn't restore her, at least it provided a refuge. Tom and Alice worried about her sleeping so much, but she said she had nothing better to do whilst she waited for the final nail in the coffin regarding Nils. She totally missed hearing the news about Cathy's early labor, even when Tom and Alice left to visit their new niece, who Cathy and Doc named Amy. Livia later sent a card but at that time felt like a zombie. Being awake was like waiting for something or someone to die. She knew it was coming. She could not stop it, nor should she try.

Meantime, Nils tried everything to avoid leaving his parents's home. He hoped then to avoid everyone until he left for Durmstrang. His mother had chased a few supposed friends away. She even came across Elise again, who had planned on doing something to get inside, thinking Mrs. Nilssen had left. Ilsa Nilssen ripped into her good for spoiling the best relationship Nils might ever have. Mrs. Nilssen even started trying to use enchantments to secure the house from her when she did leave. The harder Ilsa and Nils tried to keep her away, the more determined she became to reach Nils. The first time she broke the spells, Nils tried to chase her away. She would not hear of it, declaring her passionate love for him as proven by how hard she worked to see him. He locked himself in a room and enchanted it sufficiently to keep her away. The second time, when he seemed cornered, he apparated to the kitchen and went to Uncle Jack's Hogsmeade house.

Uncle Jack expressed great shock in seeing him. Nils explained that his ex-girlfriend, Elise, had broken into his house for a second time, he wanted to escape her, since she would not go away. He still wore Livia's medallion, but he feared it would not be enough.

"Why does this girl have such a hold on you?" Uncle Jack asked. "If you know her intent is not good, I don't get it."

"At one point, I wanted her to love me," Nils responded. "I guess part of me still wishes this were true, even though my rational mind tells me it isn't."

"Well, do you love her?" Uncle Jack asked.

"Good question," Nils admitted. "I am not sure."

"That is what you need to answer, then," Uncle Jack stated. "Who do you love and who do you want with you? All I can tell you is you better stop jerking around my grandniece." Uncle Jack paused, having a notion of what Nils might say. "Don't you dare tell me she isn't my grandniece because I will throttle you if you do. In any case, after all she did for you, she deserves better than you trifling with her – and you damn well know it."

"Yes, I do," Nils acknowledged. "I guess I need to face Elise, after all. Thank you for your time, sir." Nils took a long walk around Hogsmeade, staying for some time, then returned home.

Later, he told his mother what had happened and where he had gone. He knew it came down to whether or not he still loved Elise and wanted to try to make a relationship work with her. He told his mother to stop trying to protect him from confronting this. He had to make a choice.

On Thursday, 19 August, Elise found no defenses barring her from entering the Nilssen home. Nils essentially had waited for her. She immediately told Nils she loved him and tried to wrap her arms around him, but Livia's necklace repelled her. That should have told him enough, but he did not listen. He asked Elise to sit down and explain what she expected out of a relationship with him. Elise, taken off-guard, claimed that she wanted to marry him, leave Skaa and settle near his work in Ulmana, outside the muggle town of Kiruna, where an artistic community of witches and wizards had set up a kind of progressive, if rustic, village. She acted like he had never heard of this place where authors, painters, musicians and sculptors lived. Only a few Durmstrang graduates ever settled there, given its bohemian reputation and the regimented profile of the school. She wanted to expand and test the boundaries of her imagination. He had no idea what this testing might entail, however. Nils knew that the location would serve himself and expand on one of the creative outlets he cultivated in Hogsmeade. He had grown attached more to one in particular.

Nils showed Elise the ring he had given Livia in order to ask what about her made Elise so determined to separate him from her. "Her!?" Elise cried out. "Like I care about her. She is nothing. She doesn't even have real parents." Elise grabbed the ring, but saw it would not fit any other finger except her pinky. Livia had very long, slender fingers compared to Elise. Upon trying it on the ring began to squeeze her finger, first cutting off circulation before breaking her finger. The break, however, gave Nils the chance to use soap to remove it. Elise would need a healer though the finger pained her for the rest of her life, like an instant, severe case of arthritis.

"Apparently, Livia knows how to hex jewelry as well as use protective charms on them," Nils said. "She is far from nothing, which is why I suspect her school does not want to lose her. And those at the tavern figured out very quickly that she is far from nothing, too."

Nils told Elise to leave, to see someone about her finger. He would spend a long afternoon, evening and restless night contemplating the two choices before him, but he said nothing about it to either of his parents. Livia and Livia's necklace said one thing, whereas Elise offered a totally different choice. Where would he be happy – and with whom? Ideally, he wished Livia could have accepted being his wife and muse, akin to the arrangement Elise envisioned. Of course, he considered that Elise liked this for her own reasons or perhaps even figured it would appeal to him. He had nothing against the people around Livia, but they could not participate in her life with him fully, which had its advantages and demerits.

For all the curiosity it stirred in him to understand Hogsmeade or Durham, he preferred his own people and things. He listed all the positives and negatives of each woman. The sticking point with Elise Piersaan simply lay in the fact that he could not be sure that she could love him or be loyal to him, the thing Livia expected because she had given both to him – abundantly. Elise had never shown that. Her pursuit proved her desperation to move, though she couched it in protestations of love. Would she be grateful afterward and could he count on her – for how long?

If Nils had paid attention to Livia's necklace, he would not even pondered that question whatsoever. He gave Elise credit for something based on little evidence beyond her word. Still, he decided he had to ask her if she truly meant this. Elise returned the next day. He questioned her. She gave all the right answers and assurances and eagerly wanted to elope with him then and there. Livia had not given him that enthusiastic a response, regardless of the reason. He was flattered by words he had longed to hear from Elise. Thus he packed for the year, as well as their journey, and she returned rather quickly. He removed the medallion and, as Livia said, it disappeared once he took his hand off of it. He had no idea where it went. He left a note for his parents and embarked on his new life with Elise. She smiled more about having won than about Nils.

Ilsa Nilssen found the note, and it broke her heart. Once she figured out Elise, she did not forget. Nothing like administering care for the wellbeing of her child could rank higher for her. Livia had taken charge in a way that only a mother could appreciate fully. That memory would govern Ilsa's thinking forever. How could her son take that for granted when he laid in that infirmary bed telling them how much Livia had risked to help him? How could Elise ever care for him or for a child as Livia would have done? Henrik Nilssen felt a little more hopeful, in that Nils made his own choice. They needed to respect it and support their son, whether it worked out or not. They had to hope that he made the right choice but be ready to help him if he did not. In truth, he did not envy his son one bit for the potential of what might unfold. He did not trust Elise.

Ilsa Nilssen felt she had to write a letter to Livia's Uncle Jack, as she did not know if or how to approach Livia. She told him everything, including her utter dismay that he apparently had forgotten entirely how Livia had gone out of her way for him when he fell ill. Since Jack did not receive many visitors, he invited her to talk to him about it, as he did not know what to say to his grandniece, other than acknowledging the punch to the gut this represented to her. Ilsa Nilssen did not know, either, other than telling him to convey to Livia how sorry she was that he had rejected the wrong person in her mind. She did not even get the chance to tell her son that he was making a big mistake. He left before either she or her husband could talk to him. They had no idea he would elope and then head to Durmstrang. Perhaps he knew what they would say.

Uncle Jack asked Ilsa Nilssen about the medallion that appeared on his kitchen table. He knew about it and why it had materialized, since Livia went from his home only about three weeks beforehand: it meant that Nils had removed it willingly. Yet he did not know what to do with it. Ilsa asked for it. She would hold onto it and, if Nils ever realized what an utter mistake he had made, she would consider returning it to him. She knew Livia's wishes, and she would not attempt to give it to him before then. Uncle Jack gave it to her. Uncle Jack thought he could trust her, since she came to speak to him. Ilsa Nilssen left soon afterward with a poignant comment that she would not have considered making a year prior. She truly regretted that she could not have Livia for a daughter-in-law; she just wished she had said the right thing at the right time.

"Who knows what that would have been, Ilsa," Uncle Jack stated. "It may not have been possible. Some things we have to accept, however much we don't like them – like my parents's refusal to accept my wife – and thus me – or my wife's death. Some things just happen and others are just not meant to be. Still, I will tell Livia you came to express your regrets over the matter. That might give her some comfort to know that her efforts did not go completely unappreciated."

Livia knew about Nils's second removal of his medallion within minutes of it happening. If his schedule matched hers, he had only days really or maybe a week before he would leave, and he would have gotten clear of Elise and perhaps had a chance to think through what to do. She closed her door and quietly wept, trying to ventilate or eradicate the sorrow that practically pulled her gut into her spine. The virtual knife wound in her back got bigger and seemed to twist and move like a hari kari (seppuku) inside of her. She knew this event would happen, knew for days that it would, but that fact gave her no consolation. She had to confront it directly.

Livia also had to accept that she had made herself too vulnerable, despite believing that she had not done so. She tried to find the way back to her peace of mind. She could not imagine what she had done wrong, what she was supposed to have done or why he did this to her. She asked herself things like that before, hadn't she? Livia concluded that she made a bad choice. Unfortunately, she did not know how to make the right one. Helena was right – being dead meant no more betrayal, no more bereavement. That did not sound so bad. Still, Livia remained alive, which meant she wanted things. Perhaps asceticism did not seem bad, either. No one could find her vulnerability, let alone use it against her. She had the discipline part down, at least. Maybe Helena was lucky to have escaped more pain than she endured by dying so young. At least, Livia found a peace in the nothingness of her personal life. She visited Bede again that weekend and asked for strength to remain focused and centered so she no longer exposed herself to the caprices of men who couldn't make up their minds, pulling her in only to push her away. No more. She needed to protect herself from unnecessary drama. She had bigger things to ponder, anyway.

Livia decided to return to campus on Monday, 23 August, so get a firmer grip on the expectations of her as head tutor. She knew of some of the evaluations she reviewed but especially wanted to understand those she had to write. Her reports went between head tutor and professor, or head tutor and head of house. Occasionally, she sent papers to the headmaster or to union people off-site, who had some independence from the Ministry of Magic, though usually operated in concert with it. These papers sometimes sparked discussions at faculty meetings, among other places. Livia's ability to convey information succinctly now had an official outlet, one not typically taken too seriously. Livia would change that when they all saw what someone could do with those.

Livia saw that the school meant to do well by her, paying her exactly what Nils made the previous year. She verified that no one had made a mistake then asked the headmaster if she should increase her deduction to the school's scholarship fund. He told her not to worry about it; she earned her salary, at the very least. She asked if she would continue to see him after his Friday tutoring sessions. He told her he would be pleased to resume these, if she could spare the time.

"Time for you?" Livia asked. "I would be an idiot to pass that up. I will endeavor to be there and let you know if ever detained."

He smiled. He liked how far she had come since she had struggled bonding with her wand. No one would ever suspect that now. She had become fierce in her own way. Then he realized she no longer wore her engagement ring. He wondered if she had removed it owing to school business.

"No," Livia answered. "I caught Nils with his former girlfriend and gave him the ring back. I was right about his weakness. I did not expect the emotions I experienced from him choosing her over me, though. I just hope that being busy will allow me to forget that my feelings ever existed."

"I understand, Livia," the headmaster acknowledged. "I hope you will find comfort and refocus yourself here. Do you blame us for what happened?"

"No," Livia replied. "He made the decision – at least twice – to remove the medallion I gave him that was intended to protect him from anyone who would harm him. He did not listen to me that this woman's intent was not sincere. Nothing anyone can do there."

"Oh," the headmaster said. "Sometimes young men cannot heed good advice. They must learn the hard way regarding women like that, among other things. Have you told anyone else?"

"Professor Snape knows," she declared.

"Severus?" he asked. "Really?"

"He asked me to assist him with a potion he has to make every month, and I did this with him the day after I returned the ring."

"I see," he acknowledged. "Interesting. Why did he ask you to assist him?"

"He said if, for any reason, he could not continue to provide it, someone else here should be trained to do it right," Livia answered.

"Very logical," the headmaster stated. "It is a difficult potion. And the ingredients expensive. I think, however, it will prove a valuable investment."

"He said so long as he is charged with making it, I will never do so alone, if he's able."

"Yes, I think that is wise, too," the headmaster responded. "Will you continue to work with him other than that, your other lessons?"

"That is up to him," Livia declared. "I did practice dueling with him a few times when the board temporarily suspended you."

"How did that go?"

"Well, I tried my rope-a-dope trick on him," she said and smiled. "He never saw it coming."

"Don't show that to anyone else," the headmaster requested.

"He said the same thing. It was so much fun, though, to shock him. But okay."

Livia ran her first meetings with the other tutors well. Only Mary Sherry returned, now with pink hair. Two other tutors joined them: Persephone Rodriguez, a petite, dark haired, olive skinned girl who came from Castelobruxo in South America, who loved talking about the food she missed, and Michel Bichelli, a tall, burly dark-haired young French Canadian man who came from IIvermorny. It seemed none felt comfortable following either the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, since no one had met him or, by reputation, Professor Snape. Each took three classes to follow, which left Muggle Studies to Livia. She would have preferred to see how Hagrid fared teaching the Care of Magical Creatures course, but as head tutor she could watch those sporadically, anyway. Being head tutor meant being almost everywhere at once, though it also indicated that she had to develop trust in the others, too. That reminded her to write a note to Hagrid to congratulate him and to ask if he needed to lessen his workload by moving her Barn Owls to her Uncle Jack's care, if not her own.

In anticipation of alleviating this responsibility, Livia had Mel bring Uncle Jack a note asking him if he would mind housing her two bonded Barn Owl pairs. She tried to tell him which was which. Livia ensured to note that Sydney was the largest and heavily flecked and sporting eye shadowing, the flecked Brontë the youngest with the best endurance, Mel the whitest whilst Sevy sported a type of tan-colored collar. She told him their current caretaker had additional responsibilities teaching that fall. She would find another place if he could not do so, but he readily agreed, since he liked that he could easily communicate with Alice through any of the four. He put up two owl boxes in anticipation of their arrival, with only 10-20 yards separating them. Hagrid expressed his excitement for teaching and though he did not feel it immediately necessary to give up the Barn Owls, he appreciated the gesture. Further, if her Uncle Jack cared for them, he might like the company. He thought it might be safer for them, too, given more students would walk by them unless moved. Hagrid also told her that he considered them a great joy to watch, but he had also heard dementors may come to the school and thought it better if they stay off-grounds once the term begins. Livia let him know that Uncle Jack accepted them and liked them for their familiarity with finding his grandniece. The four agreed and settled into their new homes within a day or so, with Livia telling Uncle Jack what they liked and that she would see him that weekend. They still would visit Hagrid at least occasionally to show their appreciation of him, nonetheless.

On Thursday, 26 August, Livia found some free time. First, she commiserated with Helena Ravenclaw, who suspected Nils would abandon her if his former girlfriend returned. She did not want to say it. In fact, she thought he flirted with more hardship and heartache than many could ever tolerate. Yet he willingly chose that path. Livia had to shut the door. For him to think of her as some kind of backup if the other girl doesn't stick by him constituted a grave insult, given what she risked for him. Helena seemed genuinely livid, which struck Livia as odd. Helena explained that, if they truly cared about something, ghosts remembered enough to become extremely hostile. Anger was the hardest emotion to forget. She wanted to say more but held back, Livia sensed. Helena simply opted to tell Livia that making peace and moving on mattered more. Stirring up Livia's ire served no constructive purpose. Livia had to do so much more than dwell on a man who made her the runner-up in his life because he lacked the willpower to follow through on what his brain told him. He would pay dearly, in more ways than one. Meantime, Livia had a life to live.

* Author's Note

The R.E.M. song "Everybody Hurts" appears on their 1992 album _Automatic for the People._ Released as the single in 1993, credit for the recording goes to Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.


	38. Keeping (Too) Busy

Livia returned to her room at Hogwarts and listened to some of her old music, trying to recall the person she had been long before she ever even met Nils. She had to find that person. Maybe a feisty song like "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)" could remind her a little of that, since she sure met enough "juvenile product of the working class" in her past, drunk or not, if mostly at Colindale. She tried something else, a group called Spin Doctors, from her brother, at least a bit upbeat if more on point with what she still digested. Still, she liked the song "Two Princes." _*_ Livia sang it in her own voice, so she changed its gender, but she managed it without the bitterness she might have found inescapable only days before.

After all, she needed to "go ahead now" – like he already did, without her. She found something else that Alice picked out for her, something to help steady her by Wilson Phillips called "Hold On."* Livia could mostly only harmonize with the female voices, but she liked the notion. She guessed she had to take responsibility for getting over it because she would not blame herself for what happened – ever. Still, she only had herself really to hold onto. Compared to those no-talents in that Skaa tavern, it was plenty. She figured out why Nils liked it there – he found a place to be King of the Idiots. He was more than somebody next to them. Elise did not like it because, as manipulative as she was, she could not distinguish herself there through them. She dominated men by being devious – gee, where had Livia come across that? No wonder why she disliked Elise and saw through her, even though the circumstances did not make this conclusion difficult. _So this what my birth mother leaves in her wake – humiliating other women to suit her own fancy._ It explained why she held more sympathy for the father she never knew – the woman had played both of them, essentially.

As Livia contemplated her collection to fit her current temperament, she heard a knock at the door. It was the neon pink-haired Mary Sherry. She heard some stories around Ravenclaw about things Livia owned, but had never heard them herself. Livia reestablished her "seal" on her room and tried to find something that she tried to guess Mary would like. A punk, female muggle would be one thing. Livia had no idea about a pink-haired witch. So she tried "Losing My Religion" first. Catchy and interesting, but she wanted something edgier. So Livia went to "Smells Like Teen Spirit." That worked. Perhaps punk is universal. Maybe Mary could go for Metallica, too. Yep. She wished she had other things, though "Crossroads" seemed good, too.

Livia explained a little about events that pre-dated her being a tutor, including a dance she had assisted Bill Weasley in organizing twice. "Those were great events," Livia said.

"Oh, I get it," Mary stated. "You like Fred and George because they remind you of Bill."

"You could say that," Livia admitted. "But I only had a huge crush on Bill."

"I got the feeling he was very popular," Mary asserted.

"There was nothing to dislike about him," Livia responded. "Personable, gifted, dedicated and thoughtful. Except for me, the fact that he preferred blondes."

Mary left soon after, having satisfied her curiosity about a few things. Before Livia could decide if she wanted to call it a night or not, she heard another knock and first though that Mary forgot something she had wanted to ask. No. Livia opened the door to find Professor Snape there. _At this hour?_ She had dismissed the possibility it could be him, though she knew well that he had returned.

"Sir, I am surprised to see you so late," Livia asserted. "Welcome back."

"Will you let me in for a minute so I can talk to you?" he asked.

 _Ever the secretive one. He can't act like a human being otherwise, I guess._ "Sure, what is on your mind?" Livia inquired.

"Do you have time tomorrow to assist me?" he inquired.

"I suppose," Livia replied. "Would four o'clock work for you?"

"That is fine," he declared. "Goodnight, Livia."

So Livia decided to turn in and meet with the various house tutors and other staff to gauge their feelings about various things. She then learned why dementors might patrol the grounds. The man convicted of betraying Harry Potter's parents, thus causing their deaths, Sirius Black, had escaped prison. Livia remembered seeing him as a teen and questioned whether he did it. It seemed the school had taken steps presuming this man would come to the school and specifically try to kill Harry. Livia did not get the motive. If he really betrayed them, why did he physically have to murder the boy? Why him? What does he get from it? If guilty, wouldn't he hide? If innocent, wouldn't he find the guilty party? Livia had to tell herself, no, I was not there, I do not know. Still, something did not add up. She opted to show a few people either how to cast a charm to defend against these entities or find someone like her who could. She saw a lot of bobcats that day before heading to the dungeon potion room. At least, she could guarantee that every tutor could do it.

Livia arrived at the potions room promptly, though Professor Snape already had begun some preliminary work ahead of her. She wondered why he tended to start before her like that, or what time she should get there if she tried to arrive ahead of him. He informed her that they needed to get a lot of things then because, should dementors begin patrolling the grounds, deliveries to him of items might get delayed.

"Won't that hurt everyone here?" Livia asked.

"It may slow down messages," he admitted. "Owls and crows are more sentient as well as maneuverable, but I have no idea how easily they will get through. We also don't know yet how many dementors will arrive and how they will negotiate the area. Here, take these."

Livia took the lists and got her quill ready to write down what he wanted where. Again, they finished well under an hour. They prepared the emptied containers for the birds Livia would call and she opened the window. She told him that the owls would take longer to arrive, since they had relocated to her Uncle Jack's residence, so Hagrid could concentrate on his teaching duties better. Still, she called for all to come when they could and opened a window and supplied food for them outside of it. She waited and sat down.

"You seem better than you were last month," he noted. "Are you quick to heal, or better at concealing where you are at?" He was gauging her regarding possible future sessions.

"I do not think I will get over that entirely – ever," Livia answered. "Do you really need to figure out why?" She felt defensive.

"I would rather not try," he stated. "You do seem more focused."

"That's all I can do, isn't it?" Livia asked.

"Indeed," he agreed.

Alastair, Benedict and the rest of their crew entered one after the other. Livia greeted them warmly and began by thanking for their loyalty and support. Recent events had made her more appreciative of those beings who showed her such things. Alastair asked for a fuller explanation, but she relayed to him that she would tell him afterward. For the moment, she alerted them to the food and gave each an assignment and asked for as much of it as they could carry, warning them that dementors would start overlooking the property in September. This may or may not slow down deliveries of foreign products. They all appreciated the information regarding the dementors and vowed to do their best and left.

"You took a long time with them," he observed. "Any particular reason?"

"I warned them about the dementors and asked for as much as they could carry," Livia answered. "Don't you think I should let them know?"

"Fair point," he acknowledged.

All four owls came in, one after the other. They all relayed that they liked their new home with her Uncle Jack. He fussed over them greatly, since he did not have a great number of other responsibilities. He even had some property where mice were abundant, so all had plenty to eat. She thanked them for their years of support and loyalty, given recent events made her prize this even more than she ever had. Sydney was the first to inquire, and she said, again, she would give them the story once they had returned. She warned them about the anticipated arrival of dementors on the school perimeter, though she did know how many and how difficult they would affect them or school deliveries, so she wanted as much as each could bring. They thanked her for telling them, she gave them their assignments and each departed.

"Same thing?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I cannot take for granted the loyalty of these creatures and not give them advanced warning of something that may or may not impact their activities."

"They may be safe, in that dementors may not find them totally appealing, but since I am not an owl or crow, I cannot say for certain," he offered. "And I get your concern since they have proven far more worthy and loyal to you than some people you have come across who you should have expected to treat you better. I won't say more – it likely still upsets you. You don't need that." He didn't either.

One by one every crow returned first with quite a bounty and placed each in the right containers. They all remained in the room, wanting to hear firsthand the details Livia promised to convey to Alastair. She told them that they young man whose illness they helped fix by their form of "convincing" had turned on her. He had proposed marriage and about a month later she found that he had started some kind of affair with an ex-girlfriend. She broke the engagement, and he chose the old girlfriend over her, despite the fact that she told him the girl was insincere and would harm him, according to a protective charm she gave him. He did not care. He wanted her, not Livia. The crows seemed to huddle to together. They said as soon as Livia had more details, they wanted to deliver a message to both. Livia told them Nils started teaching at Durmstrang on the border between Sweden and Norway. She did not know where this woman, Elise Piersaan, was. Alastair spoke for the group: they had a network of friends – and crows _never_ forget. Nils would get the message, and they would work on finding her. She deeply bowed to them. One by one they left to eat outside, with Livia upping the food supply at Benedict's request.

"What was that about?" Professor Snape asked.

"They have friends," Livia responded. "They will be delivering a 'message' of sorts to Nils for me. They want to work on finding that manipulative shrew of his, too."

"You know, I thought when you confronted Lockhart that everyone should have a loyal murder of crows," he stated. "They just re-confirmed that thought."

Soon thereafter, Mel, Sevy, then Brontë and Sydney returned and left their also impressive catches. Each also waited to hear the same story that Alastair wanted to know. Brontë and Sydney flew down to Livia and stood on each shoulder. Each nuzzled her head and told her how sorry they were about what happened. They pledged that they had friends, too, and they might not be able to do as much obvious mischief as a band of free crows, but Nils would know he messed with the wrong girl. Mel and Sevy joined their mates on each of Livia's arms and basically gave a "what she said" comment. Sevy then flew to Professor Snape and squawked something to him that he could have prevented all this had he been able to allow himself a present life rather than entirely exist in the past. Professor Snape gave him a puzzled look, though relaxed when Sevy made a more friendly gesture by perching on his arm. They all returned to near the window, Livia bowed to each and they left, with Livia ensuring they had enough food.

"That was quite a sight. But let me guess: Sevy thinks I could have done something to have prevented what happened to you," he suggested.

"More or less, yes," Livia confirmed. "They cannot quite pull the same favors like the crows can, given how many are used, but they will do something, just the same."

"I get it," he acknowledged, deadpan. "Not that I could have stopped anything, but I get it."

They proceeded to make several rounds of potions, as usual, with the addition of the one Professor Snape had to concoct on a monthly basis. Livia found the first two rather easy compared to the last one, yet she grew more confident that she had gotten the subtleties of the difficult potion down correctly. He watched her closely on that one and could see her focus as well as her execution had improved sizably. She could allow herself to become more fluid and intuitively careful than overly cautious. Livia had made great strides in just doing it a second time. She learned extraordinary well from watching and her memory remained one of her strongest attributes. Still, he tested her potion before combining it with his own batch, which he also tested. Each matched and showed that they had perfectly completed the task. He then combined everything and stored it away while Livia took in his technique again. She realized that as much as he watched her, she verified his actions, too, though she did not know why he required that. Who would doubt him?

Livia sat down and asked him if he wished to continue the sessions they had held the prior year. He seemed slightly surprised, wondering if a head tutor had time for that. "If I can find time for the headmaster, I should be able to do the same for you," she suggested. "Don't you think?"

He thought the same time as the previous year might work. Livia agreed. "Thank you, sir," she said.

"You know, as you continue to grow, I should start acknowledging this by thanking you," he stated. "When the Dark Lord is permanently defeated, none of his followers will stand a chance against you – and they will come to fear you immensely. They will all be found and compelled to reveal everything they know, be it by your potion or by the power of your brain."

"I can only hope I will do something that meaningful," Livia asserted.

"Don't worry about that – your day will come if you survive," he declared. "Just don't feel guilty about surviving. Serve to make the sacrifices of others significant rather than pointless."

"Is that what you do?" Livia asked.

"Yes," he agreed. "One other thing. I should recognize that by any objective or subjective measurement, becoming 21 marks you as an adult. Given your new position and this maturity, you should start calling me by my first name. Are you going home for your birthday?"

"Thank you, sir," Livia said, since she remained 20. "No, I am not going home. I am going to see my Uncle Jack."

"Goodnight, Livia," he stated. He left quickly, as if stopping himself from saying more.

Livia did spend much of Saturday with her Uncle Jack. He wanted to make Livia's 21st birthday special, though he believed the context made it impossible. The four Barn Owls, now happily settled in his yard, seemed to chirp for her, too, which reminded her to tell him that they as well the murder of crows she knew had pledged to give Nils Nilssen a form of "payback" for his treatment of her. He decided then, if Nils had to come up, he would share the letter Ilsa Nilssen wrote him, expressing her regret that he just ran off with Elise, leaving only a hastily scribbled note behind. For a son who tried to get them to understand, if not support, any major decision, this action totally took them by surprise. He also told Livia that Ilsa visited to express her regret the way Nils eloped with Elise before assuming his post. Livia did not blink. The great kick to her stomach had occurred already; this just constituted the foreseeable denouement.

"I told Tom and Alice that he would marry her before he would ever try to return that engagement ring to me," Livia revealed. "My predictions never fail me. I merely fail me by making rotten choices regarding relationships. I did better matchmaking Brontë and Sevy."

Uncle Jack had no answer. Livia had swallowed a few bitter pills already by the mere age of 21. At least, Ilsa Nilssen knew her son had made a grievous mistake.

"It doesn't help me, though, does it?" Livia asked. "Maybe Helena Ravenclaw had the right idea in trying to steer clear of most entanglements, though the one she could not avoid killed her."

"Wish I could tell you," Uncle Jack responded. "These problems are universal in my view."

Still, they managed to talk about many things going on locally. He had considered subdividing his land to share it, among other things. He wished he had said so in July. Still, he was not sure he wanted to let go yet of the home he shared with Renee for years. If Livia wanted a portion of the land for a cottage, they could make arrangements so he that he legally could transfer some of it to her.

"I don't really care about any monetary exchange needed," he stated. "Given where things stand, I plan on leaving it all to you, anyway. I could add your name to the deed right now. It's not like I have a real heir here other than you."

"What about a child of Tom and Alice?" Livia suggested.

"If that happened, you would do far more to help such a child than anything I could put in a will, so I am unconcerned," he asserted. "You hurt Tom or Alice? You'd kill yourself first."

Livia thanked Uncle Jack for trying to comfort her whilst she transitioned through a difficult time. He said he understood, though he had almost nothing like her experiences at such a young age. He could only express hope that her age made her more resilient. She couldn't say what, if any, advantage it gave her. She had to live one day at a time.

Livia returned to her room to find a small parcel outside her room, some kind of anonymous present. It carried nothing to distinguish who sent it. She opened it and it contained a CD by a group called Blind Melon with an arrow pointed at one particular item. Someone wanted her to hear something. Nothing else accompanied the item. Curious, she played this song called "No Rain,"* not sure of the intent or the sender. Who even knew what a CD was? Was it sent elsewhere by mistake? She played it anyway.

The irony of the lyric with the music stunned and almost crushed Livia. Talk about misdirection, subterfuge or masking one's reality. Who sent this? Why? It sure hit home – maybe too well. She ran through all sorts of candidates who had any idea and found logic dismissed them all. Could Ted have found out or Shelley? She had not written either since July. Did one of them just like the record and know how she put up a front? If it had come from someone in Durham, there would have been a card or a note, after all.

Livia decided to send out a few notes before the term started to try to get a reply before the dementors impeded her mail. No one admitted sending anything to her. They did express shock and disgust that Nils had given her up and did not even have the decency to tell her or anyone else in person before eloping with an old girlfriend. They all hoped Alastair would make good on his promise. For them, each settled in nicely and felt very fortunate to have a spouse, family and friends. Ted suggested maybe Livia needed to get a different sort of position to find someone who truly and fully appreciated her. Livia thought maybe that was her sacrifice – others would surrender their lives whereas she would "merely" give up any sort of personal happiness, like someone she basically knew.

Just before the term began, and her final preliminary meetings held, Livia received a belated birthday note from Tom and Alice. Seems Uncle Jack had given them a device to summon whichever of the four Barn Owls could come to them and bring Livia anything. So they had waited because John had asked them to hold off sending anything to her until he could get them a copy of the newly issued Nirvana CD _In Utero_. The first single just came out, but the album had not just yet. He pulled some strings, as usual, to get an early copy. Livia found the new single hypnotic and also extremely apropos, if not directly to her. Nils was even a Pisces, as in the lyrics of "Heart-Shaped Box."*

The music and its artists stunned Livia throughout the album, but she quickly concluded: Nils did this through his own weakness. He must blame himself. She immediately sent a reply to Tom and Alice at how mesmerized she was at hearing this work. Its intensity ironically made her more peaceful, sober and sane. She only dimly imagined how anyone else would view it, though.

Livia delegated much more as the students arrived for the sorting of first-year students and the first meal for the students and faculty. The tutors could only observe from their perch-like vantage point. She got her first look at the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and she liked him immediately. Tall, of medium build and sporting trimmed facial hair, she heard some whispers about his clothes as well as some incident on the train involving dementors searching it. One had frightened, if not harmed, a few students, until he repelled it. That's all Livia needed to know, though she looked forward to seeing how he taught, since the headmaster seemed to think well of him. Ultimately, she did, too. She also looked forward to checking in on Hagrid. She had already wished him well and thought if the students respected the animals like he did they would gain a great deal. Sometimes she thought she learned more about such creatures from Hagrid than from her actual professor.

Livia now led the meetings and set the agendas and advised her trio as to how to set a rapport with the professors as well as with the students, letting them know you as a resource but maintaining a strict role that promoted the ability of the students to succeed, first and foremost. A good tutor never sided for or against a student or an instructor except in an extreme case, where clarity and truth needed to speak on its own for the good of the school, not any particular side. After Livia made her presence known for the Potions, Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes and posted the hours for herself under her new title, she learned via Fred and George that her philosophy immediately came under challenge. A student on Professor Hagrid's first day essentially had upset an animal, and it lashed out at him. It came as no surprise for her to learn the student's name: Draco Malfoy. She visited him in the infirmary and asked him what gestures he had made towards the creature. She read him like a book. He played the antagonist. The Malfoys had something against Hagrid. Livia tried to emphasize that the "golden rule" applied to these critters as much as people, but she knew he had not heard her – still. She also knew the extent of his injury did not amount to as much as he claimed, but she left that to the nurse to write out.

Livia took a report from the tutor for that class, Mary, and amended it with her own comments, given her own achievements, her significant knowledge of all sorts of animals and her interview with Mr. Malfoy. She learned that his father wanted to have the animal "put down" essentially, as muggles might say. Livia also spoke to Hagrid and a few other witnesses as to make her own authoritative investigation of the incident. She hoped it could serve Hagrid in a hearing regarding the animal's future. Livia sided with the animal entirely, given that a bold approach on the first day was foolish. At most, the animal could be retired from working with any students, except the most disciplined, advanced ones. The animal had done nothing to warrant his own death, given a provocation. At most, the instructor may have interceded before the student got close enough to the animal, though this unfolded too quickly perhaps. Livia knew this animal herself very well and, having shown it the respect he desired, he had never shown any uncontrollable or unpredictable behavior. She made sure the headmaster, professor and heads of house also saw her carefully worded, full examination of the incident. It read like a legal brief Tom might have written. Professor Hagrid thanked her for his copy, though told her it possible that the hearing would cast her work aside with little consideration, owing to the influence of Draco Malfoy's father on the judge. He told Livia not to take it personally. Nonetheless, he would refer to her document in any hearing or appeal regarding the case.

She had missed Professor Lupin's third-year class demonstration of boggarts but heard of Neville Longbottom's success defeating his Professor Snape boggart and sent him an encouraging note, finding what he did delightfully funny. If he ever needed to take more sting out of that particular boggart, she encouraged him to see her, since she thought she could toughen him up some by imitating Professor Snape and role-playing with him by defanging his boggart. She also told him _Isa_ may have begun melting. She heard of the dementor boggart issue with one of Professor Lupin's students and encouraged that he go forward if the student, Harry Potter, wanted to learn the charm. She got hers down that year also, via Professor Seward, and showed him her silvery bobcat – and reminded him that she ensured the tutors could defend students should any rogue dementor attack one. She had ensured this herself.

Later that term at Uncle Jack's house, the Barn Owls told her that they had made contact with some friends and Nils had difficulty reading his mail for at least a week. They shredded a few things of his, too. Alastair also came by to tell her that crows had spread the word and several had delivered a number of poop shoots to Nils in front of students, who found it hilarious. One even managed to understand the message, telling Nils that "Livia's crow friend Alastair and his crew send their regards." Other crows found Elise, too, and dive-bombed her at least several times, the specialty of that particular group. Livia seemed visibly moved and expressed gratitude.

Her fall sessions with both the headmaster and Professor Snape held many unique moments for all. She asked the headmaster about Sirius Black whilst dueling and practically carried on the entire conversation as they practiced over the course of several weeks. She broke down her logic, relating it to herself. Livia had a point about Black's loyalty and the oddness of his behavior. What could have changed that? He could only stick to the court's ruling. Professor Snape seemed to have worked hard to become unreadable to Livia, especially concerning what he saw regarding Nils. He found a way to encode that memory that she had not yet broken. She wondered what he had done with it to make it so important. She got much more detail regarding his difficulties during his own school days, especially provoked by the presence of Professor Lupin. She recognized his role then.

Given the various activities on campus and a mountain of paperwork, Livia only returned to Durham for weekends over the break, including the Christmas Eve party, Friday, 24 December. She got there early enough to prepare everything and get everyone's gifts under the tree and even ensure Abby was healthy, happy and looked festive. Cathy and Doc, who confirmed Abby's health, brought pictures of their daughter, Amy, born on Wednesday, 4 August. Livia apologized for being so wrapped up in her own quagmire and her new responsibilities that she practically slept through the whole month. August had become a blur to her. Everyone understood, since Tom and Alice told them all around that time what a bitter outcome Livia endured to her relationship with Nils. No one could account for Nils's obsession, though a few men there admitted they had gone through something similar. Often a friend or common sense woke them up, however, before one did anything so regrettable as elope with a woman they deemed a type of succubus, as in a parasite as much as a siren. Despite that down note, Gary made sure those not driving got drunk and, regardless, made merry no matter what. He apparently practiced this a lot in Keswick, which made his tavern/B&B with Penny hugely successful. They contemplated expanding through buying the upstairs of a neighboring building and linking the space, as well as moving to another nearby location, linked or not. Everyone came and enjoyed the time immensely, especially Alice, because she felt she had drawn close to finishing her dissertation – at least she could see the finish line.

Livia otherwise spent much of her stints of time there alone in her room even as so many celebrated at Tom's office party or on New Year's Eve. She sure felt glad to see 1993 go, but she had no idea if another year would produce anything better. When not buried in paperwork, including assistance to Professor Hagrid with his case, she gave a lot of consideration to her pranking of Professor Snape. She couldn't decide if she should go on the Friday or Saturday before the date, which fell on a Sunday. With little better to do, she called on Helena Ravenclaw when she returned to campus, to ask her if she needed to tell Livia anything new going on in her house.

Helena did not think so. Livia asked Helena if she knew who left her an anonymous present. Helena had no answer. She said the item just appeared; no one left it there. Livia asked if Nils sent it. Helena had no guess. Livia decided to give Helena this year's Professor Snape performance – she had chosen "Heart-Shaped Box." Helena thought it a good performance but asked Livia if she realized how close to home certain songs might strike their target. The song did not represent "funny," whereas "I'm Too Sexy" clearly did. Livia reconsidered her choice. Livia also told Helena that she still had some trouble figuring out what Professor Snape saw regarding her relationship with Nils. He tightly guarded everything about Nils. She did not understand its importance, unless it involved his transference of significance onto another woman. No, Helena said, it still has to do with Livia. Having a professional relationship demands that he deny even to himself what he viewed or feels, she claimed. Which means what, Livia asked. In Helena's mind, he hid it because he saw all of it – every detail. Livia put her hand over her mouth. She asked Helena if she knew what she was implying. Yes, Helena said: he has observed everything, and he prefers that you did not know it or how much he loathes Nils because he feels a bit responsible. Helena compared it to his desire that Livia not know he remembers everything Christopher did.

Livia made a quick trip to Durham to buy what she knew would annoy Professor Snape hugely without triggering anything too personally uncomfortable. It would take a lot to make Livia an accomplished rap artist in anyone's voice, however. Given this, she decided, based also on what Helena said, to go on a Saturday. The lyrics demanded a wee bit of guardedness as she started in front of his door early that afternoon, rapping as him. She had turned "What's My Name?"* into "Snape Doggy Dogg," anyway. Just when she got to the more off-color aspects of the lyrics, he opened the door.

"Language, Miss Woodcock," he stated. "There may not be students here, but no one will likely be amused by that."

Livia seemed determined to continue – in his voice, no less, then stopped. "The incongruity is funny, in my view, though," she maintained. "C'mon dawg."

"All right, I'll admit it, it's funny, now stop," he said. "Are you trying to get me fired?"

"Nah, just trying to find a laugh," she answered. "I would have tried parodies to records I have, but I don't think the jokes would work."

"You're irrepressible," he asserted. "I have no idea if that is good or bad."

"So can I sing Happy Birthday for you or what?" Livia asked.

He exhaled. He let her inside. "You know what I want to hear," he replied.

"I want to try something else first," Livia responded. She first tried Marilyn Monroe's voice before the one he wanted to hear. Frankly, she thought Marilyn did a better job, but he did not get the voice or the context. It amused her, though, to call him "Mr. President."

"Now give me your hand, Sev'rus," she declared, eliding the pronunciation of his name. He did not seem to notice. He merely complied. She worked effectively, happy to note that the choking darkness had not been as stifling as the prior year. She left him as pristine as Christopher Prince would have been. "Good day now and tomorrow." She left.

 _Nils Nilssen has to be the biggest, most detestable fool in the known universe to dismiss her so cruelly. How could he do it? How does she live with it after all that happened?_ He decided he did not want to even spare another thought about stupid people.

Livia returned to her room and got more of her papers in order and assisted with the monthly potion task the following week. He said nothing to her about what she called him or made any reference to the prior weekend, as if it never existed. Livia conducted her meetings and got updates on any students considered in danger for one reason or another. Mary, Michel and Persephone worked together well. If Michel had developed an interest in either woman, Livia could not obviously tell who or how much. Better that she did not know, so she did not look.

Classes resumed on a positive note. The dementors had not caused much harm. The only lingering issue concerned what would happen to Hagrid's animal, though he thought some students would be able to help him with his problems. Livia just ensured she stayed on top of her responsibilities but still kept time open for things that advanced her own abilities. Professor Lupin, in particular, took her more seriously, even if he exercised some caution given Livia's established working relationship with Professor Snape. Whilst Livia took some time to notice Cathy's birthday and pay visits to Tom and Alice, as well as Uncle Jack, she really did not feel like going anywhere during spring recess. She would get quicker in handling her responsibilities but for the time being took such care with them she took little notice of free time she could have spent beyond exchanging letters with people she knew who had left school several years prior.

During one of her spring sessions with Professor Snape which took place upon completing the potion he needed to make, they traded a very competitive mental form of gymnastics to keep each other's thoughts from the other. This evasiveness perhaps frustrated each some, since both had a few questions. Afterward, she headed to her Senior Common Room. The meeting started and went a little longer than usual, owing to recent events. Not long afterward, Livia found herself starting up a staircase near the faculty quarters when she became aware of something behind her that she apparently was not supposed to see. She saw Professor Lupin with a strange dog who she realized was not really a dog – the "dog" had way too much brain activity. She had gotten better at recognizing these things since her mistake with Professor McGonagall years ago.

Livia secured the staircase and the hallway against anyone nearby seeing or hearing them. She called and said she wanted to know what was going on. She felt Professor Lupin's great trepidation. "Remus, sir, I know you want to hide something," Livia stated. "I am far more fair, even magnanimous, when told the truth, so do not shield me. If your intent is honorable, I will in fact help you, if I can. I hope you have realized that about me already. Give me your hands, sir, and I will show you that I can learn things and am trustworthy."

What he knew of her so far suggested that Livia told the truth, so he complied. She thoroughly understood him and told him that she did. "You learned this yourself recently and you are helping an old friend prove his innocence," Livia asserted. "You were one of the group of four friends who liked to goad Severus Snape as a student, but you were the most reluctant. Still, I know you have your own cross to carry, not just about that, and wish you comfort from it. By the way, he makes your potion every month perfectly, and I know because I assist him every time."

"You help him?" Professor Lupin asked. "If you know about the past, why assist here?"

"I wasn't there, but I have viewed his memories from our tutoring sessions and have had my own questions. I think I know who this dog really is. I have secured the area from anyone in the vicinity seeing or hearing us, sir, and I know it's safe for you to show yourself to me."

Before her stood the bedraggled, brown-haired and partly bearded and mustached Sirius Black, in a prison uniform. "Just who are you, miss?"

"My name is Livia Woodcock, and I am the head tutor here," she declared. "Pleased to meet you and finally learn if I can trust my own instincts fully."

"What?" he inquired.

"Shake my hand, sir, and I will tell you," she revealed. He did. Livia closed her eyes and placed her second hand over his. "Whilst you have not led a blame-free existence, you did not do the things that sent you to prison for far too long. I, too, was jailed for a time under a false story – but only between the ages of 11 to almost 13. I have long wondered how you could betray your best friend and now I have my answer. You didn't. Someone framed you. I thought either an unrepentant man or an innocent one acts the way you did during your trial. The scene in your past that I saw did not indicate why the former fit at all. I am sorry you wasted away for so long in that horrible place. I understand your mission and want you to succeed."

The two men looked at each other. "How do you do this?" Professor Lupin asked.

"I am what muggles call an empath," Livia revealed. "I don't even need skills in Legilimency to understand things, though I am highly skilled there, too. I have been charged by the headmaster not to stick my neck out too far whilst I remain cloaked in my relatively minor position here. Still, I want to know how I can help you."

"What is he thinking?" Professor Lupin queried.

"He's thinking about multiple ways to fight you-know-who," Livia stated. "He wants to sideline me as long as possible and keep me here. Call me Plan B, though he is fully committed to seeing Plan A work. If or when that happens, I'll be ensuring this school long survives him. My roommates told me numerous times they thought I'd become the headmistress here, anyway."

"You graduated from here?" Black questioned.

"Yes, from Ravenclaw, only three years ago," Livia replied, whispering. "You need a hug." Livia did just that, just to show him her sincerity. She stepped back slightly with her hands on his shoulders. "May you prove your innocence and get your life back." Livia backed up more to address them. "Blessings to you both. Just tell me what I can do right now."

They needed to move to a certain part of the building near an exit and needed time to get there without detection. Livia agreed to provide security that no one would see or hear anything. They needed just a few minutes but Livia stayed about five, waiting till she felt a message telling her that they had arrived safely.

Fortunately, Livia knew that the only person who ever heard through her security measures had not come anywhere close to them, so she felt certain she provided ample security. That both arrived safely proved that he represented the only threat to her efforts. Still, she had to remember to ask him what his supposed better technique was, even though he claimed he could still hear her even if she had used it. She almost remembered before a session with him, though got distracted when he started quizzing her on what she knew about Sirius Black.

"That he and his best friend did not treat you well, to put it mildly," Livia stated. "His loyalty made me question whether he was capable of betraying the Potters."

"You're still going to assert he didn't do it, I bet," he said.

"You'll see," she asserted. "One of their friends betrayed them, but not who people think."

"You weren't there," he declared.

` "After this, you will reconsider before you question me on what I know," Livia revealed. "Or I will have to make the stakes worth something interesting or punishing with a nice wager."

Indeed, Fred and George and tidbits from a few others informed Livia by the end of the year that their young friends had righted two wrongs at the same time. The animal Hagrid had seemingly failed to save had escaped an executioner and flew away with Sirius Black. She learned that Black had convinced a few people, including his godson, Harry Potter, that Ron Weasley's pet rat was literally _the_ rat who had betrayed his parents, twelve years an animagus kept unwittingly as a pet by brother Percy, then Ron. The map they had, which they gave to Harry, got examined by Professor Lupin, who revealed his identity and from it the truth emerged. Still, getting Black exonerated would take time, usually longer than any conviction.

Nonetheless, Livia did an "I told you so" dance that would have made Tom or Alice proud to "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"* right in front of Professor Snape. It took him longer to admit it fully, since he and Black did not get on well and he had already revealed Lupin's secret, compelling Lupin to resign. Ultimately, he acknowledged that Livia had deduced the truth, and he would try to pay more attention to her regarding these things. He said it most begrudgingly, though, in a surly tone. Livia wondered if he would do it. _He HATES being wrong. So do I._

Livia wanted to stop Professor Lupin from resigning, even going straight to the headmaster urging he not accept the resignation. She stressed the fact that students learned greatly from him. Essentially, letting him go went back on the view that Lupin represented a good investment. The headmaster agreed, but a board majority gave him no other choice. He would try to keep Lupin involved with his greater plans somehow – even if these came outside of the school. Sadly, given his directive to Livia, she would not see him or Black again for some time.

After securing her room and bringing some belongings with her, Livia spent two days relaxing after a hectic year at Uncle Jack's house before leaving. At one point, just to break the routine, she joined him and his friend in Hogsmeade. Whilst he checked out one shop, Anne took her into a clothing store Livia had visited as a student, though she shopped really for Tom's birthday. Anne immediately became enamored of the increased offerings in more display cases by a company called "Living Gems." Available items included pendants, earrings, pins, rings and hair accessories, with several shaped like butterflies or the bell-shaped Twinflower, the unofficial national flower of Sweden. The shopkeeper said this craftsman featured these in a number of sizes and colors and also had begun doing custom orders not long ago. Still, no one knew a lot about the company. There were plenty of rumors but all anyone could say was that the proprietor was not a local, spending only short spans of time there. If the company needed any more space, the merchant thought of launching a separate, joint venture.

Livia found it intriguing but did not care to think about self-adornment. She still wanted to sleep and recuperate more. After saying farewell to Uncle Jack, Anne and her avian friends, she traveled to Durham and continued her effort to rejuvenate after a long year. She continued to ponder how she had striven to hold on over the course of the year, though the purpose for her, personally speaking, eluded her entirely. Perhaps she lacked a personal _raison d'être_ , and that would become her cross. She clearly knew she wasn't unique in that regard. That recognition did not make her feel less empty or spent, though, on every level.

* Author's Note

The Spin Doctors songs "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" appear on the group's 1991 album _Pocket Full of Kryptonite_. Both also became single releases, in 1993 and 1992 respectively. Author credit to "Two Princes" goes to Mark White, Eric Schenkman, Chris Barron and Aaron Comess, likely the same as "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which was credited to the entire group.

The song "Hold On" derives from the band Wilson Phillips off their 1990 debut album of the same name. Author credit goes to Chynna Phillips and Glen Ballard, with additional lyrics by Carnie Wilson.

The song "No Rain" appears on Blind Melon's debut, self-titled album. The album came out in 1992, and the single followed the following year. Bass player Brad Smith receives sole author credit.

The song "Heart-Shaped Box" was Nirvana's first single off its 1993 studio album _In Utero_. Kurt Cobain receives entire songwriting credit.

The 1993 song known either as "Who Am I?" or "What's My Name?" was the debut single of Snoop Doggy Dogg (later just Snoop Dogg or Snoop). It appeared on the 1993 album _Doggystyle_. Credit for the recording goes to: Andre Young, George Clinton, Gary Shider, Calvin Broadus (i.e., Snoop) and David Spradley.


	39. Recovery and Venting

School business and Livia's fatigue made her a little late for Tom's birthday, but both Tom and Alice recognized that she remained exhausted. Livia brought her gift. They were glad to see her in one piece and more tired from her responsibilities than brooding over Nils. She clearly made herself too busy to care, after feeling touched and somewhat satisfied that some owls and crows delivered a "message" to him regarding his betrayal. The events of the year gave her confidence in her instincts but not necessarily trust in any young man who showed any interest in her. That prediction made to her with Alice years ago in London explained itself. The psychic reader mentioned Alice having a happy marriage, but the man said nothing about her ever having any, happy or not. She faced that head on, thinking the man probably did not overlook or dismiss the matter, even if other issues outshone whatever personal life she cobbled together. Of course, he did not mention a broken engagement, either, so who knew exactly what to make of what he did or did not say.

Given the fact that she had made limited purchases with her own money, she started to wonder when she should endeavor to find herself her own place to live, rather than continue to reside for short stints in Tom and Alice's home. Alice believed she would be able to finish and defend her dissertation before the next academic year finished, which made them as well as her contemplate the next step. Livia started to discuss with them the lack of their need to move if she just found her own place to live. Tom did not feel ready to let go of her, however, even if it did enable them to not have to move to start a family if she did leave. Moreover, Alice seemed in no great rush, given she wanted to have a direction after her degree before signaling a readiness to begin trying to have a family. She did not wish to "catch up" to Audrey or Cathy. Once she believed her degree would translate into something purposeful, she could contemplate going forward. She did not work to just have a diploma – it had to mean something.

Livia understood that aspect of searching for meaning beyond oneself, even though she did not feel she had much that she could call her own. So much in the wider world could puzzle or trouble her. For one, she found herself depressed to learn from Tom that she would never get a new Nirvana record. She recalled the concept of not feeling guilty going forward in the context of suicide or broken engagements. It helped some. She considered that she would not remain 21 and perhaps, just perhaps, something better waited for her if she looked forward, not back.

Livia nonetheless became a bit too morose. It had dawned on her as she took a fancy to Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun"* – Professor Snape was around 21 when he stopped time, as if nothing after _her_ death mattered. That blew her own mind, even though it did not shake her from her funk. She just wondered how much like him she had grown or might grow. Still, she never wanted to pine for a man in the way he could torture himself. She had not met anyone worth that, she hoped. Livia knew she could not live that way. She had too much to do. She had to remember that point, at least.

Livia decided to have a quiet summer full of simple things she liked to do, be it play with Abby, walk by the River Wear or watch something with Tom whilst Alice wrote in her office. Livia just preferred to see _Monty Python's Life of Brian_ this time or something on the telly with him. It was nice to keep him company when Alice worked. Alice did not have to worry about him or feel guilty. Tom broke out an old game of Monopoly,* unusual because it was the original American, Atlantic City edition, not the London-based one. It just seemed exotic to him to Pass Go and collect $200 versus £200, though he had that edition, too. Apparently, John's American business contacts provided interesting tips or exposed him to various things, including games like this or phrases that amused him like, per this game: "Go to Hell, Go Directly to Hell, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200." He had repeated that to Gary, who sometimes met American tourists. Overall, Tom and Livia felt mostly sedentary, regardless of the summer weather. He felt content.

Livia, however, had no clue regarding what to do with herself. She wondered if the new Muggle Studies professor ever even heard of the game or that phrase. She had gotten not a huge sense of what the instructor knew fully, beyond being relatively competent, because she had spread herself around to so many classes that it had become less of a priority. A few asked Livia why she had not applied for that post, but she said she did not wish to teach yet. It was a conveniently true statement. She knew she had to wait and be ready when called. Of course, it had been easier to do that if someone distracted her enough, but that, too, had come and gone – more than once.

Given what she had heard over the summer and before she left Hogsmeade, Livia decided that she should return Wednesday, 24 August, giving herself time to review the incoming class, new staff and the like. At least, her immediate circle remained the same though a few house tutors had changed. Livia saw no need to change the courses all would cover, either, just for consistency's sake. It occurred to her that those most interested in Livia applying for a faculty post wanted to move up in terms of their own position. If Livia did not alter her role, they might need to leave to improve their careers. Nonetheless, no one challenged her continuing as head tutor, given the paperwork involved that few relished. Grading papers seemed better to them, given the status and compensation change versus writing them or reading status reports by others. Fortunately, Livia got quicker in both reading and writing such things, without sacrificing the quality of anything. She just hoped she would not need to investigate any particular incident like the prior year.

Livia settled back into her room at school after alerting Uncle Jack as well as Tom and Alice of her arrival. She wrote to several former roommates of hers, also. For some reason, Ted insisted on updating her about Ben Spence floundering in the Ministry of Magic. Livia never inquired. Wallace Wayne had introduced Ben to the ambitious Percy Weasley, who they felt would be more helpful in raising Ben's stature than his father, Arthur, could ever be. Percy, like Livia several years before, scored perfectly on his N.E.W.T. exams. He took more subjects, too, whereas Livia lacked equal interest in all of them, not whilst being tutored on the side. Perhaps Ted just wanted Livia to not think about Nils, but discussing Ben did not seem like a great improvement.

Livia found that avoiding such thoughts would not be easy during the 1994-95 year given the fact that representatives of two other schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, would attend Hogwarts for the year in the hopes of competing for something called the Triwizarding Tournament. She realized why the school opted to save its money over the destruction of school property in 1991. It also meant either Nils would come or people who know him would. Livia swore at hearing the news, at least to herself. She hoped she did not have to face him. Maybe Ted wasn't so wrong, after all.

Livia went about the normal pre-term meetings and gauged how anyone wished to alter their schedules or duties. No one seemed interested, especially given the reputation of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody, proceeded itself. He was known as hard-bitten, gruff but extremely effective in his work whilst serving as a Ministry of Magic official charged with catching followers of the Dark Wizard. That work cost him various body parts, most obviously one replaced eye, but this hardly slowed him down. Should be different, Livia thought. He was known as careful to the point of paranoia, unique and very hard to read. Livia liked a challenge and felt glad he was to become hers. She found that he sounded nothing like her crow, Alastair, except for their intelligence. Livia heard of other stories circulating about events elsewhere, but since these hadn't directly affected her, she did not ponder them much.

So Livia found herself on Friday 26, August, left basically to her own devices, thinking about writing some more old roommates or visiting Helena at some point as she played "Black Hole Sun" over and over. She tried to sing out any residual nervousness or sorrow as herself _._ Livia got into it, singing her disquiet away. She got to the point she would have made her hair turn completely black, if she could do that, though it nearly was that color, anyway. Still, she tried to accept herself as she was, even when it felt like no one else did. That seemed hard enough.

Livia heard a knock at the door. She thought maybe Mary Sherry liked the song, if she could hear it. Nope. It was Professor Snape. She knew he had returned but had not expected him.

"What is with this song?" he asked, slipping into the room so as not to be seen. "Do you play anything else? I'm going to be hearing this in my sleep. What is a black hole, anyway?"

"What, you don't like it?" she inquired, not turning it down. "You? This could be your theme song. A black hole is cosmic – nothing escapes it. I doubt one can be seen here without a strong telescope. Nonetheless, wouldn't this have been set in stone for you around my age?"

"I have my reasons," he replied. "You have nothing like that."

"Reasons or excuses, Sev'rus?" Livia put to him. "Can you tell the difference?"

"This is _not_ about me," he answered. "I gather you heard about the Triwizard Tournament. You think he's coming here?"

"Frankly, I hope not," Livia responded. "I do not care to revisit that."

He paused. "I-I can't stand it anymore," he said. "Put something else on."

"So now it _is_ about you," Livia asserted. "I'll put something else on – _if_ you move to it."

"Me?" he snapped. "Are you out of your mind? Have you ever seen me dance?"

"Suit yourself," Livia declared. "Soundgarden stays. What else do you want?"

He paused again. "No more," he stated. "You're killing me."

"Haven't you done a pretty good job with that on your own?" Livia asked, unflinching.

"Don't remind me," he spat at her. "Just put something else on."

"Okay, but I'm not done with you." Livia looked for the antidote. She had an impressive collection of things that fortunately those four Slytherin boys had not touched. They may have destroyed the _Abbey Road_ vinyl album, but she had gotten it on another format. To her, the antithesis of "Black Hole Sun" had to be George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun."*

"Better now?" Livia asked.

"I guess," he replied.

"You're not getting away this easily," Livia stated. "Give me your hands." Livia moved him herself, if slightly, though they only remained linked by their hands. She mostly closed her eyes, giving him a private moment to feel _something_ different for once, but she still could vaguely see his feet. She sensed him relax just a bit. She could brighten his energy field without it affecting her now, even if it came more slowly without her wand. During the last verse, she interrupted her own singing to ask: "What else did you want, Sev'rus?" She still had not opened her eyes.

"Will you have time on the 29th to help me with my inventory?"

"Sure," she answered. "Do you like four o'clock again? Earlier? Later?"

"Four. Fine," he said. He pulled his hands back and she let go. "Enjoy your birthday."

"One last thing – you said you had a better technique regarding sound. Show me, please."

He did, then left. She smiled. He got the better present in her view. Her? Who knows, who cares – she didn't. She just treaded water, hoping for the time when her purpose would be obvious. She just did not want to see Nils.

Livia spent her birthday with Uncle Jack, though she also sent word to Tom and Alice that she was fine. She seemed more level-headed, Uncle Jack thought. Livia still expressed a frustration with what she likened to a "void of course" – meaning the astrological term for the apparent pause in a lunar phase. Uncle Jack found it baffling sometimes how she found ways of talking about things, no matter how appropriately explained. In her mind, this void dominated more than a mere pause could, though anyone stuck might say that. She pulled more things from obscure places than anyone he ever met. Of course, her devastating IQ and other talents explained this. It must account for many things, including young men finding her intimidating at times. _She will struggle to meet an equal who deserves her. No wonder why she's been hurt._

Uncle Jack showed Livia that he put her name on his deed and there would be no formal need to subdivide the property if she wanted a small dwelling for herself. She even could just add something to his house for her own use. She felt overwhelmed and could not thank him enough and had no idea what she would do with such an opportunity. He wanted her to feel that she had a home, regardless of what had happened. He accepted her as the relative he wanted for many years. He even confessed that, when he thought Nils was going to say she wasn't related to him, he threatened to "throttle" him. He personally felt stung by the outcome and, given all that happened, he regretted that he didn't just create a home on his property for her or knock some sense into Nils.

"I couldn't get through, seems no one could," Livia said dismissively. "I don't know that providing a living space would have helped. Logic did not matter. I just hope he's not returning."

"Why would he come back?" Uncle Jack asked. Livia actually wondered if somehow he already knew.

Livia explained about a resurrected tradition called the Triwizard Tournament and representatives from his current school would arrive in the near future. "I lack a sense telling me if he will come or if he stays there."

"Do you want to see him?" Uncle Jack queried.

"Bloody hell – no," she answered. "I do not need to kick that coffin again. Dead is dead."

"I'm glad you say that, in a way," he said. "You have enough to handle."

Livia and Uncle Jack parted soon after. He left her much to ponder. She had not considered herself an adult fully, since she never thought about houses and furnishings and the like. She knew how to do those things, but she never felt an inclination towards them. She figured she missed that particular feminine trait, that nesting impulse, even if part of it had to do with the fact she wasn't terribly old. Tom and Alice were fairly young to buy anything, and she had not gotten to the age they were at that time. Then there were the owls to consider and not wanting to encroach upon territory where they could hunt for a little dietary variety.

When Livia returned to her room, she found another mysterious package outside of her door. It carried no note, nothing remarkable. Inside, she found a CD called _New Miserable Experience_ by a group called the Gin Blossoms. All she found was a printed notation regarding "N's life" pointing to a song called "Found Out About You."* If he did not send this, who would know? She played it but did not find the description surprising at all. Sounds about right, she thought. Livia knew the woman scammed him, and he went along, even though he knew better. Whose fault is that, really? The song perfectly described what her brother and friends called a succubus, one going from man to man. The only thing that mystified her concerned the fact that she had no idea who sent this. Who knew? Livia found several tracks worth hearing, but that one hit home, though not hers. She later discovered how accurately it fit.

Livia spent part of her Monday in meetings, including with the headmaster, where she went over various staff assignments and confirmed when they would continue to practice dueling. Another part involved talking with Helena Ravenclaw, who again did not resolve the mysterious gift she had gotten. The sentiment expressed sounded appropriate to her, too. Helena warned Livia to be sharp but not obtrusive. Livia asked if that described Helena's existence. She thought it resembled the situation fairly well, so Livia kept the idea in mind: Tread as softly as a ghost. Livia wondered if she meant this in general or specifically, but Helena merely said that Livia would soon figure that out.

Livia headed to potion room ten minutes early. He already had started outside of it. _Does he wait there all day for me to start walking his way?_ Buried deep into his closet, he barely acknowledged her beyond giving her the things she needed to keep the lists of items required right away and what he had to order. Livia tried to recall just how many years now had gone by with her doing this. He never really changed, even as time passed, whereas she obviously had undergone a number of things that compelled alterations to herself. She thought a refusal to change equaled death. Apparently, he was the exception, and it made him crazy mean at times – or he expertly concealed any adjustments he made to himself. Thinking about this made the routine go by more quickly, though she still managed to perfectly capture what he said, which for whatever reason he double-checked. He saw nothing wrong. Did he just pick up on her distraction?

Even if she took everything down on autopilot, they still finished in about 45 minutes. She opened a window and placed food outside of it as they both carried various containers closer to the front of the room. She called for "her" murder of crows and the Barn Owls as ready to come. Alastair and Benedict came first, though noted they had a new member, Edgar, who was Edward's son. Edward had an injury recently and needed rest. Livia welcomed Edgar, wished his Dad well, and thanked him. Edgar told her that his Dad liked these trips, though nothing compared to that visit in the headmaster's office over a year ago. Livia gave them their assignments and all left quite merrily, though Alastair told her to keep him apprised if she ever needed that "other" task again. He enjoyed that so much. He wished he could have flown all the way to Sweden to deliver his "message" himself, in fact. Livia laughed and told him she would ask him, of course.

"Alastair is making you laugh again, I take it?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yes," she answered. "He wants to know when he can deliver another 'message' and told me that he wished he could have flown all the way to Sweden to convey the last one."

"Cheeky, he is," he observed. "No one would believe they were not trained by you. I'm not even sure anyone would believe he spoke to you, though he did."

"I know," she acknowledged. "When Shelley first bought Brontë, the shopkeeper called her something else, Helga, and she refused the name. Shelley did not believe me that she wanted to be called Brontë until Brontë called out and showed enthusiasm for the name. Shelley presumed the shop owner knew more about his owls than I did."

"What does Brontë mean?" he asked. "Perhaps I asked you, but I forgot." Livia wondered about his motive for the question but answered.

"It's the last name of famous muggle sister authors who published over a century ago," Livia said. "I read both of their books whilst I had nothing better to do in that kiddie jail. Didn't you see this?"

"Oh yes, either you told me or I saw it," he admitted. "Weren't you a little young to read those?"

"With a 172 IQ as a teacher measured? No, not at all. I loved everything I read. Forster. Austen. Dickens. They all were an escape. I probably read several books like that a month, except for the time I read Fielding's _Tom Jones_. That is a loooong book – that probably took a month to read. Anyway, I thought I needed to finish those to go to a university, like my brother did. I even learned a foreign language. He sent the books. I gave myself a muggle boarding school education without actually attending one. You have to recognize what I believed I had to do to make up for the time I lost." Livia thought she detected coyness in him but got interrupted before pursuing it.

Just then all the Barn Owls entered. Livia thanked them for coming, telling them how nice it was to see them all again and doing well. She gave them their assignments and checked on the food outside the window. They seemed to all nod and leave.

"I spent some years attending a muggle school, but I do not exactly recognize those names."

"Really – are you saying they did not challenge you or test your intelligence?" Livia posed. "They might have found it and cared to nurture it if they had bothered to look."

"Kids from my area seldom got that," he said. "They assumed I was stupid –"

"Because your family was poor?" she asserted.

"Yes," he affirmed.

"Not much different than judges assuming me to be a liar because I was a bastard child."

"Those are similar," he agreed. "Why do you not resent people who degraded you?"

"Oh, I do, in my own way," Livia answered. "But it's not productive to dwell on those judges, Lydia or her mother. I do not carry my gripes to all. Just like not everyone here is Rodrick Spence." She opted to test his reticence. "I thought you had a library where you lived. I saw many books. Are you telling me that none of those are titles by authors I mentioned?"

"I'm not sure," he responded. "It's possible. Some concern potions or similar topics. Those I bought. Others have sat on those shelves for years. I may have read at least some of them as a child. Some were given to my parents for me." Livia suspected that he knew a lot more. Why else did he ask about Brontë, she considered. She wondered if she should challenge him further.

Just then, the crows started to return and Livia directed them appropriately, saluted them and bid them a good evening as they went to feast outside. Benedict, again, wanted more, which he got. He typically seemed to be the hungriest crow.

"Are you ever going to identify my father?" Livia asked. She decided on a safer issue.

"Is it relevant now?" he countered.

"That's a good question," Livia confessed. "Obviously, if I needed to prove my heritage at some point, it would be. I think I would rather know, for its own sake, though finding an excuse to taunt Rodrick Spence about it would please me immensely."

"You make a fair point," he acknowledged. "That is, at some time, proof of some kind might become necessary regarding your background. I have to keep that in mind. I have not put much time into the matter, but if I discover the truth, you should know."

Soon after, the Barn Owls returned one by one and deposited their material. Livia thanked them and left them more food. Sevy again wanted to speak to Professor Snape, and Livia once more found herself a bit uncomfortable translating his vocalizations. It started with a scenario of trading places. Livia found it flattering, but a bit too unprofessional, to say the least. Livia tried to maintain her composure as she thanked him for the compliment, though clearly the man Sevy directed it towards would not understand his point. The man had fixed his own life's purpose, and though it made him at least cranky to live in that space, he chose to do it, anyway. Perhaps he had gotten better at owl-speak because he did not ask Livia to explain what Sevy said. Or he figured it out another way. Wild owls cared only about the here and now.

Before she left, Livia confirmed that they would continue to spar mentally after his last class during in the middle of the week. Livia only discussed this with the headmaster. She might have told Professor Flitwick, but in recent years, thanks to the way tutors followed certain faculty, her relationship with him, as well as the other heads of house, stayed mainly on paper. She rarely did more than say hello or engage in minor conversations about some student. Those went well. She had nothing bad to say about any of them and doubted they would say differently.

Livia took care of any lingering problems so that everything ran smoothly on Thursday, 1 September. The sorting and first meal seemed to go as expected, but Livia kept looking at the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She knew by reputation he was a colorful character, but something else seemed mysterious. Livia felt glad that she would get to know him better, but she also decided to tread very carefully around him. After knowing the previous instructor well enough to find him competent, trustworthy and admirable, she felt very different here, though his career suggested she should be trying to impress him. He had mentored her former classmate, after all. Something held her back, but she shared the information with no one until she could articulate a reason. She figured out that she should just shake his hand and not reveal anything just then.

When she first introduced herself to his first class, she did shake his hand and felt lucky she neither fainted nor threw up. Something was amiss – she had made no mistake about it. He covered up something horrible, but she had no idea what or why. She knew she did not have enough information to say anything, not formally. Still during an early session with Professor Snape, he did discover she had misgivings about him. He felt very puzzled about her doubts about him.

"Ambivalence would be putting it mildly," Livia said. She sensed he doubted her assessment – again. It was her turn to be greatly vexed by him. "Watch your back. You want a bet?"

"He is the way he is, and you have met no one like him," Professor Snape answered. "I recall what I said, but I will accept the wager. You have to be wrong once in your life – and it will be here. If I win, I will put you to work like you won't believe and humiliate you all day about it." He seemed to relish the idea.

"And if I win, I get a birthday date with Christopher Prince."

"You're funny," he asserted. "I know you have said nothing about him, though. Deal."

"I could've made you read a Brontë or Austen novel, but I wonder if any exist on your shelves, you read them and you just 'forgot' to tell me, Sev'rus," Livia said. She let him know she had her suspicions.

"Maybe," he declared. "I will have to look again someday." He had escaped.

Her sessions with the headmaster felt like a good way to close a week, no matter what happened. She ultimately confessed her thoughts about the new professor, but he could not see how the man behaved unusually, someone he knew for years. Indeed, Alastor, he said, seemed to thrive in the position. The headmaster knew about her talents, but he claimed that, even if she was right to feel wary, she must behave carefully and let the faculty handle any issue.

So Livia attended her meetings, met with students who sought her help with anything and kept up with her paperwork and routinely kept a low profile. She started becoming very strict on who heard her music in her office. She used the technique Professor Snape showed her and only certain students she knew – like the Weasley twins – got to listen. Livia did not want Professor Moody to know about it, but no one knew why.

Not long into the term, students from Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute arrived. Livia felt lucky not to be person in charge of feeding or housing them. The first time she looked at the Beauxbatons girls, she thought one might be Tessa Thornton, which she later confirmed. She also thought of Bill Weasley and how smitten he would have felt like many of the male students. Of course, he would have succeeded with any he fancied – then or now. She was glad that she mainly saw students and the headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, from Durmstrang, with minor staff supporting them. Still, Professor Karkaroff asked the headmaster about her because one professor of his had given him a letter to deliver. Professor Dumbledore took it, telling him that faculty would examine it first; it needed inspection for anything harmful, given how Nils ended his relationship with her. Professors Flitwick and Snape told him privately that each thought this unnecessary: if Nils Nilssen sent a hexed letter, she would know it. Still, they humored him – to protect Livia's low profile. After a few days, Livia got the letter and wondered who read it first.

For a time, Livia did not know if she wanted to look at it. On getting it, she immediately asked the headmaster what he thought, and he did not resolve the issue. She had to decide for herself. Ultimately, she decided that, owing to that Gin Blossoms song, she had a pretty good idea what he had written, so decided to open it to see if anything about it surprised her:

 _Dear Liv-liv,_

 _I write this to you as a single man. I have successfully annulled the marriage I had with Elise Piersaan. You were right, and I have to live with my own decisions._

 _I eloped in part because I found her desire to settle in Ulmana, an artistic village outside the muggle town of Kiruna, an attractive balance to Durmstrang. I have furthered what I began in Hogsmeade and enjoy it. I thought she might feel she owed me. I did not know she would start lying to me and have affairs to ingratiate herself with residents and then visitors. Our marriage unraveled almost the second I left for Dumstrang; I guess I knew it might and buried myself in work to not see it unfold. Her ambitions had little to do with creativity, unless you want to count plotting against me._

 _Even a few students and staff members here began talking about her. They had no idea she had become my wife because she never acted like it – a few thought she had become enamored with them, too. I was a stranger in our supposed home, until she moved in with a boyfriend less than six months after we eloped._

 _When I learned of their plot against me, I informed my parents. My mother secretively sewed your medallion into a favorite shirt of mine. I think this saved my life, though somehow she escaped serious punishment – probably sexual favors accounted for that. Justice to them simply meant granting the annulment._

 _For a time, I blamed your ties to places far away from me for what happened, even if your owl and crow friends found me. If you had agreed to living in Ulmana, we may have been happy together. I know you did not want just to be my muse, no matter how successful I became. I realize it likely would have been the only thing to make me reconsider what I did. I have to live with my own selfishness._

 _I first want to say how sorry I am. I know I don't have the right to ask for anything from you. Still, I would like to see you and talk to you if and when you could ever stand for me to apologize in person. I realize now how much I willingly gave up for a flimsy mirage. At least allow me to see you again – please._

 _With great regret but plenty of love,_  
 _Ni_

No, Livia did not find anything surprising, really. _He wants to see me? Why? What good will it do me?_ Livia had an obvious answer: seeing him served no purpose. She did not feel like forgiving him. She wasn't going to take him back. Ever. He made his choice. Why get his hopes up, if that was what he ultimately wanted? Why expose herself to him?

Livia later showed the letter to Uncle Jack. He agreed that seeing him would be painful and served him much more than her. She wished she could annul the memory of what he did, but she would not erase his betrayal from her brain. The only exception she could make involved if seeing him served to let him know that he permanently had lost her, and he had to move on with his life. Of course, he would get that message from a refusal to reply. She recalled that hate and love often share a strength of feeling; if she had neither feeling for him it might serve her to let him know she was done with him for good. She pondered what to do. She need not answer right away, so she kept her own counsel beyond Uncle Jack. Who else could help her regarding it, anyway?

Not long after, the Triwizard contestants were chosen, who were all supposed to be 17. All seemed straightforward until a fourth name was chosen – the underage Harry Potter. No one claimed responsibility for it, but accusations flew if the boy did it or a headmaster did it or someone else. Livia bet on the "someone else," though the person and the reason escaped her. She immediately saw something nefarious about it and quietly warned a few people. Livia was somewhat disappointed that he was compelled to compete, because she smelled a setup.

It seemed Professor Karkaroff as well as possibly others had some idea of her letter's contents. He inquired about a week before a special event called the Yule Ball about an answer. Livia was glad the school finally invested in reviving such an event, even if once, but much around any dance also irked her, such as its implied gender norms. Ironically or not, Professor Karkaroff asked for a response to a letter essentially framed around Livia's refusal to observe such rules.

"You mean a reply as a letter or an answer to a question?" Livia asked him.

"Either works," he replied.

"I'm leaning towards _no_ or _bloody hell no_!" Livia said. "Does that suffice?"

"It'll do for now," he answered. "If you change your mind, I can relay something back."

Apparently, the " _bloody hell no_!" attracted a few stares. "That's right," Livia stated. "A clergyman's daughter said that." The headmaster heard of it and wanted to see her.

"Did you really say that, Livia?" he asked. "That's a bit inappropriate, you know."

"Actually, I was thinking of saying a few things far more inappropriate," Livia stated. "By either coarse language or the use of a muggle allusion, I could have said far worse."

"Muggle allusion?" he queried.

"I could have said to tell Nils to 'Go to Hell, Go Directly to Hell, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200' for one."

"I don't get it," he put to her.

"Exactly," Livia agreed. "Trust me, a few people I know would have laughed greatly – like my brother. It derives from a board game muggles play."

"Maybe you should get us a copy of this game," he suggested. "Is it easy to play?"

"Third-year students should be able to play it without trouble," Livia responded.

"I sometimes forget how much you know about virtually anything – almost like I hide you from myself, even though I see you every week," he said. "But I must remember at some point."

"This reminds me," Livia asserted. "You held onto my letter from Nils for a few days before giving to me. Should I presume that people here read it before I did?"

"It was examined for hexes, charms or other such content," he revealed. "Someone may have read it, too."

"I was not trusted to check it?" Livia asked.

"Professors Flitwick and Snape both made that point for you. I told them it looked better for keeping your profile low that we did not seem to trust you."

"So both looked at it, then?" Livia inquired.

"I believe so, though they may have just gone through the motions, knowing better than really needing to do it."

Given her personal issues and her day-to-day responsibilities, Livia did not think much about how the tournament progressed, so long as the contestants emerged unscathed. She cared little about who won the money, substantial though it was. She nearly felt the same way about Quidditch, unless she knew the players. She preferred using her mind – it provided ample means for competition, with reality hard enough without extraneous enemies. Her form of dueling concerned using one's wits, as did her practice of penetrating another's mind or repulsing the same. She never considered herself an athlete, but she did gain a greater harmonization between her mind and her body via her wand, which made her one without recognizing it. Nonetheless, she had better things to consider, like Christmas presents. This time, she got some extra things, finding a few of those "Living Gem" items appropriate for Alice, Cathy and a few others. Uncle Jack kept asserting the Barn Owls he cared for made for a best gift he had gotten in years, but Livia paid off his bar tab and found a few other things she could get, like an artistic rendering of Renee for his home.

Livia went back to Durham on Friday, 23 December, in time to wish Alice a Happy Birthday as well as help both Tom and Alice prepare especially well for their annual party. Livia also had to find out where Tom got an American edition of Monopoly to bring back with her. She wound up duplicating his as the easiest solution. Before the guests arrived, she asked them both to read Nils's letter. They liked how remorseful he sounded but wondered how deeply he comprehended the harm he had caused. Both agreed with Uncle Jack: unless she could deal with him without strong emotions swaying her, she had nothing to gain by seeing him. Tom thought he merely wanted to relieve his guilty conscious. Alice saw that as well but suspected he hoped for much more than that, either in the short or long term. Both considered the letter dangerous in a way the faculty or headmaster never considered. Alice asked her point blank if she still loved him.

"I find that hard to answer as well as feel," Livia admitted. "I spent so much time trying to forget all the sentiments I held that the residual pain remains more than anything else."

"That's how you deal with him," Alice declared. "The pain of his betrayal obliterated the love. Only then will he come to terms with what he did. He killed the relationship, not you."

"He sure will not get rid of his guilt there," Tom offered. "Nor should he."

"You think I should tell him that?" Livia asked.

Both thought it reasonable. It might make him fully aware of what he did if his words were pretty but superficial. He might then truly go away. Tom and Alice thought him leaving her alone was the best outcome given the fact that he could never undo the past, nor live in her present. They thought it bad enough that they only saw her occasionally. Moreover, taking Livia further away from the small comforts she had near her school seemed egregiously bad. At that point, Livia made a fuller confession regarding the headmaster's plans for her and a future conflict on the horizon, which she thought worked better than telling them too much about Christopher.

She explained why she could not allow the wrong person to see what she could do. The headmaster wanted her there but limited in her duties – a kind of understudy. Livia told them that Christopher could make his promises because they coincided with the thoughts of others. Her survival would ensure all the loose ends got resolved whilst maintaining the future of the school.

Tom and Alice were stunned, not totally taking it in. "How old is he, Livia?" Tom asked.

"The headmaster – he must be over 100, I guess," Livia answered. "I think looking ahead keeps him young. He is old but spry as can be. He's essentially a weekly workout for me."

"How – in what?" Tom inquired.

"We practice dueling," Livia replied. "He trains me as if I am his eventual successor."

"How does that work?" Alice queried. "Dueling, I mean."

"It's hard to explain unless you see it," Livia stated. "We try to disarm each other or render the opponent disabled. He even wants me capable of killing, too, if need be. He tries to protect me, but if his ambitions for me become known to the wrong people, you might be in danger, also. That's why he wants me able to take someone's life if they became a threat to you or me."

"So what Christopher promised would be what his uncle wants, too?" Tom asked.

"Yes, I believe so," she replied. "That's why he had no qualm agreeing."

"Then why did his uncle basically cause the separation of the two of you?" Alice inquired.

"It's complicated, but it has to do with things bigger than ourselves," Livia answered. In at least one sense, Livia did not lie. She just did not explain the depth of the complications. If Sevy did not accept them, why would Tom and Alice? "I did not tell Ni about any of this, but the headmaster considered it dangerous for me to move there. He never told me to not inform Ni, but I never felt comfortable saying all this. So I gave plausible explanations but not that one."

Livia gave them a lot to digest. Yet they put it to one side for the party – probably causing them to forget at least some of it, too, being so much to process then. Gary, the life of the party, could do that even without alcohol. Everyone had a raucously good time. Kate stayed away from drinking, with the possibility of starting a family. Cathy and Audrey swapped photos whilst John and Lesley thought they would marry sometime the next year. Tom kept everyone's glasses full of some beverage, alcoholic or not. Abby became even friendlier, since she had gotten used to the routine and looked pretty in her ribbon.

The rest of the time went by quietly. She missed Tom's office party again but did fetch Uncle Jack for a dinner on New Year's Eve. Alice felt happy to see him. Uncle Jack told them that he had made Livia the heir to his property and put her on his deed, but she had not done anything. Livia confessed that she had not thought about what would be appropriate. She should have felt like an adult, but often she did not. She also said that since Uncle Jack took care of four Barn Owls, she did not want to detract from territory where they could find mice to supplement their diets. They also discussed Nils, since everyone there had read his letter. Uncle Jack liked the idea of telling him to move on with his life, since Livia had to kill her feelings for him to cope with his betrayal of her. He also agreed that his words sounded nice, but given he had said all the right things before but never followed through, Livia had no reason to believe the letter. Livia could question if it had any more honesty than either ring he gave her or his desire to apologize the prior summer and continue the engagement. What he said then did not amount to much – so why now?

Just before returning to school, Livia figured she needed something new to add to her Monopoly game, as in a song to use for her birthday prank. She had not heard much of this female American singer before, but the idea of him just wanting to have fun sounded amusing, if she could do it in his voice. Livia had a dilemma: the 9th, the actual date, was a Monday, meaning the 8th was Sunday. She decided he would be more of an ogre on the 9th, so Sunday it was.

Livia returned on the Friday, 6 January, and organized some papers so she would not get caught flat-footed in any pre-term meetings. She also decided to write a reply to Nils that perhaps would put an end to his hopes of seeing her:

 _Dear Nils,_

 _Your words sound pretty, but they usually did, even when you got caught stabbing me in the back. Therefore, I do not put much stock in them. You gave me two rings and didn't want to take the engagement ring back – but we both know how that turned out. I question if you ever meant any of it. That's on you._

 _To deal with the pain of what happened, I had to destroy all of my emotions and the positive ones went first before the pain softened. You can annul a marriage, but the events of that summer cannot easily be erased from me. Again, that's on you._

 _I hope you learned from your mistakes and make a better partner to someone else someday. I learned that I deluded myself into thinking I was not as vulnerable as I clearly was. I do not wish to make that error again, difficult as that may be._

 _I see nothing at all to gain from me seeing you or you seeing me. I think you need to move on with your life and come to terms with the fact that geography mattered more to you than I did. Perhaps on that account, you saw no difference between myself and Elise. If so, your priorities need to be examined in addition to thinking Elise and I were interchangeable – or I was inferior to her somehow. That notion galls me. If you wanted a pretty trophy, I was never your girl, much less your muse._

 _Good luck to you. Give my regards to your parents. Your "friends" can go to hell._

 _My best,_  
 _Livia_

She showed the letter to Uncle Jack first on Saturday, checking on the owls also. He thought her letter appropriate for its clarity, honesty and its lack of maudlin sentimentality. He was sure Nils would not like that cold dose of reality, but given her summary, he probably needed it, despite his "pretty words." She protected herself, as she needed to do. Later, Helena agreed.

When Sunday came, she decided around the middle of the day to try her new song out for his birthday – in his voice. Helena might have been as proud of it as her letter. In utter frivoloty, her "Professor Snape" confessed that "All I wanna do is have some fun."*

As usual, he opened the door. "At least it wasn't that 'Black Hole Sun' tune again," he said.

"Are we having fun yet, Sev'rus?" Livia asked. "I could still do that other song, if you want."

"Errrrrrrr," he answered.

Livia thought she heard that sound somewhere before. Lurch from "The Addams Family"* perhaps? All he need to add was: you rang? "I guess that's a 'no' to both then. I may have to learn to tap dance to entertain you."

"Tap what?" he inquired.

"A dancer wears special shoes that make patterns of sound during various moves."

"I see," he said blankly.

"Did you like when I said ' _bloody hell no_ ' to Professor Karkaroff about sending a reply to Nils?" Livia queried.

"Why not – it was honest," he observed.

"Well, I did finally write a reply, though I have not given it to his headmaster yet," she stated. "Do you think he will read it first?"

"He might. Did you put any charm or hex on it?"

"No, I thought the reply adequate in itself and needed nothing extra," she replied.

"Are you concerned about anything in it that he might read?" he inquired.

"I don't think so, but you can tell me if I'm wrong," she answered.

"I don't need to read it, Livia," he declared.

"I have nothing to hide here," she responded. She produced the letter and he looked it over.

"No, you reveal nothing – in fact, you totally shut Nils down. How do you think he will respond?"

"Doesn't matter to me," she replied. "He had his chance. He blew it. I meant what I wrote." She sent the letter back to her desk. "Now, how can you have a fun birthday for once?"

"Not possible," he put to her. "I will tell you that your powers seem more confident and impressive every day. Your skills are beyond ordinary – anywhere."

"Big deal," she responded dismissively. "Let me know when they matter."

"They matter to me if you do _her_ voice," he declared.

"As expected," she concluded.

Livia did as he wished. She supposed he would have liked to hear _her_ speak more often, though she did not recall as clearly memories of _her_ talking where Livia could fix herself on _her_ exact voice, except for as a very young girl. Livia considered that tortuous, though she knew that he did not. Sevy may have not rightly identified who he should think about, but the man needed a real present. Owls knew. Without one, if she did not clear out the dark energy around him, having only a raging, moribund present might kill him before he completed his mission. She knew on one level it kept him focused, but the hollowness could swallow him. At least she helped.

She tried _her_ speaking voice: "Give me your hands, Sev." He had not yet opened his eyes, just merely complied. Livia thought maybe she came close. Livia took out her wand whilst grasping both of his hands in one of hers. She made fairly quick work of her task and left him almost a blank slate. "Good day, sir. May you have a better tomorrow."

Livia returned to her room and put the letter in an envelope, but made it easy to open should anyone want to examine it. She held her meetings with Mary, Michel and Persephone and everything looked ready to go for the term. The position had become more effortless for Livia, if demanding. She found she could visit every professor, check on every tutor or student's progress, whether one of her tutees or not and still have time for her own private lessons, even if the instructors did not deem them strictly as such anymore. Of course, a lot of her term breaks got eaten up by this diligence to keep up, but she did not complain. Being busy kept her from overthinking anything. She focused on her work and relaxed by amusing herself with her music collection or letters she wrote to various people. By that point, she had tracked down all of her former roommates and exchanged information with them. She felt glad that neither Ted nor Athena worked on the editorial side of their newspaper, as they were more inclined to listen to an eyewitness they trusted than someone affiliated with them who had a checkered, if not entirely dodgy, history of making up nonsense for her own aggrandizement.

Livia did turn over her copy of the Monopoly game to the Muggle Studies professor and demonstrated how it worked. She also gave some ideas regarding strategy people used to maximize their chances of winning. The game combined luck with thought and various participants often agreed upon variations in the rules to either limit the time devoted to it or even maximize this. She showed her the rules as well as common agreed-upon divergences from them. Livia gave some idea about the underlying lessons of the game, regarding insights one could draw from it that would prove academically useful in terms of symbolism or social values. The professor appreciated these insights and the game in general.

Before the second Triwizard task, she gave her reply to Professor Karkaroff. He asked her why she had changed her mind. "I asked people I knew about it and found I could form a response from the questions put to me by them," she declared. "With that, I buried the past and now can move forward. I have made my peace with an extremely bitter experience."

He said nothing more. Livia got the impression that he wanted to learn more about her if she could serve any purpose for him, but he could not read her intent nor much about her that seemed remarkable. Indeed, he did not understand why his new professor ever had become so taken with her. She was pretty enough, but not stunning like the Beauxbatons champion. Nils was not proud of his stay in the infirmary, so he never shared that story or too many other details beyond his own regrets. It had become a sore subject for him personally, though his silence served her.

Livia did not utter much during the second task because she disliked it greatly. It seemed barbaric to put non-competitors in harm's way, let alone those competing. She merely felt relieved that everyone survived, though she wondered what risks truly existed. She liked competing on her own terms. In those, she found she could fight hard. She could, in fact, tell the difference between the stakes being high and them being artificially elevated. That created her disquiet.

At that point, Livia got questioned about her knowledge of the potion storage closet, if she had removed anything. Professor Snape did not lodge an accusation but wanted to know if she had seen anyone by it. She had witnessed nothing unusual. Why he believed Harry Potter had stolen anything did not seem clear to her. Livia recognized that stuff had gone missing but had a good fix on the young wizard and saw neither intent nor actions suggesting guilt. The headmaster asked her, too. She confirmed the thefts but could not identify the thief. She only could think of two possible suspects – either the increasingly anxious Professor Karkaroff or the difficult-to-read Professor Moody, who had concealed something all year. No one else acted remotely suspicious.

Indeed, before the third task, Livia made a special point to both headmaster and Professor Snape to be ready for anything. She had a very bad feeling but read the same ominous outlook by the latter, also. She attended the theatre hosting the event but observed from the back, again not relishing the event whatsoever. Perhaps her disdain made her extra edgy, she considered.

The strange thing about the event involved the limited ability to observe some of its most important parts. Still, Livia could feel on edge and did not know if they were unusual or caused by how much she loathed the contest. Then everyone saw two figures return. Livia recognized both, though her contact with the elder was smaller than the younger. Worse, Livia knew the former was dead, though some tried to disguise it or keep the crowd controlled. The shout of "he's back!" cut through the commotion, however, and Livia knew who "he" signified. When she saw Harry Potter getting pulled out of the area, she silently shouted "Follow him!" figuring at least some of the faculty heard her. Maybe, maybe not. At least they interceded and what could have become even more disastrous did not turn out as such. That Professor Moody turned out to be an imposter did not surprise Livia, but she knew very little about who he actually was. Livia wondered if he stole some potion or just ingredients that he used, since he had used it all year without detection. She figured the latter. With the other three tutors, Livia sat well in the back during a Memorial Service for the young man killed just to get at the principal target who survived.

Livia barely had time to settle back in her room when various owls came to her window. Shelley, Ted, Terence and a few others wanted to know if Harry Potter lied or not. Shelley's parents definitely needed to know, in that Mr. Silver wanted to know if he needed to put his family into hiding right then, not wholly unlike how Professor Karkaroff seemed to disappear. Livia had to wonder if they shared a similar reason for fleeing or not. She did not think them identical but did not know the precise difference. Later, she learned Mr. Silver feared recruitment by Death Eaters.

Livia understood what would satisfy her former roommates. She had to find young Mr. Potter herself in his house. She did. She apologized for the intrusion and said what she wanted to do had nothing to do with her. Friends of hers wanted to know whether or not she believed him. She knew there was one way for her to confirm this to them authoritatively. She asked him for his hand, noting his arm injury, too. She barely needed a second. Livia thanked him for humoring her friends and worked on healing his arm injury. She could tell her friends that she knew.

Livia quickly wrote to all those who asked her, even Uncle Jack. No one could entirely lie to her, especially someone underage. She felt he had told the truth and verified it by a mere touch of his hand. Obviously, Ted and Athena would be outnumbered in this view where they were and they initially kept the knowledge to themselves, with a few family exceptions. Shelley could tell her family that Livia knew the boy had told the truth. They knew nobody could outright lie to Livia without her detecting something. Mr. Silver modified his plans somewhat so that his son-in-law's family could participate, as they wished. Whilst Livia did not see the imposter professor completely, she knew that adults could not outmaneuver her entirely, even when they had fooled people who perhaps should have figured out the truth.

Ted thanked Livia for her prompt answer and confessed that he and Athena felt it best then not to oppose the top staff of _The Daily Prophet_ right then by spreading the information. Since she took a view opposite that of some highly influential people, they could only tell a few who knew them – and at least by reputation her – well enough to listen. Livia indicated in a further reply that their discretion likely would prove useful to her, given the dangers that lay ahead. For whatever reason, Ted also revealed that Rodrick Spence still worked on getting his son promoted and Ben might get engaged to Rhonda Wayne by year's end. Ben apparently felt trepidation over the potential that the Dark Wizard had returned and for the moment still delayed going forward. Yet various members of both families either denied it had happened or wished it had happened, given their inherent sympathy with his views regarding the purity of families with any magical abilities. Rodrick Spence counted for the latter category, and he in fact already helped get Stephanie Wayne, of like mindset, to join the ministry to keep Ben in line as well as find someone herself. He did more work, without formally joining, too, likely to tighten the noose on Ben. Later, Ted revealed that the engagement had come to pass. Still, Ben had absences no one could explain. Some thought he became a werewolf, though no one could relate his work pattern or time away to lunar activity.

With the year ending in such an upheaval, she had to see the headmaster to guide her as to how to handle things. She followed him succinctly. He told her that, given his belief that the Dark Wizard had returned, he needed to reformulate a group to oppose him. He reiterated his desire to not invite her to join, though Livia had some obvious misgivings. Why would Livia be prepared to fight and serve if he did not wish her to join? He told her that she had to wait, rather than muddy the waters of how he would proceed. He had different plans for her. If Livia felt frustrated before, she only began to experience it – and she would not be the only one to question his choices. When he reformulated his group, he would enable her to meet them briefly but not participate. He had to keep her beyond the Dark Lord's notice for as long as possible, to ensure she remained ready to help rebuild their world if and when he finally disappeared. She thought that unfair to those sticking their necks out to not have every resource available to them. The headmaster said she had to include himself in this discussion as well. Livia would have to kick that door open or surreptitiously act. Now that this conflict had begun to turn real, Livia felt great disquiet about who she would have to see maimed or die. The headmaster tried to reassure her that the sacrifices, past, present or future, were not her fault nor should she feel obligated to feel guilty about them. Serving the purpose he envisioned for her would make any sacrifices meaningful. Moreover, she perhaps already had sacrificed something, given that his own determination clashed with what her fiancé desired of her.

Livia told him she no longer saw it that way because her faith that Nils Nilssen had meant what he said had dwindled to practically nothing. The only thing she sacrificed probably only existed in her mind. The issue of geography probably served as an excuse for his own weakness and lack of personal integrity. The headmaster found that statement astonishing. He did not think human beings possessed such straightforward assessments; to him, Nils could not have outright lied. Whilst he could not rate a percentage for Nils's authenticity, he did not think it was either 0 percent or 100 percent. Yet only the man himself could say how honest his intentions ever were – be it 15 percent, 35 percent or 70 percent.

Livia wondered if she should gloat over winning her wager or anything else she said, but she wanted to get out of there, instead. She could do that later, when she tried to "collect" on it. She secured her room and took some of her things to visit Uncle Jack first and told him in more detail about what she saw and believed. He thought it incredible. He did not doubt her and liked the fact that the headmaster wanted to protect her rather than enlist her in fighting. He also was glad to be dismissed likely as "too old" to be recruited by anyone, though he would fight to defend Livia. Uncle Jack knew Alice would want him to do that, if need be. He mentioned to her that Alice had successfully completed her degree. Alice and Tom had gone to London for a brief celebration. They had gotten the same suite in the same hotel and could receive Livia, as they already stayed in one room in it, then return to Durham with them. Of course, Livia did not relish being an automobile passenger but would meet them as desired.

Everything seemed to take her back as she arrived in their suite in London. Alice and Tom celebrated her degree as well as his birthday. She also contemplated various offers people in the wider family had collected for her, some of which involved relocating whilst others did not. Livia felt thankful she did not have to contemplate such limitations on herself. For them, much needed to be figured out, in terms of potentially uprooting themselves. Tom felt unsure in terms of his flexibility in doing this. Where did he really want to live, or what served them both or a potential family? They decided to put off serious consideration for a few weeks to just enjoy where things stood and appreciate having gotten that far, even though several friends or acquaintances tried to press them for some indication of what they would do.

Livia did not expect anyone would know where she was, so she was surprised that an owl pecked at her window within a day or so of her arrival in London. The headmaster wanted to visit her as soon as she replied saying she accepted the invitation. She found a hotel pen, did her best to get the ink to transfer an "ok" with her initials. It seemed barely legible but good enough. She figured that represented the quickest way to alert him, rather than try to find anything in her possessions. Given what had happened, she thought this important. Livia locked her door with a note saying she had urgent business and not to worry.

He arrived within minutes, telling her than he wanted to alert a few people to her existence and his decision to keep her out of harm's way for as long as he could. He thought of her as a secret weapon. He said he needed her to join him on a visit to a place in London where he would reconstruct his group. There she met several people she already knew to varying degrees, like Sirius Black, his friend Remus Lupin and her former classmate, typically just called Tonks, remarking how well they all looked and hoped they continued to be. She also encountered several that she did not know, even meeting the real "Mad Eye" Moody and saw why so many had been fooled by someone pretending to be him. Her impression, though, from shaking his hand, was much different. When the headmaster revealed his future plans for her, there was much discussion over it and an assertion that it seemed ridiculous to sideline an asset worth having and using.

"I happen to agree with all of you upset by this," Livia stated. "I annoys me that I appear cowardly here whilst you all risk your lives. I would kick this door in, if possible."

Yet as head of the Order, Albus Dumbledore maintained that he tolerated the same risk because he thought it suited his long-term goals and her post. Livia may be ready to serve but the purpose he envisioned had not come to pass. He outlined what he wanted and when he wanted it. He then swore everyone to secrecy. Livia could only help by stealth, if it did not expose her unduly or too soon. He wanted their entire trust in him, his plan and the Order's ability to realize the prophecy with Harry Potter. Since Livia had no significant role in that, he determined where her skills would best get put to use. He thought of the day she would vanquish every last enemy and even succeed him, which still surprised Livia to hear. It seemed nothing remained but for Livia to leave. She regretted that; she would have liked to get to know all of them better, if only the circumstances allowed for it. She shook all their hands again, if one seemed a little more intrigued and lingered just a bit longer than the rest. She filed that away somewhere because at that point it seemed pointless to acknowledge even, since she was not returning anytime soon. Frankly, Livia could not ascertain when she would see many of them again, which also bothered her. _They all risk their lives, and I have sacrificed virtually nothing._

She returned to the suite where Tom and Alice stayed and tried to enjoy their celebrations. John and Lesley had delayed their civil ceremony when they learned the two would spend time there and, thus, the three of them witnessed John and Lesley's informal ceremony, along with a group of other friends and family. Lesley had a similar mindset as Cathy and did not wish to invest a great deal into the ritual versus other things they wanted. Living in Greater London involved enough expense, especially if they wanted to lease or own anything. Livia thought this attitude befit the majority of women at present. Tom and Alice wondered if Livia carried any regrets, since this was the first wedding she had attended since her own broken engagement. If she had concerned herself about it, she betrayed no sign of it. Of course, they did not know if that thoroughly reflected her feelings, but Livia had made her peace with that loss. Nils could go on his merry way, whilst she waited for her time to come.

At least, Livia hoped Nils could not make her vulnerable anymore. That mattered to her most of all. Actually, she eschewed vulnerability of any kind, which actually led to the protectiveness of others really chafing her. Still, she resigned herself to being driven back to Durham, even though she would have been fine just checking on Abby and napping instead. Both Tom and Alice wanted to talk to her, about her locked door in London and some information they had gotten from Uncle Jack. She told them that she had met some important people who currently risked their lives thanks to the rebirth of a terrible person who would wreak havoc on many people if not stopped. She remained in a holding pattern for the time being, just awaiting the time for her to serve her purpose. She did not like being kept like a china doll, even if she ultimately would make the sacrifices of others meaningful. Given Livia's desire to be defiant as well as feisty, she took a significant interest in something she heard in the car on the way back to Durham. John told Tom of a Canadian artist who was breaking out of her child star mold in a significant way. Though the off-color language did not make Livia blink – why should it after listening to someone like Snoop, after all – the bold declaration of "You Oughta Know"* made Livia believe in her own strength. Livia thought she needed to get a copy of this artist's album right away. There was an intensity that she wanted to capture in her own voice, if she could. She did not really care about Nils then. Indeed, the inactivity expected of her carried its own cross, if hardly comparable to those who did the actual heavy lifting. She had to bide her time and vent her frustrations however she could.

The remainder of the time seemed devoted to what Alice and Tom wished to do. Tom liked where they were but wanted to remain open to which opportunity suited Alice best. Alice hated moving so much that she did not relish it, even if they knew exactly where they could settle without fuss. Then there was Abby to consider. They had moved her a few times, but cats generally got attached to territory. Abby liked her home. Livia asked Abby about the prospect of another move and got that sort of answer. Abby felt she was too tired to deal with it, even though she did not have to pack anything. Moreover, she loved looking at the back yard birdbath from her perch in the enclosed glass room. Abby could not imagine a better place.

Livia relayed Abby's consternation, which matched Alice's reluctance to move in general. Alice thought she would have the best choice of positions if she actually wrote a family history from home and published it, as a sort of way of expanding upon her own dissertation. She did not intend to write an academic monograph for a teaching position so much as something a gift store, say the family ancestral home, could sell. Tom and Alice did not really need a second income from her, so doing this made sense. She also thought it might give her the opportunity to start a family and not feel pressured to work outside the home immediately. A lot of the project would involve permissions for images as much as text, which would put some of her contacts to good use.

Tom liked this idea immensely. Whilst he could have launched a hunt for new position, he did not know if he was ready to leave Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard. He wondered, if he had a different last name, would they have considered adding it to the practice. Some of the details would need to be fleshed out, like the implications for Livia, but he liked the fact that most everything would remain the same. He tried to imagine if the house held any capacity for expansion, but given its exterior, this did not make sense. He did not know that Livia had made her own inquiries in the area, since she had amassed some means to do so.

Tom had no idea that Livia basically could construct whatever she wanted on Uncle Jack's property at little to no cost, though she had yet to give it serious thought. What little thinking she had done concentrated on a minimal footprint, to give his traditional-looking English cottage, quite an unusual sight there, a compliment that did not overwhelm it. She thought, if anything, something added should not be obviously visible or obtrusive. Still, she would not do anything until she surveyed Mel, Sydney, Sevy and Brontë, since the last thing she wanted would be to impact them or their hunting area negatively.

Livia shared with Tom a lack of desiring major changes. He liked the way things were whereas she felt her life had not become stable enough to change anything. They came to the same conclusion for completely different reasons. Both craved stability but only one of them could claim to possess it. Livia did not think a residence provided the solidity she felt that she needed. A sense that she had purpose and some need for a settled existence had to precede establishing a sense of permanence. Indeed, Tom's life had achieved that before buying a house, and he promoted and defended what already existed. Nonetheless, Livia did not want to hold them back, either. Since her presence in their house did not dominate the calendar, she thought maybe she should give them greater flexibility in how they made use of their space. That would provide a way forward for them and perhaps give her a transition to being someplace else – a place she could make her own. She tried to imagine how it would look, though she did not find living by herself terribly appealing. In that way, she could understand why Uncle Jack wanted her to make some decisions. He never wanted to live alone, either.

*Author's Note

Singer Chris Cornell comprosed "Black Hole Sun" for his band Soundgarden, a single of the band's 1994 album _Superunknown_.

Parker Brothers, later bought by Hasbro, first issued the game _Monopoly_ in 1935. The British company John Waddingtons Ltd. issued versions of it, including one to aid captured soldiers in escaping the Nazis.

"Here Comes the Sun" is a Beatles song written by George Harrison for their 1969 album _Abbey Road_. A CD version of the album appeared as early as 1983, with a worldwide release of one in 1987.

"Found Out About You," written by Doug Hopkins, was the fourth single of the 1992 Gin Blossoms album _New Miserable Experience_ , released in 1993.

Based on Wyn Cooper's poem "Fun," the song "All I Wanna Do" was a 1994 single for Sheryl Crow from her 1993 album _Tuesday Night Music Club_. Cooper and Crow receive songwriting credit with David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell and Kevin Gilbert.

The Addams Family began as cartoons in the _New Yorker_ by Charles Addams in 1938. The concept led to a 1960s television show and films released in 1991 and 1993.

The song "You Oughta Know" became the first single of Alanis Morissette's 1995 album _Jagged Little Pill_. She and Glen Ballard received credit as songwriters.


	40. Serenade for a Secret Friend

Livia returned to her room at the school late on Thursday, 24 August, 1995. She scheduled a meeting of the new tutors for the next day. Michel and Persephone, probably owing largely to the horrible way the prior year ended, had left. Mary Sherry had stayed, mostly because she lacked another opportunity she hoped would open for her. One of the new tutors came from Japan, Hideki Myintu, a tall, thin dark-haired soft spoken man and the other came France, Isabelle Garaunde, a medium-height dark-haired woman of Tunisian and French heritage. Livia usually evaluated prospective staff on paper and let others decide who to hire. Both seemed to have unique skills that would complement the things Livia and Mary could do. Everything balanced together, the entire curriculum featured a tutor with expertise to guide inexperienced students, though Livia also had to assure everyone actually performed and issued progress reports promptly.

Livia supposed it could be more overbearing if every student required tutoring constantly, though that did not happen. Individual houses had more socially-connected tutors who often handled personal house issues, given their affiliation with residences. Still, many tutor connections with students amounted to cursory inquiries unless a student sought someone out. They could operate by common room observations if present, whereas Livia used both intuition as well as course observations. In some sense, tutors offered a security blanket, but Livia wanted to round out what a student could gain. She had become overly sensitive to this when her formal education had been mostly taken away from her, and she had to study things on her own. This led her to realize that no good reason existed why these kids should write horribly when faculty expected them to write reasonably well. Livia would ride that issue out for as long as she worked there. One needed an organized mind to perform well and that began with thinking and writing. Being sloppy or unable to separate the vital from the extraneous could lead to a number of problems. It seemed as students matured they made this connection better, but Livia sought for them to identify it sooner so they struggled less. Livia thought that people considered her "talented" largely because she wrote well and processed information well, not the reverse.

Livia had the weekend to rest up, as she headed back to her room late Friday afternoon. She contemplated a trip out to catch up with Uncle Jack. She had taken dinner already in the Senior Common Room, so she could relax with some music and review the incoming students's list and a few other things to set up what she wanted to accomplish before the term began. Isabelle, she decided, would handle new students possibly challenged by lack of wizarding family, given her challenge of having only one living parent. Thinking about the music, Livia realized that she lacked the same type of voice as what she heard, but she tried. Some of the emotions were easy for her to invoke, if they no longer remained fresh or intensely painful. One had to intimately know them to sing something as powerful as "You Oughta Know" – and Livia did. Then she heard a familiar knock at her door and opened it. She knew who had heard her singing.

"Miss Woodcock, it's a good thing few people can hear some of the language coming out of this room," Professor Snape stated. "You outdo yourself."

"Nah," she responded. "I could put on some rap, which would be incendiary for me to sing for all sorts of reasons. I'd get punched out if I tried that in some places. I gather you don't know. I also think some 600 years ago Geoffrey Chaucer first used the word –"

"Don't say it again," he ordered. "You seem to be in a feisty mood presently."

"Which is apparently all I can do," Livia declared. "I have to vent it somehow."

"I can understand that part, actually," he offered. "What do you think I was doing for the last 14 years or so?"

"Waiting to hear 'he's back' so you can attend to your own plans?" Livia asserted.

"You know way too much," he affirmed. "That's another reason for you to _stay_ out of this. I never wanted or imagined anyone ever learning what you know. Frankly, I cannot stand it."

"I'll put it on the list of things you can't stand," Livia observed. "It's quite a list. Is there anything you like?"

"I like quiet," he said. "I like organization. I like focus and control. I like my own counsel."

"Hardly what I meant," she retorted. "And you know it."

"So?" he queried. "In any case, will you have time on Monday to help me sort my inventory again? Add that – I like my closet well stocked, tidy and prepared for the year."

"Depends," Livia mused. "Little-miss-can't-be-wrong says I need to collect on a certain wager regarding someone who thought I just had to be wrong once – and wasn't."

"I see," he stated. "You withhold your assistance over that?"

"Oh no," Livia said flippantly. "I have a better way. Don't go outside, or I'll have Alastair chase you until you make good. You know he will. Even if he likes you, he likes me more."

"If you asked him to do that, Alastair would become the school mascot," he responded dryly. "Everyone will start feeding him until he becomes too fat to fly."

Livia laughed uproariously. "I knew you could be funny!"

"I also happen to tell the truth," he asserted plainly.

"How hard do I have to twist your arm?" Livia asked. "I'll do it, too." She grabbed his arm sleeve and pulled his arm behind his back. She was being sarcastic and playful, if semi-joking.

"Nobody but you would ever even dare try that," he barked at her.

She released his arm. "I'm in a fighting mood," she maintained. "You don't scare me. You never did. Not even close. When do you want me to help you? Four again?"

"Okay. Until then. Don't twist my arm again – or use Alastair to persuade me."

"That's the most cowardly thing you have ever said to me," Livia remarked. She laughed and laughed. She practically began hyperventilating from laughing.

"Go ahead, laugh," he said, sarcastically. "Goodnight, Livia." He shook his head as he left.

Livia continued to laugh, which made singing particularly difficult. She wished he could laugh, even if it partly came at his own expense. She tried to imagine the sound and wondered what it would take. He did not seem the slapstick type. It had to be clever, perhaps devious. She contemplated such ideas whilst making plans for the weekend. She did some browsing in the village to see if she wanted a new dress or something appropriate to go under her own robe. Yet she found herself drawn to a short black velvet-like dress with a very wide, gathered V-shaped front and looked nearly backless, given the sleeves practically formed part of a U-shaped back. _Too bad I don't have a real occasion for that_. Oddly enough, as she peered at it in the window, she ran into Uncle Jack's friend, Anne, who insisted that Livia see if it looked good on her. Anne believed that such a garment would go to waste unless Livia bought it, in that it would appear unsuitable for either an older woman or a teen. The clerk suggested pairing it with a choker that featured a type of angled butterfly in its center. Livia seemed ready to walk away, though, given she had no real occasion to justify buying it. Anne asked about her upcoming birthday. Livia admitted making a wager with someone taking her out then, but she had no idea if he would do it.

"You show up in that, nobody will turn you down," Anne declared.

 _If you only knew, if you only knew…_

Livia found more appropriate things for the school year but indeed, if for a lark, she bought the black velvet outfit and choker. She figured she could tell Anne later that the dress made no difference whatsoever. She figured she might be pressed to risk Alastair becoming too fat to fly. Sevy might join in, also – how ironic. Even that Canadian singer would say so.

Livia first visited Uncle Jack with her bags and showed him what Anne convinced her to buy. He liked it but asked, as Livia herself had done, when she would wear it. Livia relayed the conversation. Uncle Jack asked her who had lost the bet – she told him it was Christopher Prince. She had spoken to him owing to his attendance at the Triwizard Tournament.

"Oh, you have seen him, have you?" Uncle Jack asked. "How is he?"

"Fine, as far as I can tell," she answered.

"I agree with Anne," he said. "Wear it."

"And if he weasels out of the bet?" Livia inquired.

"Fat chance," he replied. "Maybe this time he ignores his uncle's situation or pushes for answers. With the rise of you-know-who, I am thinking of that 17th century Herrick poem that begins 'Gather yet rosebuds while ye may.' I am so glad I ultimately did not listen to my parents or allow them to stop me."

"I understand," Livia affirmed. "The issue may not be so clear-cut, but I get what you mean. The owls sure know it. They only live for today."

Livia found little need to make any alteration to Uncle Jack's cottage, unless she ultimately went for some sort of unobtrusive addition, which she had no reason to consider right then, anyway. They spoke mostly of other things, like what the long-term plans of Alice and Tom or what type of book Alice would write. Livia wondered if he would fit anywhere in the narrative.

"Good question," he admitted. "Likely, she can stick to the story that I chose an 'unsuitable' wife over family and fell into obscurity in rural Scotland. That is sufficient."

Livia left not long afterward and spent a quiet Sunday putting together things to distribute at her Monday meetings. Her sense was that none of the other tutors wanted to deal with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Umbridge, given her ties away from the school, or with Professor Snape. So Livia's responsibilities would remain unchanged, which kept her workload high, given those two classes had to be taken by every student through year five. She figured that she just had to work smarter to meet her goals in a timely fashion.

This time Livia showed up over 20 minutes early – and she still arrived second. She thought about trying him an hour earlier next time. Or something like that. He motioned to her to pick up what she needed and went through everything rather quickly. They needed just a little under 45 minutes to finish everything. Then then moved whatever got emptied and cleared out to where Livia could call her crows, then owls, to fetch what they needed. Both species did everything as asked and Livia left food for them, as usual. This time, however, she also made a special request of Alastair to threaten his favorite form of "persuasion" if Livia did not get her due. After all the crows had completed their tasks, Alastair flew down and landed on Livia's shoulder and squawked very loudly more than once.

"I presume that is a message for me?" Professor Snape asked.

"Correct," Livia answered. "I think that was crow-speak for 'go ahead, make my day' but that is a rough translation."

"Alastair is tough now?" he inquired.

"I would say so," Livia replied. "No weapon required – other than what he was given."

The owls started to come in after Alastair left, though Sevy must have heard about his message. Sevy greatly liked Alastair, and they at least shared a common outlook regarding paying off a wager. Sevy left that impression, anyway, before departing.

"I gather this Barn Owl names himself after me but likes you better?" he suggested.

"Seems so," Livia agreed. "I guess I have animal magnetism." Livia laughed.

"Well, we have more work to do," Professor Snape pronounced.

After more items got placed close to their stations, each executed two different potions that needed time to mature. Both for each held the same quality and quantity. In other words, they did what each expected to do – nothing extraordinary. To some, of course, the work would have received a different appraisal, but both had very high standards and expected perfection and settled for nothing less. They had worked for the better part of four hours in total.

"I presume you remain expectant of your birthday present," he stated.

"Uncle Jack and his friend thought so – they compelled me to make a few purchases over the weekend. I guess I bought them to prove if doing so made any difference."

"Are they meeting you?" he queried. "You have not told them anything about him?"

"I have said nothing," she responded. "I did not get a sense if they would show up or not."

"Hmm. All right, knock on my door in 30 minutes." With that, he left.

Whilst Livia changed into the dress she bought, fixed her hair, added the choker, different shoes and some kind of evening wrap, a different drama started to unfold at Uncle Jack's house. Someone showed up on his doorstep asking where he might find Livia. They engaged in a conversation about the wisdom of him seeking her out for some length of time. Uncle Jack finally thought to himself that, if Livia showed up with Christopher, it might provide a sufficient message to Nils Nilssen that he could not undo the harm he already caused. Therefore, he had to leave her alone.

Meantime, Livia had gotten herself ready and headed for – well, who knew, really. She had some idea of what she should expect but did not know how she should handle the evening. Livia felt nervous and did not know why. She did not worry about her vulnerability per se right then, since she hoped for just a nice time. Livia knew the stakes and that "gather ye rosebuds while ye may" did not apply to them. She had to consider the consequences because she figured that he did. Maybe she should have asked him to read a book, after all. If he thought he had gone too far before, he will be very distant now. What would she accomplish? She wondered why, if she risked nothing, that she felt such anxiety. She thought only about him and could not guess.

After she got to his door, Livia knocked, and the door seemed to open by itself. The professor had a multi-room apartment, as faculty usually had. She had no idea what his bedroom looked like, since she found the door typically closed and had never really contemplated it. She usually focused so much on trying to amuse the man that she rarely saw more than a few feet in front of her. This time it was different. "Anybody home?" she asked.

"Well, hello there," Christopher answered, emerging from the the bedroom and shutting the door behind himself. "I understand I am the prize tonight for your birthday."

"You could say that," Livia stated.

"What is that you are wearing?" he asked.

"About all of it is new," she replied. "The dress is some sort of velvet, the choker partly black ribbon and partly white gold from that jeweler in Hogsmeade whose collection space grows. My uncle's friend Anne insisted I buy it."

"She has good taste," he suggested. "I remember her. Ready?"

The trip to the local tavern in town did not take long. They found a booth not far from the bar but opposite the door. As Livia removed her wrap, Christopher inquired about anything special they could serve for Livia's birthday. They got an interesting dessert and two chocolate liqueurs. He made a toast and both drank, though Christopher practically finished his in one gulp. They shared the dessert.

They had barely finished eating when Nils Nilssen entered the establishment. Livia had not been looking at the door and only realized who approached them when he had come within a few feet of them. Livia's eyes widened in astonishment. Her unease returned in full.

"Livia, I had to see you," Nils asserted. "Christopher, I presume."

"That is correct," Christopher verified. "How did you know we came here, and why have you shown up?"

"I just had a very long conversation with your Uncle Jack, Livia," Nils stated. "He told me you would be here for your birthday, but he did not tell me who I also would find here."

"Maybe that was the point," Livia stated. "He was trying to tell you what's done is done."

"I'm sure he thought that," Christopher added. _You got some nerve bothering her._

"I want to speak to Livia, if you don't mind – alone," Nils declared. "You look exquisite, Livia. I made –" He tried to take Livia by the hand, but she pulled back.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Livia responded.

"Livia, please, let me talk to you for a few minutes," he maintained. "I read your letter. I truly understand, but I cannot forget you. I never will."

"I think the time for thinking about her was about two years ago – and you missed it," Christopher observed. Livia could feel his contempt building. It felt stronger than she suspected.

"I know," Nils admitted. "I don't need to be told by a lad who can't stand up to his uncle or whatever your problem is."

"And I know I don't need to be told what I should do by a bloke who could not stand up to a scheming shrew who he knew only wanted him as her ticket out of town. Or did you forget that your own willful blindness caused you to toss aside someone who actually cared about you?"

"No, I haven't forgotten," Nils revealed. "In fact, I haven't slept well over this in months. I need to talk to Livia. Please."

"What do you think you will accomplish here?" Livia asked.

"First and foremost, I need to tell you how sorry I am for what happened," Nils stated.

"Done," Christopher announced curtly. "Next."

"Why does this concern you?" Nils directed at Christopher. "I don't recall that you ever made any declarations of love or promises to Livia."

"Did you, honestly?" Christopher countered. "Because if that was honest, I hate to hear what lying sounds like to you. You hurt her worse than I ever could."

"I would not be here if I had not sincerely loved and cared about her," Nils replied. "I still do. And you delude yourself if you don't think you hurt her at least as much."

"Sorry, but you are living in a fantasy land if you cannot recall how this woman put herself on the line for you," Christopher spat back. "Do you think that was a game? My uncle knows every single thing that happened between the two of you. She took an incredibly huge risk – for you – and you just dismissed it as if it were nothing. Do you have any sense at all regarding the harm you did to her?"

"Why do you think I can't sleep?" Nils returned to him. "I know what I did. I know I relegated her, as if she was second best to someone who did not deserve even a second thought. I am haunted by it. I am well aware of what she did, too. I can't even imagine the pain I caused."

Well this has gone well, Livia thought cynically. _What am I supposed to do?_

 _Do you want me to leave?_ Christopher asked her silently.

 _No! I did not plan this._ Livia sent back. Livia closed her eyes and tried to think of a way out. She would contemplate what Christopher verified owing to his intense loathing of Nils later.

"Nils, what I told you in that letter is how I feel," Livia said. "No one told me what to write. Indeed, at first, I did not even want to respond. I cannot go backward because I can neither forget nor forgive – as someone else said, 'it was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced.' I bear that cross. That is the bottom line. You have to accept that I am _done_ with you because of this."

"Please, Livia, just give me five minutes," Nils stated.

"To do what?" Christopher asked. "I think the lady has made it quite clear how she feels."

"As if you will do any better by her," Nils practically taunted. "I would like to say what I came to say without any commentary from you, of all people, who cannot make any commitment to her and completely pulled back from her. At least I tried to do better."

"My relationship with Livia is not your business," Christopher asserted. "And if you haven't figured out, there are issues around here bigger than any of us, which is why your headmaster ran away from here and went into hiding – and that won't work for long, anyway."

"I think my Uncle Jack's answer was to forget about tomorrow," Livia stated. "In any case, if I give you a few minutes, will you leave?"

"Yes, if reluctantly," Nils replied.

Livia looked at Christopher and moved to a table a few feet away. She sat with her back to him, telling Christopher that she gave him the opportunity to read his mouth, if he could. Christopher started staring at the unexpected view of Livia's back. He did not realize how open her dress was, since that was the first time he had seen that part of it without her wrap. Whilst sitting a few feet away, he gave himself a few drops of the potion in his pocket.

"Go," Livia directed at Nils.

"You have no idea how awful I feel. I should have looked out for you, like you did for me. I should have thought more about you, I know. I can't get past it because I did not. I wish I could take back the last month of our life together and do it over. I would try over and over just to get it right. I wish I had never gone home that summer. I wish I never left here, even if I still worked as a tutor or just a store clerk. I wish your brother could have just married us in his backyard."

"Would any of that really have changed anything?" Livia asked. "You speak of avoiding her, fine, but that means she would have been successful at some point. Avoiding her solves nothing, really. For all I know, she still could do it, or it would be someone else. You made me second place – _to her_. I may as well be dung to you. How am I supposed to forget that?"

"Maybe my friends would not have helped her, essentially, if we had gotten married," Nils answered. "Or perhaps…"

"Wait, you need your friends to respect your relationship?" Livia queried. "You grasp at straws. You refer to Christopher's problems, but you need approval or support just to be true to me? Where's _your_ responsibility? You say you did this, so the issue is about you, not them."

"I understand what you say," Nils admitted. "I am so incredibly sorry. I have tortured myself trying to think of how I could have escaped Elise entirely."

"Except the answer is that it was entirely in _your_ hands. You're an adult. No one made you go meet her, no one made you drink there or take off that medallion or do anything else with her, including elope. Face it: you did not love me enough. Full stop. Find someone you love enough."

"Is that all you can say?" Nils asked.

"It's all I should say," Livia replied. "I think we are done here. Goodnight, Nils."

Livia got up and he impulsively did so and hugged her. Nils closed his eyes. "I can never forget you," he vowed. "I don't know how I can ever forgive myself. This failing eats at me daily."

"You did not love me enough," Livia repeated. "I was _second_ – to that. Maybe if you find someone you love enough, you'll treat her better. That's the only way you'll forgive yourself."

"Perhaps, but I so wish I could do this over and get it right," Nils emphasized. "I miss you terribly. Goodnight and Happy Birthday, Livia."

Nils finally let go and left, but he cast a pall over Livia as she settled back into the booth with Christopher. "Thank you for staying," Livia stated. "I don't know what else to say. I mean, I could go in any number of directions, but I'm not sure I can handle any right now." She shuddered.

"Well, I know what to say," Christopher responded. "I think we seriously need a lot more to drink. Have I told you how amazing that dress is on you?" He motioned for a round of something to drink, telling a staff member to make it something a lot more potent. They both needed it.

"Thank you," Livia told him. "I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with him by myself."

"You said what you had to say," Christopher asserted. "It was quite good."

"I suppose," she mused. "It's rather difficult because a part of me wishes I could believe him, but my brain tells me not to do that because I can't. I should feel tougher than I do. I should feel as strongly as I spoke. Yet I'm a mess right now." She found herself on the verge of tears.

"You are strong," Christopher stated. "He weakens you. He is weak." Just then a couple of drinks showed up. "A toast, Livia – to you. Stay feisty, stay focused. Your time will come."

"Thank you," she said, a little wistfully. "Unfortunately, I need 'liquid courage' right now."

Christopher asked for more rounds. Livia was not sure how long they spent there or how much they had. She just knew she would feel it later – and not in a good way. Livia thought she had lost her sense as to how he felt. Perhaps the whole night made her dizzy. Nils made her a little lost even when she thought better of the situation. Yet not only could she not trust him, she doubted she could trust herself, even if Christopher disagreed. Over and over she reminded herself as well as Nils that he had not loved her enough. Perhaps that would become the story of her life. Still, she sat across from a man who, in actuality, could say something like that with a lot more disquiet. She wondered what he honestly thought about this particular drama. Maybe Livia should think the real person in there is lucky to not have had his idealized love spoiled by a harsh reality, or maybe he chose to not let his harsh reality spoil it. She could not decide – her brain had fogged over.

Livia definitely needed Christopher's help to get back inside the building as well as her room. She clung to him like flypaper whenever she could. Once there, he tried to push her into her own bed but she remained stuck to him like she had adhesive on her hands. "I think I got you way too drunk," Christopher admitted.

"Don't put me down yet," Livia pled, slightly slurring her words. "Hold me still. Closing my eyes makes me dizzy." Instead, she stared right into his jacket shoulder and had wrapped her arms around him. She did not want to let go for anything.

He seemed stumped as to what to do because he could not peel her off of him. When he stopped being Christopher she could not say. She had kept looking at the same part of his garment rather than his face. She just held on. It seemed to her that she stood there, motionless, for a long time. Somewhere in her mind it mattered little that the person within her arms had transformed from the one who had walked back with her from the tavern.

"Miss Woodcock…" he declared. "Livia, let go of me."

"I-I don't w-want to, s-sir," Livia stammered. "St-stay p-please."

Now he wanted to swear. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked. He must have rolled his eyes, but Livia could not tell entirely.

"N-nothing," she answered. "D-don't m-move."

Finally, he took her arms by his hands and lowered her onto her desk chair. "Just sit there until you feel you can go to sleep. Goodnight, Livia."

"G-goodnight, Sev'rus," she managed. He left very quickly. She knew he had an aversion to her being so close to him. Still, she would have to thank him the next day, since he would claim no knowledge of the fact that Nils had shown up. She opted to send him a note via Sevy, thinking maybe he would take it better than way. Since he did not respond, Livia had to ask Sevy how he reacted. Sevy told her that he had saved the note but had not betrayed any emotion. Sevy could not decide if he saw her as his protégé, his friend or his girlfriend.

Livia nonetheless got herself organized and prepared to open the year. She wrote a few letters to friends, though not Shelley, as per her request. Livia hoped that she would like Professor Umbridge but took an immediate dislike to her. It occurred to her that the woman represented a plan to discredit the witness who saw the return of the Dark Wizard as well as his headmaster. Livia saw the professor as purposely limiting what she taught and moreover trying to provoke outbursts by Harry Potter in order to punish him. Livia carefully documented everything and alerted his head of house. At different points, both confronted the professor, since the issue had nothing to do with the course. Yet Umbridge was well connected and Livia remained nobody, according to those of authority and influence, so Livia just silently fumed and documented. She formally complained when Professor Umbridge forced the boy to use a cursed pen that carved her desired phrase into his skin, presuming he lied. Only important, complaining parents really could have assisted him, the headmaster told her as they practiced dueling one day. He confessed that her power had started to challenge his, and Livia needed to be extra careful. So Livia merely tried to help the teen by tending to his injuries and advising him on how to minimize the effects of the professor's taunting and provocations, encouraging him to find a practical diversion as an outlet.

He later entrusted her with a secret, and Livia endorsed the idea of a club that would actually teach interested students skills that their actual instructor would not provide. Livia held back participating, though she wished that she could, given that doing so probably constituted sticking her neck out too far. Still, via the twins, she offered to help secure an area for them to practice or give some ideas on how to avoid detection. Since she had to be sneaky and bide her own time, she may as well try to help the best at being sneaky around there. Livia brainstormed with the twins on more than one occasion, in fact. At least, Livia thought that this activity gave the students real knowledge and a way to positively channel their interests apart from the instructor's utter neglect of her actual duties. Any tutor there would have done better, as proven by the strong instruction by the club's student leader, who did far more than the professor accomplished.

Livia's outlets besides being busy remained her practice sessions with either the headmaster or Professor Snape. For varied reasons, Livia enjoyed each equally, though she really became difficult again for the latter. She found out more to flesh out things she either had guessed or viewed in piecemeal. At times, however, he proved entirely inscrutable to her, despite how well she understood him. For example, Livia wanted to answer Sevy's question about how he saw her and could not get a straight answer. Even Helena Ravenclaw could not answer that because, as she noted, he cannot make up his mind or he lacks one fixed view. The difference, Helena said, was that it was his own view, not the perspective of an alter ego or idealized self. He himself considered the issue because Livia challenged him in ways he never would have predicted.

As usual, Livia found the time to return to Durham before Tom and Alice's holiday party. Alice continued to think Livia setting everything up constituted a great gift, since Livia could clean the entire house better than any professional ever could. Livia tried to give her something better. They originally considered holding the event on the 23rd as the 24th fell on a Sunday, but since no one worked on Christmas, they kept the usual date. Days of the week meant nothing to hungry or sick cats, too, and Gary typically had a contingency plan if he chose to keep his business open.

Cathy showed up already into her second trimester with her second child, handling her situation well and apparently having "beaten" Audrey as well as Kate to it. Cathy liked having animal lovers for children and her work and Doc's seemed to guarantee this. Since she approached turning 28 in February, Cathy's choice did not seem that odd. Alice, though, had the big announcement, and it did not concern her book project. Instead, she had only days beforehand learned that she would expect her first child towards the end of the summer, not long after Tom turned 30. They later decided to skip Tom's office party so Alice could rest. Gary started talking about the need for cigars, though Penny informed him that came when they had the child, not from the announcement. Livia later sent Tom a potion to keep Alice healthy as her situation advanced.

Since they were all indoors, Livia wore the dress that Alice's Uncle Jack and his friend, Anne, insisted that she buy. All thought it and her choker looked amazing, easily matching the well-dressed Kate in its impeccable taste, though Tom had to know why she bought it. She told the story and how she half-expected it to have no effect on her birthday date. Livia then described the whole incident, including how Nils showed up and started sparring with Christopher.

"They were fighting over you?" Alice asked.

"I guess, but I don't know if that's the precise term for it," Livia answered. "I mean, they were insulting each other over things like who hurt me more. They both got deeply annoyed with the other. Nils wanted to talk to me alone, but I wouldn't go far with him. I gave him his few minutes to talk and say goodbye. Nonetheless, he really made a mess of the evening."

"How did it end?" Tom inquired.

"With two very drunk people," Livia replied. "I am not sure how I even walked home."

"You went home alone?" Tom queried.

"No, Christopher got me into my room and put me in a chair, though I did not really want to let go of him. I practically begged him not to let go of me." _Close enough._

"How did he just leave?" Alice asked. "You wore that and he just puts you in a chair? He is strange. Chivalrous to be sure, but I cannot figure him out."

"Well, that makes two of us," Livia responded. _You'd know if you knew._

John brought some new albums that he had not yet shared with Tom or Livia from bands called Oasis and The Smashing Pumpkins. Tom momentarily stopped his typical holiday songs to play something from the latter called "Tonight, Tonight."* Livia found it highly interesting and was glad he had two copies of each to share. Alice had heard of both, already, so nothing he said surprised her. Alice's friends seemed quite a diverse lot, though she often remarked that former colleagues of hers often picked up things from university students they taught or advised, even if by accident of something they played whilst visiting someone's office.

After that, the focus shifted to Adam and Linda, since they seemed the last to not be married among the couples present. They had their own big surprise they had kept secret just for that event. No one there knew that they just got married on their own, without fuss or witnesses they knew well, several weeks beforehand. So everyone belatedly toasted them as well, if Alice and Cathy picked a less-than-potent beverage. Linda did not have a sizable family and did not consider herself close to anyone where they lived, and Adam decided the two of them were enough.

"That leaves you, Livia," Gary stated. "Tell that bloke to get a move on since the other one preferred to be conned in the end."

"I'm sure that will work, Gary," Livia said sarcastically.

Livia passed the rest of her days there fairly quietly, though started becoming fixated on a song she liked to sing in her own voice. It wasn't funny – perhaps it was way too daring. Still, she had to sing it. It felt right to her. She returned to campus late on Sunday, 7 January, and listened to the song once on her new headphones that were quiet in terms of anyone hearing even an inch away from her. She had it down. She did not want Helena Ravenclaw to talk her out of doing this. Livia did not want to be funny this time – maybe next time.

She had put off meetings until Wednesday, so she had a clear day on her schedule. She walked outside of his door then allowed her music to play at a volume imperceptible to most except the person whose door she began vocalizing as herself.

 _By now you should've somehow  
Realized what you gotta do  
I don't believe that anybody  
Feels the way I do, about you now…*_

She actually got through half the words of the song before he opened the door. He looked extremely puzzled. "This is quite curious for you," he asserted. "I don't get it, but you performed that very well. Just what do you want to say to me but don't know how?"

"If you don't understand, you never will," Livia stated. She started to walk away. She had alleviated her own burden, anyway. She gave herself a gift, she supposed.

"Wait, was that my present?" he asked, still apparently baffled.

"It would be, if you knew how to interpret it," Livia answered. "I did not have a backup plan if you thought I was obtuse."

"I rarely hear your own voice being remotely serious," he declared. "You shouldn't hide it. Sing it again, not in the hallway."

Livia went inside and started all over, which made her the uncomfortable one. She closed her eyes to focus on the words. She replicated it almost precisely, yet even more heartfelt than the first time. Livia possessed a strong, natural vibrato on her voice whenever needed as well as perfect pitch. He would not tell her that he had understood anything about what she sung, of course. He felt too surprised; no one had ever done that. But he knew. Indeed, no one alive felt about him the way she did. Perhaps no one dead, either. It was rather touching, he admitted. Why did she do that?

"You are quite accomplished, not that this is a novel concept in my mind," he relayed to her. "I guess I will have to ponder what that means, but for now, you know what I want to hear."

"I do," she admitted. She did as he asked of her.

Livia barely asked for his hands when he presented them. _She is very selfless to do this. She could easily hate me given I can't even acknowledge her._ _I need her loyalty, but she freely gives me it. She is such a strange bird. Maybe that's why Sevy likes and understands her._

Livia was too busy to comprehend his thoughts. She finished promptly, wished him a good birthday and left. Returning to her room, she took a nap. She had to sleep off what she had done – or had not done. She thought she'd feel better afterward, as if someone else sung all that to him.

The nap worked to some degree, though she told Helena Ravenclaw what she had done. She even sang the song. Helena did think it impressive on its own and honest but not the best idea. Helena put it to her bluntly: what were you thinking? Livia cited the "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" line. Helena asserted that he denied knowing anything because he was too surprised to say anything else. She believed he never saw her coming and has no clue what to do about her. Helena claimed that even thinking about it represented a change, not in his mission, but in his outlook. He was sure he would die for his cause, gladly, but now he wonders if he could survive.

The semester seemed to start well, except for the growing upheavals caused by Professor Umbridge. She later sacked one faculty member, Professor Trelawney, and forcibly went after another, Professor Hagrid. In the process, she injured a third, Professor McGonagall. These actions gave Livia and other tutors fits. Livia had to hold several emergency meetings to deal with staffing issues and to ensure students only minimally suffered from these problems. The injury to Professor McGonagall caused great stress, though Isabelle helped with it. For a short time, reading assignments sufficed, but the disruptions carried ripple effects across everyone's calendar. _As if I don't have enough to do._ It seemed the headmaster engaged in a power struggle against her by hiring someone she disliked to take Hagrid's post. He had told Livia she could not fight the woman; he had great prominence and still did not fare terribly well.

Meantime, the connection between the Dark Wizard and Harry Potter's scar compelled him to see something that had happened and protect someone Livia had met before, the Weasley patriarch, Arthur, but it also prompted the boy to start lessons in Occlumency with Professor Snape. He wasn't quite Livia's age when these began; Livia did not understand what the headmaster thought in pairing them. It was dangerous for the instructor and bound to be tense. He had to know that as well as Livia. He, of course, reasoned that if Livia tried she would expose herself as accomplished in this, which did not make for a good answer, either. Still, Livia knew those sessions would not yield much. First, a minor often had problems hiding feelings in general, and she thought this student in particular too earnest for his own good sometimes. Second, the boy resembled his father strongly, which made for a strained interaction. Then came the issue of the professor's agenda, which he could not expose. When it failed, Livia did not seem surprised at all. It was a bad situation for both, but Livia could neither say nor do anything about it. Who really could?

Around then, near the spring recess, Livia received an emergency message to see Uncle Jack. She needed to see her brother as soon as possible. An accident had occurred, though not to Tom or Alice. Livia sent word to the school that she had a family emergency and would notify them when she would return. Only when she arrived did she find out the details. Cathy had been hurt badly in a car accident, and she gave birth to her almost-due second child in the emergency room, a little boy she wanted to name Thomas. The baby's injuries fortunately did not threaten his life. She, however, had slipped into an unconscious state. The hospital considered her condition critical. Livia quickly retrieved a strengthening potion, left a note about it and went to Durham.

As Livia accompanied Tom and Alice to the hospital where Cathy lay, she learned the details. Friends of hers were throwing a little party for her at a pub in anticipation of the birth. Lydia was there and insisted on driving her home because Doc had been called for an emergency surgery and could not immediately pick her up. Only two of her friends had cars and for different reasons, like room in the vehicle and needing to pick up a child from a babysitter, Cathy was left with the choice of waiting for her husband, walking to her parents's home or getting a ride from an insistent Lydia. She did not realize Lydia was intoxicated or had taken anything illegal. Cathy made the mistake of trusting her sister, who sustained minor injuries comparatively, since the other vehicle rammed into the driver side rear door, where Cathy sat. Lydia tried to enter a roundabout with another car already in it, which could not avoid the collision. Cathy could not get a seatbelt on, which further complicated her condition. If she had sat on the opposite side with a seatbelt on, she might have been unharmed even. Her pregnancy complicated her health as well as contributed to the lack of a seatbelt. Of course, rarely do backseat passengers think one is needed, though Cathy had considered it, given she had some trepidation about Lydia's ability to drive in general.

Cathy needed a blood transfusion very early and her sister seemed a natural source for it until an alert nurse checked to see if Cathy could accept her whole blood. Cathy had A blood type, whereas Lydia's was B. Since Rev. Woodcock had the blood type A and arrived first, he provided the blood. But when Emma Woodcock's blood type was determined to be O, officials at the hospital knew Cathy and Lydia were not full siblings. The hospital felt obligated to tell Rev. Woodcock and his wife about the discovery. The minister, who once had been a military chaplain, knew exactly what they meant and thanked them before confronting his wife.

"You knew all along that Lydia was not my child," he declared. "Explain yourself."

"He was a congregant during the early 1970s," Emma Woodcock stated. "I was tired and bored and felt I might have a break from having children. I never expected Lydia. He did not, either. But that did not chase him away. Having to care for a fourth child did. At the time, I did not want him to leave and sometimes wondered what would have happened if he didn't."

"Then give her his name," Rev. Woodcock suggested, livid about the whole thing and emotionally drained given Cathy's status. "You aren't the least bit sorry, are you? We all bent over backwards for the child you spoiled who hurt many – and she's not mine. You, supposedly a respectable minister's wife, did this. What a joke. I am done with her. I owe her nothing more after all we did. And if Cathy does not recover, I am _done_ with you because I doubt I can forgive you."

Lydia, of course, made various nurses cater to her and seemed surprised Cathy got so much attention at first. Meantime, Rev. Woodcock broke the news to Cathy's husband, Tom, Alice and Livia, that biologically Lydia was not his daughter. Livia had begun to suspect this but never told anyone. Tom suspected that Livia had this idea based on her response, but since Livia did not seem upfront with it, he let it go. It explained Emma Woodcock's behavior well. Still, Cathy's situation mattered more. Livia wanted to see if she could help Cathy, but hospital staff and Doc gave her only a little opportunity to try. Sharing the potion she had given Tom to boost Alice along with the one she brought, Livia got Cathy to become semi-lucid, but specialists visited Cathy enough to only give Livia short visits. Tom and Alice tried to maximize Livia time's with Cathy. Yet between Doc and the staff, it never seemed long enough. Livia felt frustrated because, by the time she had a better chance, Cathy already lost time where Livia's help could have proven more effective. It also did not aid Cathy that Livia could not easily leave, retrieve something else and return with it.

Still, Cathy was able to wake up and say some useful things to her husband and tell him how sorry she felt that she had not waited for him or walked to her parents's house. Maybe her father could have driven her home. She greatly lamented, feeling herself slipping away, that Rich would have to raise their children alone. He tried to quiet her – that upsetting herself did not help. Instead, she apologized to Tom, Alice and Livia. Livia tried to heal her through touch, but that would not suffice entirely to fix her liver, spleen or appendix. Still, she tried and Cathy did linger for some days, even learning the truth about Lydia's paternity. Rich let the semi-lucid Cathy briefly hold her newborn son, though the elder child remained too young to see her. Livia informed Tom and Alice that she was losing Cathy, despite trying to do what she could with her limited opportunities. Cathy Davies finally died about ten days after the accident, just 28 years old.

With Cathy's death, finally something dawned on the vapid, vain Lydia. She was facing legal charges over the death of her sister as well as the DWI charge and a lawsuit by the other driver. Rev. Woodcock retained Mr. Wilson to represent him in a divorce with Lydia cited as the reason for it. Learning that she was not a legitimate child of Rev. and Mrs. Woodcock also hit her hard. She was the product of an affair, not between two unmarried young adults, but between a married mother of two children and someone she had never met named Martin Lewis, she ultimately learned. Her assertions of superiority over Livia had evaporated along with the only sibling that she ever wanted on her side. Emma Woodcock, who contemplated going back to her maiden name, Swinton, felt far too much grief over the loss of Cathy and her marriage to give Lydia much comfort. Indeed, for the first time, she acted with any noticeable hostility towards Lydia and gravitated to Tom for support – though needing legal advice may have also played a role in this, too. Tom, Alice, Livia and Rev. Woodcock tried to rally around Doc a.k.a. Rich as did his own family. They offered moral and material support for him to try to juggle demanding work and two extremely young children. He did feel thankful to have them as his lasting tie to Cathy. Tom assured him that, no matter what, he would be there for him and his sister's children and, wherever they all were, he would be expected to be at his home on Christmas Eve, where they could remember her as well as try to continue without her. Tom never took such promises lightly.

Lydia, with her legal issues and finally feeling unwelcome, did not attend her sister's funeral. She took the easy way out, rather than face people who would openly scorn her. Rev. Woodcock sat close to his son-in-law and son, rather than his soon-to-be ex-wife. Livia sat by Alice. At least, despite her lack of support, Emma attended the short service before Cathy's cremation in Ipswich. Doc told Tom, Alice and Livia he decided he would bury her ashes in a backyard garden and have their children nearby, even though they would not remember it. He would mark the spot with a small rosebush with a small stone cat to guard it. Only Mr. and Mrs. Davies assisted him with that, though he shared a photo of the spot with Tom and several others.

Livia had told the school of her late return and the reason. Mary, Hideki and Isabelle carried on as best as they could cover, with Mary taking the brunt of the extra burdens, but only then did they truly appreciate how hard Livia worked at her position, which they never had guessed, because she made it seem so easy. Livia returned only after a number of events had occurred, which she had not pondered whilst gone. The club teaching defensive skills came to the attention of Professor Umbridge, the headmaster took blame for it, retreating into hiding whilst Umbridge had made herself headmistress. These actions spurred on the twins to take vengeance on her and leave school, using Harry Potter's prize money to open a shop together. Livia could understand that and, like her old head of house, found their parting gesture grand and quite fitting. Livia wrote both, conveying how she would miss them and wishing them well in their new venture. She thought them both creative enough to make their concept work, despite whatever their tests showed.

The loss of the headmaster left Livia with only one person for her lessons and she wondered how that would go. He had grown with her in being difficult to read, though they could drag a few points out of each other. He saw Cathy's service, a memory Livia did not feel the need to protect well; she viewed how his work with Harry Potter had gone. Livia also eventually got from him that he had taken her Veritaserum from storage. It appeared that Professor Umbridge ultimately had hatched a plan to use any she could get. He actually had disposed of it, so she could not use it.

As Livia did not proctor exams, she missed the initial fallout after them, with the headmistress interrogating students. Only afterward did she learn of a false vision that led a group of students into a trap. During a rescue of them, a duel unfolded with the former headmaster and the Dark Wizard. Yet the biggest consequence occurred when Sirius Black, the subject of the false memory, got killed by his cousin. The cousin's name, Bellatrix Lestrange, did not initially mean much to Livia but she felt that the woman was the one the headmaster worried about her facing. It just clicked.

Livia immediately sent a note of condolence to Harry Potter about losing his godfather, revealing that the recent loss of her older sister had caused her absence. Livia remembered the last time she saw Black so clearly. In the note, she said she had only met him twice but knew he had not killed anyone. She hoped Harry would prove it soon and pledged that if he needed help in preparing or reviewing any legal documents to let her know. Livia knew things about legal briefs from her brother and gained insight from the document she prepared regarding the creature that escaped execution. She received an acknowledgement from him and ultimately looked over a few things for him as well as the headmaster on this point. At least the incident proved Harry had not lied about the Dark Wizard's return, prompting the headmistress's dismissal. Proper order got reinstalled with the headmaster back in his office, entirely vindicated as well – a small comfort.

Livia also sent a note to another student, Neville, to congratulate him for his brave participation. He was making her very proud to know him. He proved a lasting credit to his parents, too, who lost so much. The sorting hat had not erred, she wrote. His process continued to fortify him. Livia wished she had been there for him and someday would tell him why she had not helped when it mattered so much. She hoped he would understand. She hoped she understood, frankly.

Livia would never tell Professor Snape about the first note. She immediately sensed his varied emotions regarding Black's death. She also realized that it would constitute another point poisoning the professor's ability to deal with Black's godson – each could blame the other for it. Meantime, Livia had her first real taste of survivor's guilt, thinking perhaps he would not have died had she been there. The headmaster reassured her on this point and asserted that the man's innocence finally would be acknowledged, though too late to give him the life he should have had. Many lost out on that score, sadly. Livia had to survive to ensure their sacrifices meant something. Livia understood, though she wished that another outcome had occurred instead.

Livia returned to her more typical paperwork necessary to file at year's end. Livia needed a few extra days, since she had played catch-up since her return. She had to issue assessments of performance and recommendations for students and staff. Livia took her time, since the headmaster had his own paperwork. Tom understood why she only sent a card; he did not worry.

Livia was about ready to file everything and leave when she found something slipped under her door. The note read, "Don't you think it's time?" The information on the sheet regarded an opening for a position at the school, but not the one Livia thought it would be. Rather, the paper described an opening for a new Potions instructor. Livia could not believe it. She had to find out.

Livia found the headmaster in his office preparing for a trip ultimately to recruit someone for the post. This in itself did not surprise her. He would have not wanted her to apply for it. He had not sent her the notice. Still, she required an explanation of what had transpired. He revealed to her how he had reorganized the faculty and who he ideally sought to fill the existing opening.

"What are you doing?" Livia asked. "That position is jinxed – we both know it."

"I cannot tell you," he answered. "Do not ask me."

Livia paused. She smelled something odd. She knew that Cathy would die based on several things, including that, which she kept to herself. Something near her had almost the identical scent. Livia did not even need to be particularly sensitive to perceive it, being her exposure to that aroma had occurred so recently. "What is wrong with you, sir?" Livia inquired. "I smell it."

"You ask too much – again," he replied.

Livia closed her eyes and tried to pinpoint the location. Before he could evade her, she pulled up a sleeve of his robe. "What is this, sir?" she questioned.

"You will not stop, will you?" he countered.

"Tell me right now – this looks very bad," Livia demanded.

"It is localized, for now," he declared. "But it won't stay that way."

"I don't follow you," Livia stated. "I recognize why no one can heal it, but if it is localized, why don't you do what muggle doctors do, which is remove the tissue or amputate your hand?"

"That might compromise my abilities, and it may only slightly delay the inevitable at best," he responded.

"What do you mean?" Livia asked. "All sorts of non-magical beings survive a long time missing more. How about 'Mad Eye' Moody losing a number of things and still functioning?"

"The manner by which he lost things differs, for one," he answered. "Whilst this appears localized, I cannot say there are not seeds of it elsewhere just waiting to sprout, like a cancer. Losing my hand may hasten that process, rather than delay it. I have lived a full life, and my death may help what matters to me. I do what I need to do – and you must do nothing and say nothing."

"How can you be so blithe about this?" Livia queried. "Do you not want to fight? I have seen so much wit and skill from you. You have hardly slowed down. This isn't what I'd expect."

"That is why it may offer a great deal, depending on how things unfold," he said. "No one would ever guess this. Few would believe or accept it readily. I have already told you too much."

"So what?" Livia retorted. "I know way more than you think. I have kept that even from you as much as anyone else. You should tell me, since this does affect me directly."

"Not now," he stated. "You have to go home, and I need to recruit the person I want to re-join the faculty. He has been in this role here before. You will like him, but I think he will prove valuable for reasons I cannot say because I need him to speak about things he said long ago. I must say I am glad that whoever put that notice in your room did not convince you to apply. You need to trust this to work out in the end, though it seems strange right now."

"Strange!?" Livia responded. "I am considering terms much stronger than that."

"I can imagine," he asserted. "The time for you to speak your mind has not come. If all goes well, it will. You must wait. You will have the chance to vent on those who deserve it. Now I must go. One last thing: to keep up my strength, we need to curtail our practices next year. Do what you have done when I have not been here. These will help you in the long run."

Livia felt stunned. The ground under her feet had shifted greatly, over many things over recent months. Yet it seemed she could only bide her time and avoid direct participation in the unfolding fray here. She despised doing so. If anything, this waiting weakened her as much as Nils did. It frustrated her and also made her angry. She gained further insight about someone else who lashed out over his obstructions. Certain limitations turned a person ugly with ease. How one dealt with being utterly thwarted may speak to character. Still, depending on the cause of being foiled, everyone had a breaking point regarding the toleration of pain or how useful a distraction could function. Knowing that gave her some ability to choose differently, though she could never describe herself as happy about doing so, either. If the gloves finally ever came off, she would become the most fearsome thing ever to behold. Livia vowed it, on Cathy's grave as well as anyone lost in this struggle against the Dark Wizard, of which she already knew of two victims.

Livia spent a few hours with Uncle Jack before finally returning to Durham. Alice had started getting heavy, but this did not slow down her work. She felt that, whilst she would not finish all of it in time, she would complete the written portion, outside of some descriptions of images she sought permissions to include. Alice tried to make the remaining work for herself as straightforward and minimally taxing as possible. She wondered how the stress of Cathy's death did not cause her to miscarry. Livia refused to tell her that she sent Tom something to put in Alice's morning tea during winter term. Livia saw no need. She just wished she had provided greater assistance to Cathy. Tom tried to tell her not to blame herself for not being able to counteract what had happened. Some things cannot be undone or even justified. They had to carry on and simply offer Doc whatever support they could provide. Tom had grown used to being a big brother to comfort others, though at times it ran counter to his own feelings. He could doubt himself. At those times, Alice grounded him.

Alice thought maybe, if she had a girl, using the name Catherine would help Tom. He did not relish the idea, however. Too much has shifted under his feet, too, not unlike Livia. Tom advised his father on his divorce, he listened to his mother, who still remained his mother, though her insistence on being more Lydia's mother began to make sense. Apparently, she had blamed Tom, all of age 6, for forcing her to take on another child and chase away the fantasy she had of someone to "take her away" from her domestic life. He knew it. He did not want the full story. He would meet any effort of hers to explain – or excuse – herself rudely. So much fell into place with that revelation that recast his childhood. Yet Tom could not figure out how his mother managed to have this affair. During school? As Cathy and he played outside? When? Livia didn't care to know.

Fortunately, Livia could relieve Alice of most the things she needed to do that summer, so she could either sit at her desk or rest. Tom was well fed and the house orderly and clean. Livia even managed to clean the exterior glass windows at night, so no one saw, and took Abby for a vet checkup. Abby had not entirely needed it except for a few vaccines that were precautionary, since Abby had become an indoor cat. Still, she was basically a senior cat, and it was something to strike off of a list of things Alice might worry about when the time came to have their child. Livia wondered if she would be there when it happened. Either way, the dating seemed close, given that Livia wanted to have her first meetings on Monday, 26 August. She wanted to leave late Sunday.

Mary had left and another house tutor, the fair, light-brown haired, argyle-wearing Winslow Duke, had slid into her place. He had worked well with the herbology professor who headed another house, Hufflepuff. The others could make any needed adjustments, though Livia's personal duties would remain exactly the same. No one wanted to touch those topics and did not know what to make of the faculty changes. Livia took what the headmaster said at face value. She honestly had to admit she would miss annoying a certain Potions Master in late August every year. She had done so for about a decade. As much as it was work, she mostly liked it. Livia saw things differently than most people, especially regarding him. Her calculation of what to do if she had the chance also changed. Livia regretted less singing "Wonderwall" to him in January. She pondered how many more chances she would get to do that, given the jinx on his new post.

Tom and Alice's first child waited until the last day Livia stayed in Durham to arrive, Sunday, 25 August, though Alice's labor began the prior evening. Uncle Jack found his way to their home; Livia ensured they both got to the hospital right behind Tom and Alice. Livia also contacted Kate, who came to Durham to watch Abby and help get Alice settled in when they all returned home. Bertie dropped her off and met everyone at the hospital. Kate saw she had little to do, though. The place looked immaculate, Abby seemed well-off, except for perhaps a feeding. Abby otherwise slept peacefully, thinking Alice simply had gone somewhere to have her own "kitten," as Livia explained it. Good thing Kate could ring to find out what was happening, otherwise Kate would have gotten bored and called a car service to get herself to the hospital.

Livia started thinking about how she and Uncle Jack would get back with Kate in the house almost as soon as Alice finally had her "kitten," a girl that they named Adelaide Catherine. Tom fortunately brought Livia and Uncle Jack back to the house whilst bringing Kate to the hospital, so the foursome would wind up returning with baby Adelaide. Before they left the hospital, Livia heard Bertie say that he thought Alice and Tom were geniuses for giving their daughter a name having some history behind it, both personal and family, on both sides. He told them they should name everyone's babies. Alice felt lucky to have a rational thought; she felt rundown to the point that something had run her over. Livia helped some but felt bad she could not do enough.

With Livia and Uncle Jack alone in the Durham house, Livia left a note there – mostly for Bertie and Kate's benefit – about the need of both to return. With that done, Livia and Uncle Jack went back to his home, then Livia walked to her room at school. Abby hardly noticed that they had departed, other than Livia telling her that Alice indeed had her "kitten." Abby pledged to be a good surrogate mama cat or a watch-cat if and when Alice needed her help to keep baby Adelaide safe, a remark that Livia made sure to include in the message she left to all in Durham. Abby kept her "word," which only surprised Bertie and Kate. Abby slept near the baby and kept her soothed or would immediately get someone if Adelaide showed the slightest discomfort that Abby could not address. Abby took to the child as if she belonged to Abby. Livia arrived at her room at school contented that Adelaide would thrive with all the care she received. Tom and Alice were ready, with Tom showing an inclination to doing this well at 18. Adelaide would benefit greatly from both Tom and Alice. Of course, this meant Livia had to make some decisions regarding what sized footprint she would leave in their world.

*Author's Note

The Smashing Pumpkins released _Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness_ in 1995, though its single "Tonight, Tonight" dd not appear until 1996. Singer Billy Corgan received sole credit for this song.

Oasis released _(What's the Story?) Morning Glory?_ in 1995, with its single "Wonderwall" appearing that year also. Noel Gallagher received sole credit for the recording. Some speculated that the inspiration for the song came from a spouse, but Gallagher later disclosed in an interview that it speaks of an imaginary friend who saves a person from himself. That sense speaks to Livia's feeling that the professor saved her from herself.


	41. (More) Cards on the Table

Livia's first meeting with her tutors Winslow, Hideki and Isabelle, went extremely well. Winslow impressed Livia as organized, clear-headed and focused on his duties. Some may have presumed him to be pompous based on his appearance, but in person he proved quite different. Hideki and he seemed to have an easy, immediate rapport and Isabelle found him charming. Livia had never thought of the prior tutors as having any difficulties with each other, but these three seemed to constitute the most well-meaning and collaborative group ever assembled. Livia sent a note of thanks to Winslow's head of house for allowing all students access to him and told her how impressive he seemed. Livia received a short reply expressing pleasure that Livia found him agreeable from the start. They reviewed the new class, each's focus and set their office schedules.

Livia also saw the headmaster, noting how he behaved and her impressions of his health as well as if he wanted to practice with her at all, if less often. He decided that once a month would suffice. He also recommended she check to see if she could fill in the other weeks with either Severus, Minerva or Filius. He seemed the same as a few months ago, though she sensed that he understood his situation very well. She sent identical notes to all three, explaining her ideal scheduling and seeing if any had at least one week a month at that time to spare. Filius responded first and said he would be only too glad to resume working with her, having enjoyed it and curious about her present status. Indeed, Minerva made the latter point also, as she seemed very curious about the student-turned-tutor who seemed her own person from an early age. Livia did not receive a written response immediately from the third. She wondered if attending to his new subject – even though he had wanted to teach it for years – impeded him.

Livia did receive a note from the new Potions Master, named Horace Slughorn, about his predecessor's recommendation regarding his inventory and things he would want made before the year started. He wanted to see her whenever she could spare some time that week. She figured maybe she would go there on either Wednesday, 28 August or the following day. She figured she could just have a birthday toast with Uncle Jack that night and be done with it. Livia gave the new professor a sense of her plans, so he had some idea when to expect her.

The next day Livia oversaw some union business, ensuring the tutors all had a reasonable agreement and gave then all a rundown of the present situation. No one seemed to have any complaints. Questions typically clarified their duties and what to see her about versus someone else. Livia told them, when in doubt, to see her or notify her. If the headmaster needed to see a tutor, for example, she should accompany that person, rather than let him or her try to resolve such an issue by himself or herself. She thought such a hands-on approach came with the responsibilities and she would never shirk these. Livia also polled the house elves on whether they needed assistance, a point which seemed controversial to some. Livia did not understand why, if they worked to run the school just like other employees. They at least seemed to appreciate being asked, if not ready to make any concrete demands. Those who counseled on positions after graduation did in fact have a few demands, which Livia helped to resolve.

That evening, Livia rested in her room trying to get the lyrics to a song she recently found more provocative, for a number of reasons. At times, they either seemed either a little garbled or included words she did not readily grasp on initially hearing them, though ultimately she got them. The emotion of it seemed strong, though she became hesitant at times owing to her anxiety. For her, uncertainty surrounded its expressiveness. Still, Livia identified with one part hugely, since it essentially represented part of what she did not know how to say last January.

As if on cue, Livia got a knock at her door as she contemplated a whole host of things long ago or far away. The sound almost made her jump back into her skin, given her daydreaming. She had not considered when she might see him, given she owed him nothing going into the new term. She would have expected his request for her assistance otherwise.

"Why hello, Sev'rus, sir, to what do I owe this visit?" Livia asked.

"Just checking if you really will show up to assist the new Potions Master," he answered. "I don't want to have offered your help and then you don't do it, especially seeing you have time to learn something new, apparently."

"I thought I would check in on him tomorrow," Livia stated. "You know, you should probably hear what I am working on." Livia got rather daring. She knew if she told him he might explode. He probably should know, however.

"Why is that?" he inquired as he entered and she shut her door.

"It might tell you something I don't know how else to say, though most of it is a nostalgic look at being a teen in the late 1970s," Livia revealed. She could not back out now if he figured it out. This episode could be worse than any she ever experienced. But it remained the only sizable thing she actually hid from him. She had made her peace regarding what he knew about Nils.

"Really?" he asked, puzzled. Based on what she had garbled before, he was not sure where she was going, much less how he would like it. "Are you trying to annoy me?"

"Not necessarily, but I'm sure that will be the end result," Livia replied.

"Okay, let's see how good you are at irritating me," he said.

Livia did not know if she was ready for it, but she plowed through "1979" anyway. She wondered how long it had been since he had seen a zipper, let alone could relate to "zipper blues," though she did not doubt he once wore one. She did not look at him for most of the song, either partly or mostly closing her eyes, until she reached the lines where she bore directly into him and sung: "No apologies ever need be made/I know you better than you fake it, to see."

He immediately turned the player off because he knew what she meant instantaneously. He had grown very agitated. He never raised his voice, but his intensity and fury were unmistakable.

"How long have you known?" he demanded.

"From the time the headmaster told me, which came a few days after that first encounter with the person I told my relatives was your nephew," Livia declared. "He did not tell me how you did it, only what Christopher Prince represented as far as he understood."

"That long – and you've successfully kept this from me," he said. "I don't know if I should congratulate you on your ability to keep a secret from me, or lash out at you for allowing that charade to continue without telling me. You have _a lot_ of explaining to do." He looked as if he wanted to snap her like a twig.

"Given what you discovered in my desperation regarding Nils, I decided to tell you," Livia stated. "Yet I did not tell you for a long time for several reasons. First and foremost, I thought it might do you some good to laugh, to not be as burdened as you obviously and continually are, to at least harmlessly put aside things of long ago for at least a short time. You could allow yourself, if briefly, to feel happy or carefree. I did not want to take that from you. I know you never allow yourself that. Frankly, your energy field gets so dark and sticky, it could kill you if I did not try to clear it up. It still wears you down and prematurely ages you, despite what I do."

"So, explain to me your behavior at your brother's wedding? You asking me at the end of that weekend what you should call me had to be the most ridiculous thing possible."

"I did not plan all that – frankly, that weekend blindsided me. If you recall, I did not ask you to go, and I meant the promise I made to you when I made it. I did not even know we would stay in the same room – remember? The film was my idea. Doing that pleased me greatly. But later it got complicated – and difficult to tell you. I take at least half the blame for that. I tried to tell you or at least let you know things. Maybe I was wrong, or selfish, to tell you now or that I did that then."

"I cannot say," he said. "I need time to think about this. What about that holiday party?"

"Remind me of when I forced myself on you," Livia answered. "Because that is not how I remember that night. I am pretty sure you did the pulling in and the second-thought pushing me away. I felt rather confused and upset about the whole thing. Nils wasn't entirely wrong, even if I hurt myself more. It was nice whilst it lasted, perhaps? Maybe it was nothing more than a product of alcohol. I don't know. Did I use you or did you use me? That's not easy to answer, is it?"

He did not respond to what she said. He only further pushed her: "And your wager?"

"I questioned myself about it, too," Livia revealed. "Yet you didn't respect my abilities, either, which frankly irritated me. I did think whilst I got dressed that maybe I should have made you read a book. Then Nils showed up, and it all seemed very fortuitous to me, even if you said something I dreaded hearing, though I basically knew. I cannot imagine how that would have gone if he had come to my door here. He would have pressed my resolve extremely hard. Indeed, I wondered at the time what you honestly thought about that particular drama."

"I told you what I thought – he is weak. And you nailed it when you said that he did not love you enough. He didn't. Why, I don't know. He may have thought he did; if so, he lied to himself. Frankly, I did not get it, and it disturbed me that he did that to you. My hostility towards him was genuine, as you likely suspected. I had not wanted you to know that, certainly not the depth of my enmity. You can't blame yourself for not fully seeing through him or preparing for that. Both are exceedingly difficult, especially when your own emotions are involved."

"I mean about how reality does not necessarily measure up to an idea or an ideal," Livia said. "Don't you see?"

"No," he replied.

"You love an ideal more than a person," Livia stated. "There is a difference between the person one lives with – the tangible – versus the one a person lives by – the symbolic or fictive."

"No, she remained pretty real to me even after I held her dead body."

"That's not an adult relationship except in your mind – and maybe it's better there."

"Well, that is none of your business," he concluded.

"But now you know what I mean," she observed. "The ideal Nils means what he says. I could have held onto that for years. But it's dangerous. He could risk my life. Honestly, I can't marry an ideal. The real one is, as you say, weak. In your mind, _she_ can do no wrong. But I sure can because I am here and I am talking to you as an adult, whether you like it or not. That is why no one competes and wins against the dead, and I have understood that for years. Frankly, I never saw myself as competing – for a lot of reasons. Given what I know, I don't even want to try. She matters to you for what you need and want to do, but not necessarily to who you entirely are."

"I see," he finally managed to respond.

"So I must fall pretty high here on the 'annoying you' scale," Livia suggested.

"Big time player," he said. "Somebody should give you a degree in it."

"You mean like my sister-in-law's DPhil or what others call a PhD?" Livia asked. "I favor the latter because it can stand for Pretty Hard Degree."

"Yes, definitely," he replied. "So who else knows about this – the _whole_ thing?"

"Right now, only one person, and I don't think she has a reason to tell anyone – Helena Ravenclaw," Livia answered. "I did not even need to confess very much. She typically encourages me to try to get you to laugh."

He seemed relieved. "Curious," he asserted. "I wonder why she would know."

"I never asked her that. I just figured she could go anywhere and know anything."

"That is up to her," he maintained.

"So I bet you want to practice dueling with me now and try to smack me across the room," Livia stated.

"You could say that again," he affirmed. "I also want to know how it is I never knew that you knew what I could recall as Christopher Prince, even if I cannot control everything."

"You will have to meet with me, as usual, to find that out," Livia claimed. "No freebies for you, Sev'rus. Don't you like a challenge?"

"Sometimes," he admitted. "But you are too much too often."

"That's my job, isn't it?" Livia asked. She laughed, if a little nervously.

"I suppose, in a way," he replied. "Keeping me on my toes does benefit me. I have to be sharp if I expect to succeed. Goodnight, Livia." He shook his head, muttering, as he left.

Livia exhaled hard. Did the truth set her free? Regardless, she had to move on and made herself sleep. She settled a few preparatory things in the morning. In the afternoon, she checked in on the new Potions Master. He seemed amiable but a little overwhelmed in facing the entirety of a new year. He greeted her warmly and insisted she call him Horace. The inventory closet he knew had problems that year owing to some idiosyncratic issues of summer weather and maintenance problems within the building. Livia immediately could see what had to be done, whereas he thought it a large task. So Livia went forward on her own. It made the inventory go more slowly, but Livia knew what lists to make and really had everything under control. He said he needed to check on something and would return shortly. By the time he did return, Livia had completed the inventory herself. Sure, it took over an hour for her to do it alone, but she knew what to check first and which items tended to store well, regardless of what had happened over the summer. Only a few additional items seemed harmed that would take some time to restock.

Livia turned over the list of items to reorder immediately and informed him that the ones marked with an asterisk took longer to replace and she would get fresh, local material to work in the interim. He knew she had done this before but did not realize how proficient she had become in doing it. He wondered how she would restock the items she wanted locally sourced at that moment. Livia showed him the list she carried and items marked either "C" or "O" and what they meant. She put the emptied, clean containers near the front of the potions room and called as many of her avian friends as could assemble then, leaving them food outside, as usual.

When Alastair, Benedict and large reinforcements assembled, thanks to a neighboring group, Livia introduced them one-by-one, with names and a little background information. She thanked them and told them that a new faculty member worked with her in this capacity. They all seemed to show the professor a sign of respect and departed to fill the tasks she assigned each.

"How do you do this?" Horace asked.

"Most of them know me and have helped me for a long time," Livia recounted. "For the respect they get and food rewards, they do me favors. Benedict mostly likes the food. Alastair prefers more mischievous activity, but he is the most loyal to me, which helps a great deal. His acceptance of these tasks allows me to get compliance from any less inclined. He is the leader."

"Well, well, I'm impressed," he stated. "No wonder Severus wanted me to elicit your help. I presume you have done this for him."

"Since 1986, actually. But crows are not the entire thing, of course."

Just then, Mel, Sydney, Sevy and Brontë began to file into the room. Livia introduced them all, but she made sure to reassure Sevy that his namesake had not taken a different post owing to him. There were complicated reasons, and Livia seemed to think the purpose was to get this particular professor back at the school. She gave each their assignments and they all departed.

"Could you explain to me why you have an owl named for my predecessor?" he asked.

"The owl named himself," Livia explained. "I had to tell him that he should not take his absence here from this task personally."

"Personally?" he inquired.

"Indeed," Livia explained. "These creatures are far more knowing and sentient than human beings tend to believe, especially those living around here. A classmate of mine bought the last owl some years ago. The owl told me she did not want the name the shop owner called her, Helga. I had to show that the owl wanted the name Brontë. I also had to show her that the owl wanted to live more freely, attached to the third owl, Sevy. You could call me an owl matchmaker. In any case, my friend officially 'gave' me her so that she could continue to live here. All four live in two owl boxes set up by my great uncle who lives outside of the village."

"Yes, I know Jack," Horace stated. "He was a very good student. He and another student of mine had an instant attraction. Everyone knew that they would wind up together."

"They spent about 40 years together, despite the fact that his family tried to break them up," Livia told him. "It delayed their marriage, and she unfortunately died some years ago. I never got to meet her."

"That is tragic," he maintained. "I liked Renee tremendously, more as a person than a student, though she wasn't a bad student at all. Very positive, pretty, generous and warm."

Just then the crows began returning and Livia directed them and ensured they had a great deal of food, given a few additional participants that year, mostly related to the core group that supported Livia.

"What they just did would take me a long time to complete," he noted. "Even with our powers, we have to hunt for such things that they can see and find so easily. I mean, I should know where most of these things can be found, but that doesn't mean I will grab them the first time or find enough at first glance."

"I know," Livia acknowledged. "I think that explains why they like doing it. They show just how competent they are and how people should respect them for their abilities."

He nodded. He seemed a little more present than when he had started, but a lot ran through his mind. Perhaps he remembered students he had many years before. Livia thought he remained capable of teaching but likely preferred to not have to think about the preparation involved in it. Certain aspects had to remain fresh or able to anticipate new variables, given changing personalities or discoveries or even accounting for or ensuring the condition of stock ingredients.

Not long after, the Barn Owls started filing in with each's assigned quarry. Each placed the material as directed, and Livia gave them great thanks and increased their waiting food supply. Sevy flew down to Livia and asked her about his namesake. They seemed to spend a few minutes engaging in a staring contest, but they were having quite an animated conversation. Sevy apologized if he had done anything to damage her situation with his namesake. She reassured him that if anyone had harmed that situation, it was herself. She told him exactly what was on her mind and what she had done. He thought it about time and could not understand his namesake's reluctance. Livia tried to tell him something of the man's allegiances, but Sevy thought that a cold comfort and completely absurd. He could not understand why someone would do that and miss out on a female like Brontë – or Livia – because of events long ago. Livia tried to make Sevy able to appreciate this a little better, but a Barn Owl believed in "Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May," so loyalty that transcends death would not make for an explicable sentiment. Survival for him and his species meant immediate demands must come first – there was no benefit to dwelling in the past. Such a luxury, in fact, could prove fatal quite quickly and unexpectedly.

"What was that all about?" Horace asked.

"Sevy needed to know a few things and wanted to tell me about my Uncle Jack, since I am seeing him later," she answered. Livia realized she should not say much about their conversation.

"Oh, oh yes," Horace assented. "Severus mentioned your birthday. Happy Birthday, Livia."

"Thank you, Horace, sir," Livia responded.

"Now I get to see for myself what he has told me regarding your skills. I often use a potion as a prize for advanced students and I wonder how you will do making it. If anyone wins it, he or she will only be able to use it later, after it fully matures, though." He laid out the assignment, and Livia remembered a few tips from that old book she copied from as a student, as well as prior experiences. She required sensitivity, skill and attentiveness for a complicated task. He watched her work quietly, curiously. Livia worked as if she desired him to time her. The synergy of the ingredients demanded precision and quickness, though. In this execution, assembling and blending everything deftly and rapidly enhanced the potency of the final product.

Livia announced to him that she had completed the potion and asked for his feedback. He did not see anything she missed or any moves that seemed incorrect. He tested the final product and found it flawless for its present state. He asked her to store some in several vials, which she did. Whilst clearing everything away, he took the finished product from her to place in the closet.

"My only question is that I wonder how you could do that so well and not have this post yourself. Why are you not teaching this? Did you not apply for it?"

"I do not like grading students, still, so I did not apply," Livia disclosed. "A few people probably think I am wasting my talents. I use enough of them right now so I am not bored, to be sure. Just wait until you need to read any papers by students I tutor. You'll see."

"Still, you think you give grades, whereas students, you must see, earn them," he stated. "You do not give anything. You merely apply a standard to work that requires a very high one. You show you understand those benchmarks. Relying on them means you have no subjective role. You cannot reward a student for anything else but their sensitivity to meeting a strict, objective standard. Neatness, effort or other considerations do not count when a potion does not work."

"Yes, sir," Livia responded.

"I can't believe Severus let you entertain that idea for two seconds," he asserted. "That is not his way, I'm sure."

"As long as he had the position, perhaps he was not going to say anything," Livia surmised. "Besides, I enjoy a more supportive role." _That should work._

"I suppose he did not want to look over his shoulder," he said. "Nonetheless, you do him great credit, since I gather you were his student."

"Yes, I was," Livia confirmed.

"Is there a similarity between your wand and mine?" he asked. "It looks somewhat alike."

"Indeed, there is," Livia answered. "Mine is just a bit longer, but its composition materials are identical. Mine seems obviously a bit less ornate, though. I was told of the similarity when I first got it, and the headmaster told me as well. He wanted me to tease Professor Snape about it."

"That must have been interesting. Hmm, well, I am going to tinker with a few things here, Livia," he stated. "You can go celebrate your birthday. Just send my regards to your great uncle. He must be overjoyed to have family here. I seem to recall that he had issues regarding that."

"Yes, that is true," Livia agreed. "Thank you and good day."

Before meeting Uncle Jack, Livia headed to talk to her favorite disembodied wise woman, Helena. Livia confessed what she had done and, all things considered, it could have gone worse. She probably mitigated the situation by instinctively pointing out a few things that showed that she had not entirely cultivated a "relationship," if you wanted to call it that. Livia wondered if it had been courageous or asinine to tell him that she knew that he remembered everything he did when appearing to be someone else.

"Could be either or both," Helena asserted. "It depends on your intentions or your goals."

"I figured he should know, that maybe he should confront who he really is – all of whom he is – not just define his whole life on events that, however key, cannot represent his entire life," Livia stated. "He is far more than a spurned, bullied, frustrated man, though I know how destructive those things can be, since I've lived much of it. He hobbles himself and gives himself an excuse not to grow. How can I or anyone else really live if we stop that process? I would go barking mad if I had to define my whole being on things that happened up to some arbitrary point in time."

"It is not arbitrary to him, though," Helena declared. "None of it is. It gives him purpose. It is sacred to him that he fulfill what he needs to do."

"I do not take issue with that per se," Livia countered. "I guess it seems like I do. I think he could do more with his life if he wanted _something_ other than a lonely sort of pain."

"That would also be difficult," Helena responded. "One cannot truly share a life and be dedicated as fiercely as he is to something or someone else – not much room there. He did choose this, but you are right about it being a painful, lonely road and that it has truncated him. It makes him more like the person he appears to be to everyone, and that is an image he set. Often, he allows his mask to fall away only when he's alone. I can't guess what goes on in his head."

"I believe that there is more to him," Livia asserted. "And that is his sacrifice as well as anything else he gives up."

"Yes, I know you see through what he has crafted and worn for a very long time," Helena acknowledged. "It does you great credit that you looked beyond such a rough surface as no one else could do it. He has to appreciate that, even if you are a thorn in his side."

"Is that what I am – a thorn in his side?" Livia asked.

"He has not decided," Helena replied. "You gave him much to contemplate – which to at least some degree annoys him straight away. Yet he will think quite a lot about it, as he will think about many things this year. He will do much that bothers him. You have some idea about this already. You will learn more, and I can help you deal with it because no one else should know."

"He said something to me that I did not understand," Livia stated. "He expressed surprise that you knew about all my interactions with him, including the persona appearing to be his nephew. He did not think you would necessarily know. So how did you also come to know so much when some of it did not come directly from me? I never thought twice about this."

"It is a reasonable question," Helena responded. "I did not have to know, but we have talked for quite a time and those who honestly share themselves with me I become very protective towards. Just like Luna. When it seemed especially problematic, I started trying to observe what he did and figure out why. You spent so much time with him that I just became more curious. I had previously found him interesting and unusual, but I really took a closer examination the more you two interacted. I found him incongruous somehow. I picked up certain things just by being here, but you sharpened my focus. I did not want him to hurt you badly, also."

"Hurt me?" Livia questioned.

"The first fights I saw with him looked like that," Helena explained. "Beyond that, I wondered if he would hurt you in other ways. At some point, I did wonder if you competed with a ghost of an unrequited, almost obsessive love that he cannot shake for reasons you well know."

"Yes, I know," Livia admitted. "It defines him, for good or ill – probably both. It was probably selfish of me to get him even to try to see anything differently. I guess that was my own ego wanting something in return."

"Selfish, maybe – yet it was also selfless for you to accept him on his terms, yet still challenge his outlook because you think it negatively affects his wellbeing. He never anticipated this. No one ever saw through the artifice of himself – let alone found him remotely sympathetic. He closely restricts himself and is extraordinarily good at it. I think he wanted to forget being anything else. The house ghosts may not have thought to look for such a thing. I likely would have missed it if you had not judged him differently than others. Seeing the world through your perspective has given me a unique view to add to those I have. I do not think you are wrong, but what that means I cannot say, as far as how the future goes."

They soon parted, but Livia had much to consider. She did try to accept and yet see truth, even if she did not get that totally right. Perhaps she willfully missed it on Nils (not unlike what he did with Elise) by trying to believe him, despite having penetrated his mind, or she mistook thinking that she had protected herself wholly. She never considered that her unique sentiments about Sev'rus meant she would sing to him as she had done that year. Of course, she did not expect a lot of things regarding him.

Livia put her musings to one side as she enjoyed a birthday toast with Uncle Jack and Anne. He shared with her a card and an update on Tom, Alice and baby Adelaide. Alice juggled handling the baby and her book as another baby, if still forming. Uncle Jack shared a little photo which showed the child resembling her mother with blonde hair and blue eyes. Apparently, Alice talked a lot with Doc as well as Audrey and Kate on all things baby-related. Doc had found that various staff members would, in a pinch, watch young Thomas Patrick (either Tom or TP) Davies, during off-hour emergencies. It seemed that many cat lovers wanted to watch babies, too.

Livia learned the next day that Professor Slughorn had departed owing to a sick friend he wanted to visit. He did have a friend who fell ill, though Livia wondered if he had developed second thoughts about returning. The headmaster never informed her that he had verified the story himself. Horace had asserted that Livia could fill-in for him or teach, but the headmaster ultimately told him that he saw Livia make something and retrieve items but never saw her run a class. Why did he judge her ready without seeing the most visible portion of that post? If he wanted to groom her to succeed him, the headmaster consented to it, but he should not presume to know Livia's status based on a few qualities that would aid in her success rather than guarantee it. The professor realized this point held great merit and pledged to take the students's train back to the school.

The fall term seemed to start well from Livia's vantage point, though it remained odd to see a different Potions Master. She liked how he evenhandedly dealt with his students, though, and had such an easygoing way of imparting advanced information owing to his comfort level. She figured out rather early on that a late addition to his sixth year classes had taken the copy of the book she had once photographed in her mind. Livia said nothing about it to anyone, given the potential the previous owner had on paper to benefit the student, Harry Potter, who never got on with him in person. Horace later confessed to her how he liked to choose various people to participate in a club of his and who had impressed him. Livia pledged to support him in putting his event together, though she did not attend. The only thing she wanted to know concerned a hex Ginny Weasley had used on the train. Livia recalled that she and her twin brothers had mentioned it years before. Livia filed that information away when she finally got to speak with Ginny, since Ginny didn't tell her everything when she sat in an infirmary bed.

It seemed Professor Snape greatly liked teaching a different topic, but he could never really change how he taught, even if he wanted to do it. He was comfortable as the persona who made everyone else extremely uncomfortable. She said nothing, though by then he knew what she thought. Typically, he could ignore it, if he wanted to do so. Indeed, she could make constructive suggestions that maintained his exterior whilst still communicating beneficial information. He usually did not need her ideas, though. Often, Livia anticipated what he wanted to do and merely kept him focused on his logical progression. She reinforced what he did. No one ever knew they could have an ongoing dialogue either before, during or after a class. Livia never changed her expression to suggest such a thing took place.

Livia noticed that the typical swagger of young Draco Malfoy was not quite the same then. His energy had changed. Something preoccupied him and put great pressure on him. _Didn't his father get sent to prison? Maybe that's it_. Nonetheless, he gestured to her that he was fine and she engaged in a short conversation with him that on the surface seemed so, but Livia thought it not really true. As Professor Snape tried to figure out how she kept a secret from him for over six years, Livia tried to see if he knew why Draco seemed troubled. They both got partial answers. Livia remained careful and put many false truths forward about Christopher Prince. Yet he saw the memory of her brother's friend Gary telling her to have him "get a move on" regarding them and her sarcastic answer since only she remained single among that group. The most he got were things she said to herself about Christopher when discussed by someone else which were cryptic and open to interpretation. Ultimately, he saw her preservation of his lie regarding Christopher foremost involved her sense of protecting him and the possibility he would need the disguise in the future. Yet seeing a version of himself from her vantage point proved unsettling, though he tried to stay with it even after he noted its effects on Livia. It explained much to him, though her obvious affection surprised him. Livia guarded these less ardently, for reasons he grasped. Livia had a harder time but ultimately found him visited at home by Draco's mother. She came with her sister, the spiteful, evil woman the headmaster feared Livia might have to fight. She also had killed Sirius Black. Draco did have a dark "mission" that troubled his mother. Sev'rus had vowed to help him, though. Livia, still, had to fight more to figure out what it concerned. _Why did he agree?_

Livia took turns in her continued dueling practices, impressing her old head of house as well as the Gryffindor head of house regarding her progress. They had not known how far she had come. Both inquired to the headmaster as to why she had not gained a higher status from this, like membership to his Order, but he brushed them both off, saying he had a different trajectory in mind for her. He wanted her unnoticed, off a certain Dark Wizard's radar, yet still ready. They both seemed puzzled but ultimately accepted this answer. Both seemed to think he meant "for the time being" rather than meaning that he wished to sideline her from fighting that figure at all. No, as he gained confidence that their best hope lay in fulfilling the prophecy, he wanted her to function more like a circling vulture, waiting for the time to land and engorge herself on what remained.

In fact, the headmaster gave much more time to the subject of the prophecy and outside business. Once a month practicing with Livia turned into more like six to eight weeks. Livia had to learn like Sevy to not take such things personally. She had plenty of things to discover or work to do, especially as she started to link what she learned about the vow taken by Sevy's namesake. _Could Draco have been given the task to murder his headmaster?_ Livia pledged that she would inadvertently bump into him and grab his hand, in other to verify her suspicion. If so, she was glad he showed any kind of hesitation about doing it, though he took whatever he had to do seriously, whereas a better person would reject the notion immediately.

Fortunately, for Livia, late December meant returning to her brother's home. She immediately found out that Alice had in fact turned in her manuscript. Alice was festive about that as well as Adelaide's progress, but ultimately she would come to a serious crossroads, which could translate to them moving. Livia had no idea how to respond. Her room basically became Adelaide's nursery, though Alice offered to move Adelaide into Alice's office for the time Livia stayed there. Livia rejected its necessity, though. Indeed, Livia had thought of ways to entertain the girl, like reading stories, or ensure that Adelaide, and whatever other young kids turned up, rested quietly there. Livia gave the room soundproofing that kept noise out as well as within the room and fashioned herself an earpiece to monitor it, in case someone inside cried out for anything.

By the time of Tom and Alice's Tuesday, 24 December 1996 party, Livia created extra baby bed-space for many of the other children, including both of Cathy's, so the adults could enjoy themselves for a time without them. Livia's room had turned into a nursery. A few people expressed surprise that Livia wore the baby monitor, but Tom dismissed the oddity. He said that Livia understood the technology and rigged the thing, so it made sense that she kept the earpiece. At one point, with Adelaide awake, Alice opted to show her off, since the baby had shown the ability to both smile and laugh. Alice had discovered something by which to entertain the child and wanted everyone to see. Alice would essentially lip synch singing the No Doubt song "Just a Girl,"* if keeping the volume a moderate level to not overload the baby. Neither Alice nor Tom wanted Adelaide to feel their firstborn should think she had to fit any particular female stereotype, so the song's way of undercutting that sensibility resonated with them entirely. Given Livia was never "just a girl" to Tom, he never really confronted that view until he was a teen. He usually straightened out anyone who said anything remotely insensitive about females. Of course, having a sister immensely and variously gifted compelled him to think no other way.

Alice made for quite a show to resemble the vocalist and get the baby to smile or laugh by contorting her face and using various gestures. In fact, several people, from Gary to Doc, wanted to see if they could get Adelaide to laugh as well. The incongruous hilarity of a male doing that lyric did not lead to Adelaide laughing automatically, though it got everyone else to do it. In fact, every guest, be it Bertie, Jake, Adam or John or the women there, wanted a chance at the "Make Addy Laugh" contest. Livia opted to one up them. She did it in a male voice, a surprisingly masculine, deep voice. None of the adults could keep a straight face at the incongruity, though the baby did not get that part, just the way Livia twisted her face in a funny, if at times sour, expression.

"Livia, who is that?" Gary asked, breathing hard to break up his uncontrollable laughter. "That combination knocks me sideways."

"It's Christopher's uncle," Livia said.

"Oh, that's what he sounds like," Gary mused. "I don't recall hearing him before. In any case, that could create some extremely panicked, intimidated kids."

"And adults," Tom added. Both laughed.

"Sorry about that, dear," Gary said to Livia. "Good luck."

In any case, Alice's idea of using that song from _Tragic Kingdom_ to produce laughter from Adelaide gave Livia her blueprint of what to do next month. Of course, she knew better than to presume he would find it as funny, even by half. Still, it would amuse her to annoy him again. They talked during their lessons but little beyond that and his classes. In general, he had a lot on his mind that ate at him; she knew why it did if her suspicions were correct.

Alice and Livia returned little Adelaide to her crib whilst checking on the rest. Everyone seemed peaceful. Alice suspected why but said nothing. Yet Livia did not have to give them a potion to make them all crave sleep; they had the perfect environment for it. When Livia and Alice returned, Tom launched into a serious issue: where would he and Alice go next? He wanted to poll everyone there and provide details as to why they might move to either London, Cambridge, Bedford, stay in Durham or go someplace else (e.g., a centralized location to give each flexibility for work). Everyone voted for the closest location to themselves. Livia refused to vote, which could have broken a tie. She refused to take a stand, saying it mattered less to her than others and that she had no right to make a choice given her flexibility. Only Tom and Alice knew why she felt ambivalent and refused to take a stand; they knew she could find them more easily. Livia's owls would care more than she did. Everyone else found her position puzzling, and, given the tie, they tried to lobby her to change her vote. Livia thought it selfish for her to say anything about it, given she spent only a portion of the year with them. Caring about early schooling choices for Adelaide made more sense to her. Thus, she would not alter her non-vote, much to the amazement of everyone other than the hosts. Livia really liked Durham, but to hold Alice's or Tom's future hostage to what she wanted to do for a few weeks every year seemed far too indulgent. Though she might regret that Adelaide might never know her birthplace, Livia knew the girl would know of it, at least. When everyone else gave first and second choices, Cambridge seemed to gain some momentum, though not from Jake, Gary or their wives. The vote did not constitute an edict, but Tom and Alice wanted some idea where everyone stood, since they had mixed feelings themselves.

* The No Doubt 1995 single "Just a Girl" appears on their album of the same year, _Tragic Kingdom_. Members Gwen Steffani and Tony Dumont are the credited songwriters.


	42. Livia's Biggest Test

After everyone left the Christmas party in Durham, Livia told Tom and Alice that, since she had not spent a lot of money in recent years, she could contribute in some way to whatever they wanted to do, whether it meant one large home or two somehow fused together. Neither seemed terribly concerned. In fact, Gary had contemplated buying out Alice before he and Penny had a family. Alice told them not to base their family decisions on the money; neither Alice nor Tom needed them to risk their finances to move. The only thing they contemplated regarding moving was how big their next house needed to be if they moved, owing to the fact that they might need to host their guests for a longer time if everyone had to travel to get to wherever they wound up. They realized maintaining this holiday together had grown more complicated as the years went by, with children and shifting locations as well added responsibilities for everyone. Tom especially wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible, which was worth whatever a larger house or yard might cost. Eventually, he would look at semi-detached dwellings as well as homes with attached cottages or similar either to provide Livia with her own space or even, during this occasion, a kind of space for the kids to have their own party. Such versatility could happen but it also might cost a decent amount. Having the freehold to the Durham home made such things possible, though Tom had no idea how much of a contribution Livia could offer. Livia's lack of or lesser costs for her things, from utilities and property taxes to food, clothes and gas, added up. Livia did not spend much more than she did as a student whilst she earned a decent salary – buying a copy of _Tragic Kingdom_ marked a consistency, not a divergence, of behavior.

Livia watched (and entertained) Adelaide with Abby so Tom and Alice could attend his office's party, then returned to school to make meetings on Monday, 6 January 1997. They discussed the last term and make any needed adjustments, as well as to get status updates on individual students or outstanding issues. It went very routine and matter-of-fact. Winslow, Hideki and Isabelle all had an amount of sensitivity and sensibility that made them practically extensions of Livia's mindset. Still, none felt managed or inauthentic – they just stayed attentive. They had picked up on what Livia sensed about Draco Malfoy and figured it had to do with his father. Livia did not share her suspicions fully because they would expect her to go straight to the headmaster if verified. Remembering what the headmaster said, she figured he would either dismiss her accusation, tell her that he wanted it to happen or tell her to forget about it. Maybe all three. She also realized that both he and Sev'rus could die, given the jinx to the position as well as the stakes of the vow the latter took.

The last point made Livia's last innocent prank rather important to her. She could not be sure it would measure up. She almost scrapped it, but realized its harmlessness against a rising tide of obligations and conflict gave it a specific, most useful, power. It lacked any other agenda. It required no deep thought. She just had to get his voice right saying the most ridiculous things about him since he was not "just" anything, much less female. So after she finished some paperwork on Wednesday, she took her Sony Discman, a small amplification for the music and headed to his door. She thought it good she did not raise the volume too much, in case he opened the door before she said a word. Instead, she got much of the song out as him. She just hoped he delayed opening the door because he did react, even if not as much as Tom and Alice's guests had:

 _Take this pink ribbon off my eyes  
I'm exposed  
And it's no big surprise...*_

He opened the door and stared at her, indecisively.

"You know," he began, "pink is not really my color. It's not yours, either."

"No sir," Livia stated. "I'd wear a pastel before anything pink. I don't own anything pink. I don't think I own much that's pastel, either."

"Do you feel like we hold you in captivity?" he asked.

"Not yet, but it's close – do you?" Livia countered.

"Good question," he responded. "If so, I made it that way."

Livia took his honest admission as surprising. "So do I get to wish you another Happy Birthday or not?"

"Okay," he agreed. "You remind me of why I do this, even if it's against your better judgement."

"Yes, you know where I stand," Livia affirmed. "I don't object to what you do or why so much as how it affects you. I feel it costs you too much, even if I have learned to process it better."

"You understand way too well," he said. "I can only hope you remain quiet."

"My promises remain intact," Livia asserted. He let her in where she sang for him as _her_ then asked for his hands so she could dissipate the heaviness surrounding him. It was dense, thick, sticky and dark. She felt fortunate that she could still remove it all, though she knew it would return quickly. His burden remained, thanks to what she had figured out. She dared not to tell him because he'd not want her to know. Still, she wanted to confirm it for herself the best way she knew how.

That winter she orchestrated making a quick, seemingly blind left turn out of his classroom just before Draco Malfoy entered it. Because she had so much momentum, she knocked him backward but reached her hand out to grab him before he fully lost his balance and fell either on his back or his head. She pulled him upward towards her and profusely apologized for trying to be everywhere at once and not seeing him trying to enter the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She only held his hand for all of two seconds, but it was enough, since she prepared for the opportunity. She knew. Professor Snape realized that she knew, also. He did not need to understand her thinking. He witnessed a cleverly staged effort. Livia wanted to verify what Draco had on his mind by touching his hand. Whilst Draco had received lessons in Occlumency from his aunt, he had no defense against what Livia did with such stealth and precision. He had no idea what he revealed to her or that she knew anything from such a brief interaction. She was good, the professor thought.

When several incidents indirectly showed attempts against the headmaster's life, such as by poisoning, she readily saw he actually had tried, even though the efforts did not hit their target. Instead, she had to ensure inadvertent victims had the appropriate excuses and information obtained for them. In Ron Weasley's case, an inadvertent poisoning victim, his apparent girlfriend took charge of his schoolwork, and Livia worked through Miss Granger to keep his assignments up-to-date.

Livia took some comfort in her busywork to distract her even throughout spring recess, though tension for her remained high. That tension took on a completely different dimension when she got news via Uncle Jack that her "sister" Lydia had overdosed – likely from heroin – and died. Livia and Uncle Jack immediately visited Tom and Alice. Tom had a rather detached view, rather numb. Lydia's death represented the core of her selfishness and its destructiveness, Tom felt. He lamented Cathy again. Lydia had not taken well what happened to herself, owing to Cathy's death. The only father she knew had disowned her. She had frayed his patience as she had held his family hostage until killing Cathy, who had triumphed over her difficult years to become a great wife, mother and advocate for cats. Lydia's culpability for Cathy's death also strained Lydia's tie with her mother, who finally faced a bit of reality. Her real father, initially welcoming the re-christened Lydia Lewis, found that she so disrupted his own family that he curtailed contact with her. With no obvious source of support except a string of addict boyfriends, Lydia became more hooked and had trouble working, a progression she apparently embraced. Emma Swinton mourned her second daughter greatly but also had to take stock that, having indulged Lydia for years, she could not "tough love" her in the 11th hour into being a good person. No one knew how to accomplish that.

Tom still gave his mother access to him, since he became her only living biological child, but he point-blank told her that their relationship had one clear limit: Livia. He would remain cool to her until she convinced Livia of her regret regarding her conduct. Until that happened, he could not wholly embrace her, even if he could overlook her blaming him for Livia's presence. Alice completely agreed with him. They hosted members of her family, Tom's father and brother-in-law regularly but did not put out the red carpet for his mother yet. Livia asked how Rev. Woodcock took the news and he said "mixed." Tom noted that, though his father had a host of regrets, he had a difficult time feeling too sorry for a girl hell-bent on destroying herself after killing Cathy.

Before Livia and Uncle Jack left, Tom and Alice confessed that they had started leaning towards Cambridge, but they had not found the right house and, for Tom, an employer. Yet they had prospects and disclosed that these things may come together in only a few weeks. That is, if things fell into place, it could happen quickly. Tom wondered if Livia had seriously wanted to participate in a new place or places that she should prepare her finances to make her money easy to access. Tom had no idea if Livia had money invested in anything or how she might amass whatever she intended to offer. He just wanted her to be ready.

When Livia did return to school, she made her arrival a pretext to visit the headmaster. She finally felt ready to confess that she knew who wanted to kill him and why, but he silenced her before she provided any details, telling her it had to play out as it would. He merely recommended to her that she make sure that the student who won a vial of a luck-oriented potion she had made possessed enough because he likely would want to share it with other students in the near future. Livia later retrieved another vial to ensure this happened; since the new Potions Master miscounted how many vials she had created, he did not miss any. She would pay the school back.

In that meeting, the headmaster remained earnest in stating that her primary loyalty to him lay in her continued silence. This would become her most potent test. She realized that he had prepared for his own death. He even openly told her not to expect anything from his estate because the school would continue to provide all that she needed. He even disclosed exactly what he wished to bestow from his will, though he admitted to the probable scenario that one particular item would not get bequeathed as he intended. For this reason, he had hidden it, trusting that it ultimately would come to the rightful person when appropriate. Livia would remember, in case she had to do something. Nothing could be left to chance in his mind, she thought.

That entire spring, Livia felt a dread for what would come. She did not need any divination materials or symbols because she learned way more using her own intuition, among other methods. She started inventing reasons to see the headmaster early in the day as many times as possible, usually over somewhat minor issues involving students. He noticed, but for some weeks he said little about it. He knew why she did it. She paid her respects, and she wanted to extract as much from him before he no longer existed among the living. Obviously, she missed her weekly sessions with him, too. Livia feigned stupidity when she had grown all-too-aware.

Livia was not alone in her dread. Once again, she learned way too much from pulling thoughts from the mind of Professor Snape. That he continued to pledge his eternal love to _her_ before the headmaster did not surprise Livia in the least; he did it practically every year in front of Livia. Yet he confessed reluctance over what he was asked to do, concern for his own soul as well as asserted a lack of will or desire to continue. Livia paused over that, for so many reasons. It did not entirely make sense, unless he had listened to her somewhat. What did he expect? She highly doubted he thought an afterlife gave him a new opportunity to redo what he had lost during his life. Yet if he did not fulfill his vow, which matched what the headmaster asked of him, he would die, too. Did he want that? Or did he think he could quit somehow and live a different life? Livia got the sense that he grasped at straws, as if drowning in a quicksand around him. If so, Livia realized that she was one of those straws. Helena did not have to tell her. The fact that he lived so apart and unknowable to so many finally had come down on him hard. Livia remained his only outlet, but he could not cling to her, either. Yet she knew. Even some of those involved did not know nearly as much. Still, Livia said nothing, as demanded of her.

Livia sensed it all would come to a head on Monday, 30 June, as the year ended, when the headmaster curtly cut her off and asked her to leave and not come back that day. He made an excuse about a trip he would take. The ominous nature of his request seemed obvious. Livia faced a rush of emotions that she could not entirely handle then. She supposed a kind of exhausted relief existed, too, but not when standing before the man who essentially signaled that his own demise had approached. Livia steadied herself by grasping his hand one last time, bowed to him deeply and withdrew. She could not speak. He knew she would do as told but that she felt deeply about it as well. He calculated that she had known him for about half her life and that his presence, even whilst not continuously close throughout her stay at school, had brought a reliable constancy that she would terribly miss. Still, he had faith that she would remember it well enough to be conscious of fulfilling that role, too, should she get the chance. He believed that she would.

Livia tried to make herself somewhat scarce that day, when so many others went about other plans. As the circumstances became particularly threatening, she ordered several tutors to protect the youngest students and keep them confined to their quarters. The house tutors needed a few reinforcements to guard each residential area. Livia got Winslow, Hideki and Isabelle out of harm's way with the others. Livia assigned herself to Gryffindor, knowing that most of the students intending to put themselves in harm's way would come from there. None needed to sneak around her; they just had to tell her that they took a potion that should protect them or Livia had some on herself if they did not, as Harry Potter merely took some from her vial that she had taken from the potions inventory closet. This guaranteed that the most defenseless as well as participating students stayed safe, since she knew to look after the latter. She did run into a few members of the Order patrolling the grounds but tried to maintain her own inconspicuousness, especially when it became obvious that their presence meant the building would become invaded by Death Eaters, who she needed to avoid at all costs. She knew she had been spotted briefly by Professor Snape after he participated in the headmaster's death, as requested of him, but both closed their eyes to the other and no one among the invaders noticed her.

Yet Livia could not help herself when she came across Bill Weasley being attacked – she had not seen him in years. The first sight of him involved a vicious mauling by the untransformed werewolf known as Fenrir Greyback. Livia felt him lucky that the full moon had come ten days prior, but luck hardly described the scene she came across. Livia shrieked loudly, which seemed appropriate as a reflexive action that revealed little about her. Afterward, Harry Potter successfully chased him off. Livia did what appeared the best – she took charge of getting Bill medical help and got him to the infirmary. She initially tried putting the potion she had on a small cloth and running it across each slash mark on his face, as well as any additional injuries, in an effort to minimize the harm done to him. It wasn't the best topically as internally. Livia tried both, though she knew it worked better beforehand than after-the-fact, also. Still, it was the only remedy she had right then. Bill tried to speak to her initially, but she wanted him to be calm. This was not the time to talk about the past or anything else, she said. He begged her to talk to him, settling on her telling him the story about the Slytherins she transfigured. He needed to rest, which he agreed to do if she did as he asked. So she gave him a full account, minus Professor Snape's role. She knew enough from being there that his sister Ginny would alert their family as to what happened.

Livia was prepared and told the nurse all that she knew and withdrew to contemplate what to do next. Later, she returned to inquire after those in hospital wing – Neville, who at least avoided serious injury, Professor Flitwick and Bill. Fortunately, Professor Flitwick did not entirely have the sensibility to ask Livia what had happened, or he might have put some uncomfortable questions to her. When she returned, only Bill's fiancée remained with Bill, tending to him as the nurse had recommended. Livia told the woman, Fleur, the former Beauxbatons Triwizard champion, that she had helped Bill get to the wing and apologized that neither she nor anyone else had stopped the attack in time to prevent his injury. The woman, still horrified to see Bill's wounds, cared about him foremost and said she did not need the apology. She seemed relieved that he was alive and would recover sufficiently. Livia briefly reviewed what she knew about caring for his injuries, over the short and long term. Fleur seemed steadfast and attentive, which Livia suggested could minimize the effects of the attack, which fortunately would not convey full lycanthropy. The scars might get fainter as he aged but would remain. Fleur had not batted an eyelash. She thanked Livia for the additional information. She apparently asked Bill later about who Livia was, since Livia had not said much about that. Livia withdrew to her room. _At least he found the right woman._

Still, it remained quite a lot to digest, even if Livia knew about almost all of it beforehand. Livia preferred to grieve in private. The headmaster would get a formal funeral on the grounds later, which Livia would inconspicuously attend, sitting by her Uncle Jack, whilst the other tutors stayed together not far from her. In essence, Livia had said her farewell before he had died, so she felt no need for any grand public gesture other than being there. The full burden of the secret Livia carried struck her. She could make no announcements or proclamations. She could not tell anyone anything, no winks or nods, no whispers. Nothing. They all had some ideas about what had happened and why, but only she knew the whole story. Her fidelity to the headmaster remained in her silence. She had to come up with the right way to deal with the cognitive dissonance without outright lying about it. She opted to employ: "What I know is irrelevant right now." That is, she would focus on what she or anyone else must do at that moment. She had to use that first with Uncle Jack, given he along with many others, heard the discussions regarding how the headmaster had died. Uncle Jack suspected Livia knew more about the events than anyone else but respected that, as with her own status and secrecy she once had with Tom and Alice, she would have reasons to not disclose what she knew. Others had sent her messages, and Livia repeated the phrase, which stunned a few people who likewise decided that her reticence must have a reason. In writing, she suggested she would say more at some later date. Surely, she would not protect anyone from the truth if it clearly spoke to her, friends thought. Those who knew her best trusted her, though they wondered if her grief had temporarily rendered her off-balance.

Afterward, she informed the remaining faculty that she remained at their disposal in terms of how the school would continue, after they truncated wrapping up the year. She had no idea about her tutors, though Uncle Jack invited them to stay at his house for the summer, till all sorted itself out. He converted his cottage to a type of house he and Renee wanted to have for a time – a type of California multi-storied beach house, a little like one Frank Lloyd Wright might have designed. Uncle Jack had taken matters into his own hands since Livia dragged her feet regarding altering his property. He found such a house could be everything they both would ever need. Temporarily housing Winslow, Hideki and Isabelle, along with a few house tutors just provided a beneficial pretext. Fortunately, the footprint, thanks to the multiple levels, did not heavily detract from the Barn Owls having some open hunting space, though they continued to get fed well by Uncle Jack to keep all fit and able to send or retrieve messages as needed.

Only then did Livia also appreciate the relationship between the tavern owner and the headmaster had been fraternal but complicated. She realized this because Uncle Jack's activity also suggested a relationship between the owner, Uncle Jack and members of the faculty beyond Professor Flitwick. Livia decided she had to let that all go, too. Uncle Jack could keep secrets well, apparently. Livia never tried to make him intimately involved with the school, but he knew plenty of things about it. His involvement was his own and far more extensive than Livia had grasped. She did not even know the full scope of it yet. Still, he had kept a number of things hidden from them, too. At first, he figured them superfluous or personal, then he decided they must be irrelevant, which Livia later said. He kept his suspicions to himself, even as he offered to house the tutors until the school's future got settled. Indeed, he made that time fun for them.

In fact, he had kept Tom and Alice informed, though reassured them not to worry. He also told Livia that they knew she was safe and would see them shortly, though perhaps needed to spend more of the summer with him until the school's status got sorted out fully. For a few weeks a holding pattern remained. Faculty disagreed about the disposition of various posts, given the odd departure of Professor Snape as well as the mysterious loss of the Muggle Studies instructor. Two of the three curriculum areas Livia monitored had come under intense discussion. The headmaster position itself seemed perhaps most thorny, though a successor seemed apparent in Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor house. Of course, it remained under debate if they should immediately go forward or not. Professor Flitwick suggested Livia teach the Muggle Studies courses herself, having no idea that might put a bullseye on her back like it had done for the previous occupant of that post. He had no idea why she might refuse it. Fortunately, no one formally offered her the position that would put the late headmaster's desires for her on a collision course with her former head of house. She felt relieved that she did not have to artfully engage in that discussion with anyone.

Before first briefly returning to Durham, Livia did a few things. First, to get her mind off the upheaval, she focused on a present to send Bill and Fleur for their wedding. Despite saying only a little to him, her affection for him remained undiminished. Was she jealous? To a degree she was, though more for his success in finding someone immensely loyal to him more than anything else. She knew some had doubted his fiancée, so in a way, as regrettable as Bill's mauling had been, it opened his family's eyes to her resolve. She did deserve him as well as their respect. Obtaining materials in Durham but working in Hogsmeade, Livia carefully constructed a cross-stich of both their names, several fleur-de-lys and its antecedent, the lotus flower. Since Bill had spent time in Egypt, Livia also used the ankh and images of Isis and Amun to offer a blessing to their life together. Though its size did not seem terribly large, its details seemed powerful. Livia needed over a week to finish it, though she left the work once to check in on everyone in Durham. Everyone seemed in awe of it when Livia finished the piece. Livia would deliver it herself.

At one point when Livia checked in on everyone in Durham in July, she found that they had made great progress in their move to Cambridge. They had found a wonderful property, which would provide everything they could want: view of the River Cam (south of the university and old city), attached cottage, garage space, place for cars to enter the property for occasional use, extensive garden, at least six bedrooms, not counting the cottage. Alice having access to the university and the location being close to Bedford gave her immediate flexibility, as did the fact that the house existed a short distance from a rail station connected to London. Moreover, Tom's partners at Fitzer, Robinson and Hubbard had contacts find an appropriate, connected employer nearby. Some companies often networked for various favors and advantages, a point no one had to explain to Bertie, Kate or Alice. Once Tom's firm recognized that he sought another position to better accommodate his family, they opted to make his transition serve them by maintaining an affiliation with him through the new employer, Becket, Hart and Church. They also left the door open if he ever desired to return, something Tom liked. Durham had become home to him at least as much as Framlingham was and, given his own family started there, he would never waver in his attachment to it. Alice did not need convincing on that point – just a reason to be there.

Tom's new employer even could make recommendations for prospective instructors qualifying future barristers, given Tom the potential to teach himself, in the future. The fact that Alice might have a need for a temporary stay in London made the convergence of this opportunity priceless. Steady, though not huge, sales of Alice's book made her known and a desired speaker or guest lecturer. She had formulated several contributions as to how personal politics or personal relations became political made her useful to social, cultural and political historians. Tom encouraged her, fully embracing how her career contributed to their happiness together.

Tom then asked Livia if she wanted in on the deal or if backing it might be beyond her means, given the property cost nearly £1 million, especially with some associated costs. Those would have been higher, if Tom's profession did not give him contacts to minimize such expenses. His own employer could function as his representative. She asked how far off £100,000 would be, to better gauge what he needed. He thought she was joking. On looking at her steadily, he slowly realized she was serious. Livia benefitted from an advantage to her salary came in its exchange rate to British sterling. If she averaged a savings of 5,000 a year in her own currency, not a ridiculous idea given Livia's modest living style remained intact from being a student, it represented over £24,000 per year. Given she saved a bit more than that annually as a tutor/head tutor, she could offer up to about £150,000 in cash. She wound up being able to fairly quickly turn over £120,000 from her account and later packed all the non-essential items for them that they could ultimately have movers take. Tom considered that last part the best birthday present ever, given how he dreaded it. Livia also calmed down Abby, who rolled with it owing to her love of the boxes around. They had to designate and decorate one just for her to use.

Abby kept herself in great shape and dedicated herself to Adelaide's calm in the turbulent process, too. Abby still had at least several excellent years of health ahead of her as well as some good ones. Abby also held a determination to hang on long enough to see the girl grown enough to remember her well, if she could not make it to her growing up. Abby was determined to become at least 20 years old. Livia monitored her to ensure she remained in her best condition, as she did with all the other creatures she encountered. Losing Sarah had made her vigilant; she did it without thought, though she could not check her crow friends as frequently. The food she gave them typically provided a health benefit. Uncle Jack did that with the Barn Owls.

Livia left her gift at the Weasley home not quite towards the end of July. It figured among the earliest wedding presents left for the bride and groom. Only sister Ginny, who later served as a bridesmaid, knew she had briefly gone to the family home and left it. She had a short conversation with Ginny to ascertain a few things. Livia relayed what she knew regarding the future of the school but probably asked more, such as how she and Ginny's friend Luna were. Ginny seemed nervous about something pending, Livia recognized, but opted not to directly ask her. She knew it had nothing to do with the upcoming wedding, as she accepted the bride by then. Livia had some idea, but she decided she did not need to put the girl into an awkward position.

Livia then checked on how Uncle Jack and the tutors faired in his summer quasi-hostel. The time she spent with the tutors seemed typically limited, perhaps owing to her state of mind. She did a few minor things with them. Everyone had a kind of nervous energy waiting to see if they should go home or not. Meantime, they spent time at the tavern and around the village and engaged in visiting the Barn Owls as well as trying to urge patience from their families over a situation out of their control. Because they had good chemistry and comradery, none wanted to abandon staying together until they knew for sure they could no longer work at Hogwarts.

With everyone settled there waiting, Livia returned to Durham. Tom and Alice planned the move for early Friday, 8 August. Livia felt she had to be there to ensure that she could come and go without detection, especially from the cottage. Adelaide would not have to know about her until necessary, if the arrangement worked. She could leave notes there on her travels, or Tom and Alice could do the same regarding theirs. They would set up a board to leave messages. Livia just wanted to see if the cottage had a fireplace usable for her in terms of her own world. Tom and Alice seemed to think it had a fireplace, but they did not yet know why this mattered to Livia.

With several days left before the move and most of Tom and Alice's things sorted, except for their personal things they would have on them, Livia returned to Uncle Jack's for a few days, which she hoped would finally render an answer regarding school. Only then did she learn that the Ministry of Magic as existed had re-formed owing to a Death Eater coup, installing various allies of the Dark Wizard to it. Some employees quit or vanished, whilst the prime minister had died. Ted wrote to her that Ben Spence broke off his apparently ever-continuing engagement, resigned and disappeared; Rodrick Spence formally joined alongside both Wayne sisters and their father. Rodrick perhaps did so for aid in his desperate search for his missing son, though he believed in what the new ministry represented, too. This new ministry also took over deciding the fate of the school, as a result. They controlled who worked there, specifically; wizards and witches needed to prove their blood status for employment. Everyone in Uncle Jack's home would have a position, if they wanted it. Since all liked each other and enjoyed Camp Jack, they had no immediate reason to leave. They could not escape the new order in their world merely by departing and from the summer, especially, felt bonded to each other and determined to stay together. Moreover, they felt Livia might keep them safer than they would manage on their own, given her behavior during the prior year. Yet one person might have an eligibility issue: Livia herself. She did not know what to think or do. The letter to all the employees asked them to provide evidence.

Only one person had gathered information on her status, and she had not seen him since their brief encounter that June night. What proof did she have? She thought about him a great deal, usually when she tried to sleep. In a way, he had lived for this time, but Livia could not imagine the stress involved. She felt horrible for him in addition to the secrets she kept of his. Uncle Jack realized that she worried about him, but he could not imagine why and presumed this merely extended from his nephew. After rumors he had heard, Uncle Jack could not imagine that she held concerns about just him. She may have seemed stoic during the late headmaster's funeral, but he knew her grief ran deep. Professor Dumbledore had found her, after all, and Livia could embody the "stiff upper lip" whenever necessary. Uncle Jack had no idea how much she relied on it.

Livia returned to Durham for the move late on Thursday, 7 August. She practiced a calming technique to get some sleep. Before the movers arrived the next day, Uncle Jack showed up in her bedroom and woke her up because he had an important question. Puzzled, Livia sat up.

"What?" Livia asked. "What happened?"

"I heard from an official from the ministry regarding your eligibility," Uncle Jack said. "What is your blood type?"

"Huh?" Livia seemed perplexed. She got up, put her robe on and found Tom, asking if he knew the answer. Off-hand, she did not know if it was O or A. Tom looked for a box of papers containing all her medical records from her birth, adoption and incidents at Colindale. Livia quickly opened it, reviewed the items and found a pediatrician's report regarding Olivia Mary Woodcock listing her blood type as A, the same as Cathy's. Livia replicated the page, returned the originals to the box and resealed it. Jack took his copy from her, telling her this information had something to do with her paternity and thus her eligibility to remain head tutor. Her birth mother had briefly received medical care in a British hospital; they found her blood type was O. With Livia's being A, her father's type also had to be A, too. Apparently among the list of students listed as prospective fathers, this revelation would narrow the list, especially of the half-blood wizards who might have such information more readily available, either from birth or medical care.

"Wait, only one person really would know that list of male students off-hand," Livia asserted. "What are you really telling me?"

"Severus Snape has been named the new headmaster of Hogwarts," Uncle Jack said. "He has the authority to determine or guarantee your eligibility to return. The other tutors wanted me to convey that if you return, they all will. I have to tell you, I am concerned about this situation a great deal. If you were my daughter, I would have a very strong view about this."

"Tell them that, if I am accepted as eligible, I will return," Livia stated. "I owe them that."

"You know, you could put your life in jeopardy doing this," Uncle Jack suggested. "Are you sure you want to go ahead?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "If you do not know, practically every member of Alice's bridal party made Christopher swear to watch over me as well as Rev. Woodcock. He did it, and he took those promises seriously. I imagine those vows will now come in handy. My life will not be put at risk by Professor Snape. Count on it."

"Do you really think Christopher's uncle is bound by that?" Uncle Jack queried. "Now?"

"If not now, he will be," Livia replied.

"Okay, I will tell them," Uncle Jack said. "I will worry, nonetheless."

"There are bigger problems for me than Severus Snape," Livia asserted. "Like the new faculty members – I will have to deal with both of them directly. I can only imagine."

"That is a fair point, actually," Uncle Jack conceded. "I will find out who they are for you."

"Good. Wish everyone well and tell them I will see them in another day or so. We will make some plans by holding a meeting at your house, if that is okay."

"Sure," Uncle Jack agreed. "I feel like a den mother right now. I love it, actually. If we can cast aside for just a moment the reason why everyone stayed with me, everyone had a lot of fun, except maybe you, between that project of yours, moving and whatever burdens you keep to yourself. I'm sure the first two helped with the last one."

"Someday, you may know a lot more about that last part," Livia asserted. "See you soon."

Uncle Jack left just as the movers pulled up to Tom and Alice's house. Because everything, right down to the furniture, seemed orderly and easy to put on a lorry, the movers made fairly quick work of gathering everything. Only a few suitcases of things, including Adelaide's stuff, remained to go in Tom's vehicle. Items for the boot of the vehicle could just show up inside the car. Unfortunately, Livia could not transfer it all that way, since a few things had to go on top of the car. Still, everyone managed well. Alice took the backseat with Adelaide and Abby in her carrier on the floor whilst Livia rode up front with Tom. He paused for a minute before backing away from the house he loved, which he called his little castle. They had sold it at a good price to Douglas and Dahlia Rogers, who had two older children. Tom had amassed well over a third of the new house's purchase price for a down payment. He could have given more, but Bertie advised him to hold back for incidentals, taxes and the potential to make double payments early on to lower the interest and the overall purchase price. Tom and Alice could do that if they did not have any unforeseen expenses present themselves, like needing car repairs or something similar.

The trip took longer than Livia thought it might, but her experiences with instant transportation made the refrain of "when are we going to get there?" something she would never get over. They all talked a lot, but also found entertainment via music they could play in the car or whatever radio signal they got. All of a sudden, Alice asked Tom to turn something up she wanted to hear. Livia practically swallowed her own lips when she heard it, then covered her mouth. Alice said the group was Australian and this particular song just appeared on the charts in June. Livia asked about the lead singer – did Alice know what he looked like. Alice did. She said he looked like several of the blokes she had dated – longish dark, slicked hair. Intense eyes, blue, a color which matched a few of them. If they got the telly to work, Livia might get to see a video. Alice then revealed a bet with Tom about this. He figured he would lose but did not know how or when. He liked losing to Alice – he really won when he "lost," anyway. So when Alice told him she would collect, he laughed and thanked Livia for being so transparent about what she liked.

"I knew this would happen," Tom said. "Still, 'happy wife, happy life.' I got no complaints." He laughed. "You are so predictable, Livia. Alice, didn't you already buy this?"

"I did," she stated. "Consider it an early birthday gift, Livia. Frankly, though, I think you tend to date blokes who resemble Tom."

"Alice, I don't remember your degree being in psychology," Tom countered. "Don't pick on my sister for having good taste." He laughed, then Alice laughed. Livia felt a bit disconcerted. Then she seemed to recall that they both had said something like this before. It felt like shtick.

Still, Livia reminded herself to get something for Adelaide, since she would turn one soon. When they arrived, Livia found she liked the property immensely, given its protection from prying eyes on both sides and its view of the river. The cottage seemed very open and had its own entrance independent of the main house, though there was a means to access it inside, when needed. Livia thought it had an old world, still sophisticated charm to it. She found the fireplace might work great, too, if and when she could use it as she wished, which would have to wait given the present circumstances. Livia could not wait to "work" on the yard in the dark. She had a lot of ideas.

The moving lorry followed them only by a short amount of time, given their slower speed and that they stopped for a meal, to ensure those moving had arrived ahead of them. Abby was confined to one room so she could not escape and Adelaide could nap whilst the movers got all the boxes inside. The trio of movers – Mac, Daryl and Charles – finished well before dark, giving Livia ample time to unpack everything they brought. Livia worked first to unpack the boxes and get input on where to put things. Alice made some food with things Livia unpacked first whilst Tom advised Livia on where to put everything. Livia even moved a few boxes to what now she could call her home – a cottage which still had perhaps 800+ square feet of space, plenty for Livia by herself. She could not wait to find and try that CD Alice had bought. She could not believe the things she was thinking, but there they were. She had to find out where those thoughts led.

* Author's Note

These are the opening lyrics to "Just a Girl," written by Gwen Steffani and Tony Dumont. Livia would sing more than three lines, though.


	43. New Home, New Headmaster

Livia spent the early portion of the night unpacking everything in the main house near Grantchester in Cambridge and putting some outdoor equipment in Tom and Alice's brick garage. Tom could not believe how quickly Livia made the place look like home. He would forever love the house in Durham, but he had to admit the new home could provide everything he and Alice ever would want. Sure, they still had a few vacant rooms to furnish, but both Tom and Alice got a spacious, if a bit drafty, office (which Livia fixed), and Adelaide got her own room, rather than the cramped space she shared with the sometimes-present Livia. The only one lacking a clear space was Abby, but Livia claimed that she could rectify this somehow. Livia ultimately gave her a type of covered gazebo, a precursor to what some call a catio, complete with a covered, enclosed entrance walkway. Abby would get plenty of fresh air and visual stimulation from birds and the river without leaving her safe area. Abby could get sunlight or shade, if not rain protection, depending on her desire, too.

Outside, Livia set up some rope light, lanterns and such accents as a wind chime and bird feeders near the house. All created a relaxed transition to a more structured garden. That she could do this in darkness seemed remarkable, but Livia gave herself a sort of "night vision" to be able to work. No neighbor would realize that she had transformed the grounds so quickly, since the perennials, wildflowers, ornamental grasses, and shrubs would look mature and carefully placed against a lush, green lawn. How Livia channeled "Capability" Brown, William Robinson or Gertrude Jekyll neither Tom nor Alice fully knew. Did she read gardening books? Of course, Uncle Jack's late wife had employed similar concepts herself, so Livia's impulses came from places and sights familiar to her. She had toured Crook Hall in Durham more than once, with its various plants and garden designs such as its Shakespeare Garden, as well as the university's gardens. Livia took pictures in her mind; those memories proved useful. The property in Cambridge merely gave her a canvas with possibilities stemming from what it had and the property's gentle slope. She got to a point where she figured she should stop and let the homeowners decide what they liked or not before getting more elaborate or carried away. She also put in a covered play area for Adelaide to preserve her sensitive skin and gave them her first swing and some additional outdoor furniture near the house. Where the "wild" garden flowed towards the river, Livia carefully placed a wooden bench and stone birdbath, giving it a sense of peace. She wondered if she should add a dock.

From that, Livia went to her cottage and looked at what she had there. She would need some utensils for common tasks, which she copied from Alice's things. She wanted access to the grounds directly from the cottage so she transfigured a window into a door. A lot of the boxes, though, Livia put in the bedroom off of the cottages open living space. With the items taken from Livia's Durham room, she came across a photo of herself with Christopher Prince. She wondered what he would think of her work, despite knowing that he had much bigger issues to tackle. His time had come. He was entrusted with the school by the very people who by perverting it could tear it down. Livia wondered how he would manage the dangerous game about to unfold. Could she help him, or would she distract him? She perhaps would find out shortly, depending on what he wanted to do regarding her eligibility. She wished he could have a moment to reflect or relax, too, like in the space she created.

Livia had her own bedroom to sleep in the cottage that night, along with the stuffed bobcat she almost never traveled without. Since the bobcat came from a young Cathy, it seemed precious to have, given especially how Cathy had her life cut short. Those Victorian gravestones of broken columns symbolizing this came to Livia's mind. She thought maybe she should buy one for Doc to put in his garden near the stone cat that watched her gravesite. She could not imagine Doc ever leaving that place now, given he essentially had consecrated it and gave his kids a place to take photographs for the next 15 or more years.

Tom woke up first on Saturday, 9 August and looked out from his upstairs rear bedroom towards the river, just to get a sense of the place. His mouth dropped when he saw all that Livia had done overnight. He then opened a window to stare at it without a barrier, then found his camera and captured its morning glow, zooming in on the garden that dominated the property, with its bench and birdbath offering a contemplative location to enjoy the property's willow trees and its river view. The place looked different, perfectly manicured and cultivated. He thought he was looking at a magazine image. He woke Alice up. She felt groggy and asked him if Adelaide needed her. No, he answered, and just asked her to look out the open window. She eyed the property but thought she had dreamt what she saw. She refocused by looking at him, then peered out again.

"That's ours?" Alice asked. "Do we need a gardener or a photographer?"

"I think we already have a gardener," Tom replied. "Bertie will think we hired one."

"I'll say," Alice stated. "He'll want a reference. I think I'll have to tell him to read one of William Robinson's books."

"Which one?" Tom inquired. "Maybe _The Wild Garden_?" They had shared a few interests and read some of the same books. Other than music, they had nearly identical tastes.

"I think any will do – or just do a tour of Crook Hall," Alice answered.

"Abby's got a little enclosed space and Addy has a swing, too," Tom observed. "Did Livia give you everything you might want?"

"I don't think anything more would be better," Alice concluded. "This took a talented eye, not just talent to execute. And she did this in the dark? Unbelievable."

"I wouldn't say 'just' about either the eye or the execution," Tom asserted.

"You're right," Alice admitted. "She added a lot of value to this property. I hope it's not due for a rate reassessment soon." Alice laughed.

"I'm sure it was evaluated for that as part of the sale," Tom declared. "Guess I don't need to buy a lot of stuff for outside right away."

"Not much beyond what we brought from Durham. Mulch perhaps?"

Both Tom and Alice wanted to put something on and get Adelaide to try her swing. Meantime, Livia slept after exhausting herself over a variety of things. The garden offered mere busywork in relation to what ran through her mind. She had no idea what to expect, but the anticipation itself might kill her. Somehow, Livia felt she would not wait much longer. Still, she had to wait, and she did not know how well that end would turn out being. It depended on who lived or died, she supposed.

Meantime, in a store in Hogsmeade, someone visited a small shop and requested a unique necklace, asking if he could get what the item required. The customer specified the enchantments he hoped it would bear, when it had to be ready and claimed not to care about the cost. The two indirectly conferred on the item's composition and properties and agreed on how to proceed with the commission. He asked that his name be recorded as "Christopher Prince" but noted that he may not pick it up himself. The clerk finished by formally quoting a price and agreeing to the date. The customer, satisfied with the arrangement, left. No one else in the area knew of the request. The jeweler spoke to him unseen or through his clerk yet pondered the rush order long afterward.

Livia stirred sometime after ten in the morning. Adelaide already had her first ride on her swing, with her parents gleefully taking pictures. Abby, too, got pictures of herself snapped as she tried out her gazebo, found it to her liking and stayed outside napping as birds chirped around her. Livia saw Abby there, pleased by the fact she seemed to like her enclosure enough to test it. Livia knocked at the main house door before entering and recounted that she saw Abby outside. Livia then learned what she had missed.

"Does this mean it's okay?" Livia asked. "Do you want changes or want me to add a dock?"

"I can't think of anything," Tom answered. "Might need a permit for a dock. Alice?"

"Not a single complaint," alice replied. "Can't think it needs anything. One can still walk to the river. A dock isn't strictly necessary. The only questions will come when we have to accommodate cars: how many will fit in our somewhat short, curved driveway or by the garage."

"That grassy median might disappear," Tom said. "Seems it would give us space for one or two more cars. I think someone would nee or AWD for that, though."

"Or you would have to cut that down," Alice suggested.

"So long as no one looks, I'll deal with the issue," Livia stated.

"I got no problems there," Tom said. "More time for the hosts to mingle."

"I should check back with Uncle Jack and my tutors," Livia asserted. "He's housed them until the situation there worked itself out. I'm not even sure I have a post."

"Why not?" Alice posed.

"This will seem strange to explain, but the easiest way is to say it has to do with proving my heritage," Livia began. "That is, it is probable I'm the daughter of an alumni, but I don't know who. I'm not entirely sure if the background of my mother suffices, since she is unknown there. Legitimacy to this new authority centers on a lineage of my abilities. Marital status matters less than parents or grandparents. They likely accept that measurement. My blood type perhaps eliminated some names from a list, which numbered seven. They may require more certainty."

"Uncle Jack did not seem terribly enthused about you going back," Alice stated. "He seemed to worry about your safety. Is he right?"

"Yes and no," Livia answered. "The new headmaster is Christopher's uncle. I'm not worried about him. It's others that might pose threats of some kind. I have to rely on my training."

"You still think Christopher's promises hold up after all this time?" Tom queried.

"Yes, I do," Livia responded. "I told you why. Some will worry about his uncle as headmaster. I don't. You will have to trust me. I cannot explain more than I have said. Uncle Jack or I should keep you updated about what happens." Tom wasn't sure if he remembered it all. If fact, he knew he forgot something about this.

Soon after, Livia returned to Uncle Jack's residence, assembled everyone in the house and talked about various contingencies. Livia congratulated everyone on securing the young students in safer areas. They discussed scenarios where such actions would become necessary and priorities in such emergencies, including trying to evacuate students from the grounds. Livia brought up older students who wanted to fight versus the younger ones needing protection. She admitted situations existed where releasing some from a safe place made sense – say, if 17 or older or involved in the student-organized defense group – versus strictly confining the youngest who could not protect themselves. Some did not like letting any go.

"That is why I took Gryffindor," Livia declared. "I knew many wanting to fight would come from there. One way or another, those wanting to join received a 'lucky' potion, and none got seriously injured. I did not know how any of you would react, so I took the responsibility. I knew many older ones would leave and, if prepared, I let them go and followed some. The man who received the worst injuries was a Gryffindor alumnus I know. I helped get him to the infirmary."

"I did not know you got directly involved," Winslow stated.

"Indirectly, really," Livia maintained. "All I can tell you is that, before he died, the late headmaster gave me orders regarding such matters, and I am striving to live up – or down – to them. I cannot really say more than that – it isn't all relevant to what we must do – but it is why I put such a heavy priority on the safety of the most defenseless. As staff, that should be paramount, though if it were up to me, I would have been fighting. That's personal, though. I hold myself back because our first duty is to the students, since we do not defend a building. Does everyone agree?"

The group all consented to this. "What would happen if we participated?" Winslow asked.

"Good question," Livia answered. "If we fought because someone threatened our charges, I do not see a big issue. Who would? The danger is that if we more openly fight, we become targets, like to those who invaded the school last June. We might not be able to defend young students well if we attract that kind of attention. We walk a fine line – mine the finest, I'm sure."

"Did you expose yourself then?" Winslow queried.

"We will find out – all I can say is that I tried not to do that, for the reason I gave," Livia replied. "Still, I took the hardest task regarding Gryffindor. Indeed, being the head tutor may carry that risk at times, anyway. Uncle Jack, who are the new instructors?"

Uncle Jack had listened quietly. He admired Livia's sense of the tutor's role and appreciated how she assigned herself its most dangerous aspect. He did not think her cowardly; rather, he felt glad that she circumscribed her role out of deference to the late headmaster's directive. He did wonder if anyone saw her, nonetheless. "The new instructors are brother and sister, imposed essentially by the new ministry from what I hear," he described. "Named Carrow. I believe both are Death Eaters. Aren't those two in the subject areas you follow, Livia?"

"They are, which means I will directly have to deal with them," Livia affirmed. "Good. No one knows the rules of conduct better than me. I will just need to check that they remain unaltered. That brings me to addressing how these two may negatively affect the school."

"I understand they are supposed to be in charge of discipline," Uncle Jack told them.

"I never heard of such a thing," Hideki pronounced. "What are you thinking, Livia?"

Livia's hairs on the back of her neck had stood up. She closed her eyes to ponder this before she spoke. "I get the feeling that means they're sadists," Livia stated. "How one expects followers from students treated horribly makes no sense, but we have to face the possible intimidation. We may be a first line of defense. I, in fact, discovered a few ways to minimize physical harm and even mimic injuries I did not have. I will show you all. Who knew that my imprisonment would come in handy?" Livia demonstrated the technique without her wand then with it. She asked for someone to hit her with a hex or physically. With the added power of her wand, Livia had the equivalent of fluffy pillows softening anything sent her way that got through. "You all pair up and try this." About 10-15 minutes went by and the tutors eventually got pretty good at the techniques. "Okay. You see it can vary in effectiveness depending on who sends what. Nonetheless, your job will be to assist in showing that or reviewing it with students who get hurt because they did it wrong. Refer them to me or come to me if you have trouble. I will show others when we get back. I have a feeling the youngest may not generate enough will or focus to do this well. Of course, I typically secure my face and head last, so it looks 'bad' or 'good' depending on who wants to see what. There are ways to secure it all the way or show someone what they desire to see." Livia provided more demonstrations. "Anything else we should discuss now before we go back?"

No one had any additional concerns, so Livia let everyone enjoy the rest of the day doing whatever they wanted. Uncle Jack needed to speak to her. "I am impressed," he declared. "Seriously. No wonder why no one wanted you to leave."

"I have been head tutor for several years now," Livia stated. "If I did not know this post by now, I think they would have fired me. I just hope I last the year."

"What do you mean?" Uncle Jack asked.

"Well, it starts with Winslow's question of exposure," Livia explained. "If I did not reveal myself then, chances are I will cross swords in some way with the new instructors. I tend to stand my ground. Both of them are bound to dislike me – as I them. So the issue of compromising myself, even if I avoided it in June, will come back. What happens then?"

"Do you have a death wish?" Uncle Jack queried.

"No, but I do have fixed principles," Livia replied. "I also have a photographic memory and know the Code of Conduct, reaffirmed by the last contract, precisely. They will want to terrorize the students and teach nonsense. I'm sure of this. I also will call them out. Will I get forced to resign or what?"

"You are going to create a big headache for the new headmaster."

"Exactly," Livia agreed. "In this context, he may reassign me, he may fire me or, if I get enough on them, they will have to back down because my complaint may force them out – which he could not allow. I know nothing about their abilities, but if I frustrate them, one or both may lash out. If I embarrass them, I will get a target on my back. I want you to know that I see the issues. I owe it to the school and to the students to be me. I expect them to be horrible instructors and worse people. I am not fooled easily, but I do not know how this plays out entirely."

"Very mature," he assessed. "And I am here for you, if you need me."

"Thank you. I probably will need your help."

All of the tutors returned on Monday, 25 August, having their typical first meeting that afternoon discussing the normal order of business involving things like new students and hours. The fallout from the new ministry claimed several students who would have returned otherwise. That a muggle-born witch like Hermione Granger did not return struck Livia as understandable and regrettable. The fixation on young Harry Potter seemed to do the same as they treated him as some sort of menace at 17 when he had done nothing to deserve it other than oppose outright evil. Apparatchiks don't care, obviously. That their friend would not return, either, seemed almost appropriate. Livia knew whatever had caused the late headmaster to leave campus on that last day of his life related to what they sought to do, too. Those three had also received various things from his will. He clearly anticipated the future, not unlike Livia. Still, Livia had to carry on with what her post required, despite how she disliked the circumstances.

Livia also went out of her way to find Professor Flitwick to convey to him the things she taught her tutors to reduce whatever punishments got handed down by those taking over regarding discipline at the school. At first, he wondered why this could be necessary, but he remembered Livia's instincts and ability to anticipate various events like that 1990 dance. He told her he would send his prefects, Head Boy and Head Girl to her to learn her techniques and suggest the other heads of house do likewise. He would show each of them what Livia showed him. Livia presented the efficacy of her protection measures but admitted that they often only lessened the effects of a spell unless using a wand. The age and abilities of the students also mattered. He had no problem picking up what she did, but she suggested he contrast a first-year student with one fifth-year or higher. Livia also explained why she sometimes allowed certain injuries to appear, to convince others that they inflicted sufficient damage, real or not. Livia also gauged the infirmary nurse on how much to make her ally and, satisfied, how she should handle either actual or faked injuries.

When Livia settled back into her room she found a note from new headmaster, Professor Snape. It tersely requested that she remove all traces of music from her office immediately and assist Professor Slughorn as soon as possible, before dementors impeded the ability of her avian friends to access the school. Livia did exactly as requested, pulling all traces of her music out of her office and did the inventory that evening and got her Barn Owl friends to complete their portion of the work Monday night. Sevy wanted to talk to her, but she told him that she had not seen his namesake in nearly two months, meaning she had no idea how he was or what he was thinking. Sevy asserted that he needed her but did not know if he would tell her as much. Livia wondered how Sevy could believe that; he said that he brought her his note and suggested she see for herself. She ensured they all knew about the dementors coming again, in case it compromised their travels.

The next day she completed the restocking thanks to her crow friends. She made sure Alastair and rest knew about dementors arriving and gave him directions to reach her Uncle Jack if they needed his help with anything harmed within their territory owing to their presence or any other issue. Sevy and the other Barn Owls lived there already. Alastair questioned why Livia gave him such information, when they lived on their own for so long. Livia told him that this year might be unlike any in recent memory and did not know what effects it would have on them. She wanted to give him an outlet if his group felt unsafe. Alastair thanked her before they all left. The Potions Master seemed not to give her any immediate assignments, though Livia wanted something for herself, anticipating problems with the Carrows. He allowed her to later take a vial she wanted. He also anticipated problems with the Carrows, though he figured they would not severely reprimand members of his house. He thought it best that he say nothing to his prefects or Head Boy or Head Girl about what Livia taught others in terms of protection. He thought if the new ministry had student spies, they would come from his house. Unless he saw otherwise, he did not wish to give them any indication that Livia might mitigate the discipline meted out by the new assistant headmasters. Livia thanked him for his discretion. He thanked her for another excellent job making his inventory well stocked and, with his order to place, ready for the term.

Wednesday, Livia held another round of meetings with Winslow, Hideki and Isabelle, after checking on the status of their union and contract, to ensure they felt ready and had everything under control. She told them that the ministry had not yet cowed the union or negated the contract, though it may happen. Livia also reviewed slightly what they last discussed at her great uncle's home. She would only show them silently, however. She felt she needed to be very cautious about what they said on the grounds, given the potential for staff – or students – to spy on them. She made sure that they knew who to avoid and what students had the greatest potential for spying. Livia told them about the removal of certain things from her office by directive of the new headmaster. He eliminated a cause for her being reprimanded or fired, but she did not let on that he did it to help her. She did state that she not know if he would stop there.

That night she was very quiet with her stealth headphones. She did not even sing, though she wanted to do it. Nearly two months had elapsed since that awful night. Usually, she checked in with her headmaster before a term started. Here, Livia hesitated. The problem: She _wanted_ to see him. Heck, she wished she could take him away for just a few minutes to sit in the garden she created, even if by himself. She wondered how he coped. She knew her head did not sit straight on her. She needed to vent the illogical from herself and only could hope listening gave her enough of an outlet. It did not help, especially since Alice inadvertently planted in her head a desire to do something she had no business even imagining. Livia decided she _had_ to see Helena tomorrow.

Yet that night Sevy tapped at her window. He brought her a note. She asked how he knew someone wanted to send her a note. He replied that he had watched and just knew. The note read:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _I must seize your entire music collection tomorrow. Bring it all to my new quarters. This action will protect you against one possible complaint as well as prevent me from taking action against you. I expect you will endeavor to protect the students and this school. Your beliefs regarding such shielding will get you in trouble with the Carrows, I suspect. I know you will not assign them to someone else because you likely have anticipated the danger. I doubt I could get you to reassign them, anyway. More is at stake, though, than just you – I'll explain tomorrow._

 _Further, I must ask you to stop your sessions with Filius and Minerva. Make sure they say nothing about them. Neither of the Carrows should ever know about those activities. They will learn nothing from me. Any sessions you have should only take place with me, if anyone. For all anyone should know, these will involve some sort of disciplinary activity. If they believe that, we both benefit._

 _Bring ALL that you have at 4 o'clock._

 _Acknowledge this and return it, so I can destroy it._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Severus_

Livia initialed "LW" next to the words "acknowledge this," which she underlined, and gave it back to Sevy, who quickly left. Livia felt a bit anxious about this meeting, which felt most unlike her. Still, she decided to see Helena afterward, rather than before. Livia recognized where her nerves lay – in what she might do or say. She knew he made a good point about her music, but how could she cope without it? Leaving the grounds seemed a non-starter. He needed to walk a fine line with spies among students and staff. So did she, but she refused to compromise on some things. She hoped he would give her additional guidelines so she acted in accordance with what he wanted even if she appeared to defy him. Still, she thought about more than that issue. Sleep came with some difficulty that night. Livia carefully wound herself down and stared at the framed photo Tom took of the garden she made for them in Cambridge before finally drifting off. She could not imagine the new headmaster's level of stress because hers found a new ceiling almost daily.

After a few morning meetings, she ran into Filius to tell him she would not be continuing her sessions that year with either Minerva or himself. He wondered why. She cited the Carrows and the "off the radar" edict of the former headmaster. Livia believed this decision wise at present. She wanted to ensure neither said anything about those, for the same reason. He agreed, though to himself he wondered if she went overboard. Still, both honored her request. Livia made sure to present this as her idea via the late headmaster. Moreover, she said nothing about any time she might spend with Professor Snape. She knew they had misgivings about him and did not want to allay these or bring them to herself. So she would cover up her tracks as best she could, even though she knew her footprints would be visible once the term began.

Livia needed to traverse more territory to reach the headmaster's suite and felt lucky she knew how to effortlessly pack up and transport all of the things she possessed to turn over to him. She finally re-remembered that she had turned 25 that day, the age he was when they initially met. She thought about that a good deal as she walked over. She had no idea where to begin, since they had much to discuss. The seizure probably constituted a small issue, but the music gave Livia peace of mind, too. She kept her brother's wedding album and the picture of his Cambridge garden in her room, duplicating the latter. She had taken one to give to Sev'rus, to get him to imagine being there, since he would be quite the most unlikely visitor. She endeavored to enchant the photo to look more like one he might possess, with the grass and flowers blowing in the wind.

Livia knocked, if a little politely. Annoying him did not fully enter her mind, though she longed to do one thing she did not know how. It certainly would irritate him during a most serious time for both of them. Yet the concept of "if not now, when?" also crept into her mind. Two months without seeing him must have warped her brain, she thought.

He opened the door. "Miss Woodcock, good of you to join me," he declared, with his typical sarcasm underneath. "We have much to review. Come in."

"Yes, sir," Livia flatly stated as she entered.

He closed the door then ensured every part of the room became sealed off from any prying ears or intrusions. "I see you brought everything with you," he observed. "No one will question my confiscation of these things, but this is not the biggest issue right now."

"It can be a big one for me," Livia countered.

"We'll come back to it," he asserted. "First, I want to show you this. I gave the re-formed Ministry of Magic my list of seven names. They left school to start their winter break rather early that term, which is how your birth mother saw a tie and robe. Your blood type, coupled with that of your mother, removed three names from the list. Only four remain – one of these is your father."

Livia looked at the list. Two names seemed familiar and two did not. She read:

 _Aldrick Spence (half-blood, type A)_  
 _Blake Hall (pure, type unknown)_  
 _Lucius Malfoy (pure, type unknown)_  
 _Paul Marlborough (pure, type unknown)_

She picked up on implications regarding half of the names and knew nothing about the other half.

"What can you tell me about Blake Hall and Paul Marlborough?" Livia asked.

"Not a huge amount," he admitted. "I knew both. Bottom line is that everyone on this list is allied one way or another with the current ministry and the superiority of blood purity. Only the Malfoys are fully Death Eaters, though. In any case, the things you brought as well as the people you know likely would offend all of them. The most tepid supporter is Aldrick, who does not share the ardent position of his older brother. Still, he identifies with the cause."

"So, if he is my father, I dated my first cousin and didn't know it?" Livia inquired.

"Yes," he affirmed. "I saw no reason at that time to trouble you about that unless it became a stronger possibility or proven fact." Livia did not know whether hiding this was kind or not.

"The other possibility is that Draco Malfoy is my half-brother?" Livia queried.

"Also yes," he replied. "I must say I found that very hard to believe, knowing Lucius, his views and the fact that he knew his wife whilst a student. Given his former status as a school governor, I tread lightly. I also knew that this information would upset you. I frankly would have preferred to have eliminated at least one of those two before I had to share any list with you."

"Does this mean Rodrick Spence is also of half-blood status?" Livia asked.

"Yes, they have the same mother, Tabitha Spence," he answered. "Rodrick hated her as muggle-born more than Aldrick. This explains Rodrick's obsession with restoring his bloodline."

"Very interesting that Rodrick has been so ardent about this issue, and I likely have more 'blood purity' than he has," Livia observed. "Yet he thought me unworthy of his son."

"True," he agreed. "Welcome to the illogical. Probability gives you a strong chance of pureblood status, though I'm not certain if ministry officials will all accept your mother's background. Most would. In any case, I have sworn that your heritage is clearly better than mine."

"So, am I supposed to have you worship me now?" Livia inquired, with biting sarcasm.

He almost laughed. Almost. He had to swallow it. "No time for jokes, Livia. I need to give you something." He presented her with a long box held together by a red ribbon. "If anyone asks, you tell them it was a present from my nephew for your birthday. You'll see why it matters."

Livia looked puzzled. "Thank you?" She opened it. Inside appeared the most beautiful, polished to a remarkable shine, large heart locket on a chain of linked pieces that looked like diploma scrolls. "Blimey. It's incredible. This is most unlike you. You must have a purpose."

"I do," he admitted. "Let me put it on you. Once I do, only you will be able to remove it. I insist that you never take it off – no matter what anyone says, especially if I demand this in front of someone." She turned around and swept her long hair to one side, and he closed the clasp entirely. He paused to initiate its charms. "These links are special. Your wand can activate them to unroll mirrors that will redirect almost any hex, curse or attack launched towards you. If you do, they will rebound on the person trying to hurt you. If they reflexively unfurl, they will just deflect rather than directly hit your adversary. The locket itself has that ability, too. Open it."

Livia did as he requested. Inside she found a picture of the young man she called Christopher Prince. She gasped then gazed directly at the headmaster, but he directed her to look more. On the back of that image lay his own, whilst the locket's reverse side contained the engraved statement: "Happy 25th Bday. Ever my love, C.P. 28-8-97." Livia was floored.

"I'm stunned," Livia stated. "I have never seen anything like it. Will it repel everything?"

"I can't say if it will be foolproof," he said. "There was no time to test it fully. Don't risk your life on it if you can avoid that. Still, it should protect you, and a credible narrative justifies it. The necklace represents his promises to your family as well as what Albus wanted. It will function best here right now but should aid you anywhere. It will only grow in strength should I die."

"Oh, don't say that," Livia protested. "I don't want that to happen."

"Neither of us wanted Albus to die, but circumstances made a virtue out of the inevitable," he maintained. "I realize that you know Albus asked me to gain the full trust of the Death Eaters from his death, but I loathed doing it. In any case, I must consider the possibility of dying – and I must endeavor to ensure that you do not defend me or join me so long as the Dark Lord lives."

"Yes, I know and understand," Livia assented. "I wanted to give you something, too. This." Livia presented him with her enchanted version of Tom's photograph. "When you need to withdraw to a place of tranquility, think of sitting here."

"What is this?" he asked. "It is not my birthday."

"My brother bought a new house near Cambridge with a decent-sized yard. The night we arrived, I worked on the grounds to make this garden. I got ideas from historic ones I have visited."

"You did this in one night?" he inquired.

"Yes," she affirmed. "I wish you could see it. Since you are here, you can imagine placing yourself there looking towards the river. It could give you a quiet sanctuary, if you need it."

"This is very thoughtful, and I must say you have quite an eye for landscape gardening," he said. "Are you showing off again?"

Livia laughed. "If you like it, then yes."

"As you might have guessed, your immediate problem will be the new assistant headmasters, who are supposed to be in charge of discipline," he declared, changing the subject. "I would imagine that you know what to expect and have let those under you know your thoughts on this as well."

"They are sadists with delusions of grandeur that do not match their abilities," Livia asserted. "And I have called them sadists. How close did I get?"

"You are precisely right," he answered. "The Death Eaters took over the Ministry of Magic but have not seized the union yet – they will in time. At the moment, the Code of Conduct remains, and I presume you know those rules very well."

"Of course," Livia responded. "I memorized them."

"Thus you will have the means to challenge them both and in frustration they will lash out," he said. "You will aid the students and the other faculty until this door is closed to you. Have you taught anyone the techniques you used whilst confined?"

"The other tutors and my former head of house so far," Livia replied. "I should be able to instruct various prefects and student leaders as various heads of house send them my way."

"Good," he affirmed. "That should blunt some of their efforts, especially early in the term. Once the other heads of house realize your efforts were prescient, they will attempt to keep their students away from them. It's better to do that than risk a student who cannot execute your spells or risk that the Carrows neutralize their efficacy with the most vicious types of punishment."

"I agree. So basically I am a stall tactic until they all appreciate what I have figured out."

"Yes," he confirmed. "Some will want to openly defy them, anyway, with no regard for protection from any injuries, and you can quietly help after-the-fact, too."

"I see that," Livia admitted. "Neville has grown up a lot, hasn't he?"

"Yes," he agreed. "I think doing that will be his badge of honor. Neither of us can take credit for it. One other thing: You defying them will draw attention from the new ministry, too, especially after the union is broken. Whether or not someone tries directly to get at you, someone there likely will find a rationale to go after your brother and his wife. Tell your uncle to protect them and tell your friends you may have to keep them in the dark about yourself at some point."

"I get that. Yes, I will do so. Thank you."

"Now, I suppose we can talk about your music," he told her.

"I have tried to be quiet with it, but I admit your seizure makes sense in multiple ways," Livia acknowledged. "But I'm not sure how I will function without it."

"Can you discretely set it up here?" he asked. "If you can, I may be able to give you time right after dinner when you can work and listen to it here whilst I am elsewhere."

Livia widened her eyes. "Really? That is most generous of you."

"Well, it's not that much of an inconvenience if I'm not here," he asserted. "This room will dampen down anything. No one will hear you. And some will think I'm punishing you."

Livia tried to place her things inconspicuously in drawers and hidden shelves. She just put away the portable devices. Only the larger CD player and discs mattered. After everything seemed in place, she looked at him. "All that is left is trying it out. May I?"

"I guess," he allowed.

 _Do I dare disturb the universe? Do I dare…? Will I ever get another chance?_ Livia decided the worst he could do would be repelled by his own gift. She put in something, which began to play. "May I have this dance, sir?"

"Livia..."

"I'm only 25 once," she stated.

"You got a gift," he maintained.

"Not the one I wanted, though," she declared.

"Hmm." He looked puzzled and narrowed his eyes.

Still, he relented. He knew that she would probably clear his energy field for agreeing, which did help him maintain focus. It mattered more than ever. He had no idea that she put on the Savage Garden song Alice had gotten Tom to turn up during their ride to Cambridge. She placed it in "repeat" mode, also. She softly sang it in her own voice, making it sound like a duet. The chorus uttlerly shocked him:

 _Ooh I want you, I don't know if I need you but  
Ooh I'd die to find out  
Ooh I want you, I don't know if I need you but  
Ooh I'd die to find out_* _  
_  
He remained stunned and tried to say something and strongly pull away. Livia did not let go, simply saying, "Shhh, simmer down." He made another effort and, looking straight at him, she put a finger to his mouth, softly stating, "Husshhh, or I'll make you." Her other arm draped around his back with her hand touching his neck at his scalp. This was way too much for him, but his resistance made her more determined. He did not grasp that and tried a third time to protest and pull back.

Her answer: she kissed him directly on the mouth, and he could not have been prepared less for it. As long as he tried to pull away, the more she kissed him and would not let him go. Her heart seemed to pound in time with the music, so loudly to her that she could not determine his. Livia would only release him after he stopped fighting her, which made for a very long kiss. She closed her eyes and knew exactly what she was doing. He either accepted this or resigned himself to the fact she again was kissing him intensely and also freed himself from the darkness weighing him down. He found himself greatly surprised that her touch and kiss could provide that. He felt rather overwhelmed. He couldn't understand why Nils had rebuffed her; he had started melting.

Livia opened her eyes and finally let him pull his face back but she remained fairly close to him. "You still want to give me access to this music?" she asked very softly, looking up at him.

"I won't be here, you know," he replied. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you never would and you probably need it – and because I needed to find out, whether I died or not doing so. That was the gift I really wanted."

"You shouldn't have done that," he asserted. "What happened to your professionalism?"

"I'd do it again and you know it – and I wanted you to know it," Livia said.

"I once wondered about your intent when you nearly kissed Christopher's face off after your brother's reception," he admitted. "I wanted to ask. I cannot believe how long ago that was."

"Yes, I know – over six years ago now," Livia responded. "You probably have your answer now. I want to be here for you because no one else alive is. No one else can be. Thank you for this necklace and goodnight, Sev'rus." She quickly hugged him, turned off the music and left.

Livia returned to her room to process what she had just done. She somewhat shocked herself. She made a very bold statement, for sure. She wondered if she would ever tell a soul, other than Helena Ravenclaw. Not having seen him in nearly two months compelled her to act, especially since much of that time offered little guarantee that she would ever see him again. If he accepted the potential for his own death, she found a way to say that at least she had done that whilst she still had the chance. She did not wish to imagine touching his corpse without having ever kissed him at least once, rather than a contrived persona of his – even if that persona was the only part of him capable of expressing any affection towards her.

* Author's Note

The Savage Garden single "I Want You" was released at various times in the world over 1996 and 1997. For the UK, its release (and charting) came during June of 1997. The self-named album initially debuted in Australia in 1997 and elsewhere in 1998. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones are the credited songwriters.


	44. A Culmination or End to a Familiar World

Before meeting Uncle Jack and Anne to mark her birthday, Livia went to see Helena Ravenclaw, expecting Helena to lace into her about her behavior that day. Helena did not, however. She agreed with Sevy that, though he would not admit it, the new headmaster did need her in part to fulfill his mission. Helena could deem Livia's actions indulgent or desperate, but given the rising stakes, she would not. Helena found the garden Livia created wondrous, too. She wanted to know how she could learn about such things. Livia did not know if the library held anything about gardening. Livia asked if she could see her Uncle Jack's residence, if not review what he had on the subject. Helena admitted that, though she almost never left the grounds, she could make trips beyond it. She had not died at the school, after all. She chose to stay there. It gave her a sense of permanence but did not mean she had to remain there constantly. She merely limited those acts that could weaken her presence as a disembodied entity.

Livia would inquire what, if anything, Uncle Jack had, besides what Helena could see. Helena seemed pleased that she had something new she might learn. Her thirst for information kept her there, after all. She never recognized how fully some could organize nature in an artistic fashion. She wanted to understand how it worked, how someone applied principles or taste to something she tended to accept. She also left Livia with an interesting parallel that simultaneously worked and did not work: Livia's quasi-unrequited affection for the new headmaster resembled, yet did not entirely replicate, his undying passion for the woman he loved and lost. She saw both as unconditional and, in the end, unsatisfying, even if he returned Livia's regard in some measure. Livia said she knew better than anyone else since she had mimicked _her_ voice for years.

"It is an interesting comparison, no?" Helena asked.

"I suppose," Livia replied. "The bottom line is both are untenable. In the past, I have tried to find someone else, whereas he never did, if for his own reasons or excuses. If I could have, I guess I would have run off with his 'nephew' years ago. I think he knows that now."

"He does," Helena acknowledged. "Some part of him this year will wish he could have, too. He will sacrifice that as well. You know it."

"Yes," Livia stated. "Thank you for talking to me, even if this topic makes you uncomfortable. You are the only one who knows."

"I appreciate that," Helena responded. "It's also one of the many things he admires about you. He frankly was beyond shocked at what Nils did. He was honest about that. He does have an extremely high regard for you – do not ever doubt that. He did not have to give you that necklace nor put his own picture in it. He made a sincere gesture, if also practical."

After sending a terse, if cryptic, note warning Ted and Athena about her situation via Brontë – and they informed others for her – Livia met Uncle Jack and Anne at the tavern. Both seemed quite struck with her necklace. Uncle Jack stuck to its concrete uses, reading Christopher's concern as matching his own. This fear echoed Livia's worry years ago for Nils, too, as did the necklace itself. Anne particularly loved the inscription and wondered why they never saw Christopher, if he sincerely felt that way. Uncle Jack thought she made a good point. Livia could only say: "Everything these days is so complicated. I don't know what else to say."

Livia told them that the hunt for identifying her father had narrowed down to four candidates and listed them. She asked Uncle Jack if he knew anything about them.

"All rather self-obsessed, but I would say of the four, Paul seemed the most focused student but also most entitled and Blake a bully most likely to have done what those Slytherin students did to the school music collection," Uncle Jack stated. "The other two candidates blow my mind."

"Why is that, Jack?" Anne asked.

"Livia, tell Anne about your one school-age boyfriend," Uncle Jack said.

"Anne, I dated Ben Spence for over half a school year," Livia revealed. "If Aldrick Spence is my father, then I dated my own first cousin."

Anne nearly spit her drink out. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "That's not too good, to say the least. No one really promotes that anymore, not even for the sake of blood purity. Was that the boy you told me about, Jack, whose father dismissed Livia for not being good enough for his kid?"

"That father would be Rodrick Spence, yes," Uncle Jack affirmed, then having another gulp of his drink. "Isn't that unbelievable? If that were true, it'd smack him hard, even if separating them was proper. As for Lucius, I think he primarily felt he needed to maintain his family's prominence at that age and had a large ego about it, too – not unusual for that group."

"Isn't that the type who tends to act out when one thinks no one is watching and there is nothing at stake?" Anne asked.

"Could be, but I would say that about all four of them," Uncle Jack answered. "Whoever wants to know should probably get photos of the four and ask either the birth mother or whoever left you as a baby to pick out the bloke involved with the mother that December. Either that or get blood type information on the pureblood wizards to narrow down the four."

"Muggles now have more sophisticated ways of determining paternity, which would resolve the issue completely and quickly with a salvia or blood sample," Livia disclosed. "I think hair can be used, too, if the root is intact. It's called DNA. No one needs to talk to the mother."

"I have no idea how it works here," Uncle Jack said. "Is someone still looking?"

"I think so, but I'll confirm that at some point," Livia replied.

Livia also warned Uncle Jack about the potential if she challenges the new instructors that someone could come after Tom and Alice. He was shocked but would figure out how to protect them. Livia urged him to put protection for them in place before it became needed. Anne left not long after Livia ascertained what Uncle Jack owned regarding English landscape gardening. It occurred to Livia that she could have asked why Uncle Jack knew a lot about prior students, but she took it as a given, rather than ask, like his friendship with Filius. She knew that Uncle Jack ran a sweets shop in town for some years but did not know all the details. Perhaps she should have learned more, even though she did not wish to overly pry. She wondered about upsetting him via memories she stirred up, too. She knew he wanted to hold back a little and let him have that, given the situation. Before leaving him, she took Uncle Jack to the Cambridge house; he enchanted it, then had Livia make him forget that they had moved. That was good enough for the time being.

The school year opened with a dark, ominous tone. A combination of factors included the weather, the militarized organization of the students and a sense of foreboding regarding both the new headmaster and new instructors. Livia was glad that, before classes even began, the student leaders of Ravenclaw had sought her out. They took everything their head of house said seriously and they knew, by reputation, Livia had served as a prefect there herself. She showed them everything she knew and let them practice things on herself to demonstrate what this protection could do, as well as its limits. They promised they would instruct their students and send anyone to her who needed extra help. Word spread of this visit to two of the other houses and the student leaders of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor also came by, with the latter coming shortly after the former. Livia went to sleep that first night feeling like she had done something useful.

For the first day of classes, Livia did not leave her room without a little luck on her side, courtesy of a leftover in the potion inventory closet. She may or may not have needed it, but doing it made her just more settled and confident. The Potions class she attended went the same as last year's version, without any divergence whatsoever. No one had altered the man's teaching. He did not seem the type who would bend, anyway, given his years of experience.

Livia next went to see the female Carrow sibling, a harsh-looking, partly stout and small woman, teaching her first Muggle Studies course to sixth-year students. Immediately, Livia saw glaring issues. She rifled through her Code of Conduct book in her mind and found that, yes, she did have cause to interrupt the class. The "textbook" had a number of obvious problems, for one.

"Professor Carrow, under article III, paragraph 26, item 2, I have the authority to stop a class and question you about the appropriateness and scholarship of the textbook that is being assigned here," Livia announced. "How does this book fit the guidelines for required reading materials offered to students at this school?"

"The Ministry of Magic has selected this book, and it does not concern you," Professor Alecto Carrow replied.

"Oh, that is where you are wrong," Livia stated. "As the head tutor of this school, I have the right and the obligation to question this, as I just have. I was not aware that the ministry selects textbooks, since they are not experts in this field any more than they have the ability to choose an Advanced Potions book. I did not see them change what Professor Slughorn uses, so why here?"

"Take it up with them; you have no business asking me and interrupting a class," she retorted, growing hostile with Livia disrupting her assertion of gravitas and authority.

"I do, and I can show you the code stating this," Livia repeated, producing the volume at the appropriate page. "There are only a few instances where I am charged with doing so, and this is one. This textbook, if one can call it that, is not issued by a publisher known for academic work. In fact, it looks like a vanity press set up by someone who can say anything without legitimate attribution. There is no bibliography, much less endnotes or citations of any kind. I do not see a single reference to known figures in this field, such as Peter Schiama or E.P. Sanderson or Gulliver "Goldie" Goldinger, or respected periodicals like _The Journal of Muggle Studies_ or _The Journal of Muggle Social History_. Parents of these fine students need to know that their children receive the best information available. Perhaps you can address this in private, if you will not address this with me right here and now." _Sad that they would want all students to read this – and predictable._

"I will do no such thing here or later and I resent this disruption," Professor Carrow said dismissively. She also directed a hex from her wand at Livia, who blocked it easily, though hers remained in her pocket. She put her hand on it.

"I am the head tutor of this school, and that is also a direct violation of the Code of Conduct here, _Miss_ Carrow," Livia fired back at her. "Our contract and bylaws also remain. I am not a student, and I have the recognized authority to inquire about this. I suggest you try answering my question now or later, or I will lodge a formal complaint. If you try that again, you might not like the repercussions." Several students that Livia knew started to smile a little.

"Who are you to question me?" she cried out. "I am Professor Carrow."

"Welllll, I am glad to have gotten your attention," Livia said, with a slight sneer. "If you cannot treat me with respect, do not expect me to do the same, _Miss_ Carrow." Livia touched her necklace with her wand, thinking the boomerang effect would go straight to the professor's lectern.

"I have the power to teach this in any manner I wish," Professor Carrow yelled and directed another hex towards Livia, which bounced directly back to her, and as Livia predicted, destroyed the woman's lectern.

"You have tried twice to harm me, rather than explain a simple issue or treat me with the dignity that I have earned as the highest ranking non-faculty member of this school," Livia clearly voiced. "You try that again, and I will retaliate as well as file a formal complaint. You would rather start a walkout or a strike rather than answer a legitimate question? We all deserve an answer."

"I do not take orders from a nobody like you," Professor Carrow spat out.

Again, she directed a hex at Livia. Livia blocked it and fired back the hex that Ginny Weasley had taught her. Alecto Carrow wound up stunned, having crumpled to the floor, writhing out of control, with bats flying out of her nose. The students laughed uproariously. Ginny Weasley and her friend Luna openly smiled. Livia winked at them.

"Since our, um, _Professor_ Carrow no longer seems fit to teach, I'll say it, class dismissed," Livia said, with a small smile and walked out. With her back turned, Professor Carrow tried to get control of her wand and launch another attack. The mirrors on Livia necklace extended far to her left to protect a student from being hit by it. Instead, Livia turned and saw Professor Carrow broke out in an array of mosquito-like bite marks that burned her skin. Livia chuckled, as did many students. _Who's the nobody now? Wonder how annoyed I can make Sev'rus today. Should be fun._

With such an early first impression, students had an idea regarding the temperament and the instability of the instructor. Livia made sure to tell students to recognize that and prepare themselves accordingly. Of course, Alecto Carrow could not ever recover the dignity she wanted to impress upon the students, thanks to her rage and embarrassment. Livia had shown her up. A bad first impression can lose a class for a term, if not an entire year. Of course, that was only half of her day. The next came the brother, a tall, thin, if slightly dim-looking man who probably got a warning that he could not push Livia around. Before she went, Livia fired off a note to the union about what had transpired, asking for advice before filing a complaint, which Mel gladly carried.

Livia then went to the seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class taught by Professor Amycus Carrow. He did not quite have his sister's short fuse, but he seemed intent on talking about how he would demonstrate hexes or curses on other students. Intentionally inflicting significant harm on a student, even for punishment, was forbidden. Professor Snape had toyed with this line on numerous occasions, though his outbursts usually involved mortification or minor corporal gestures versus real injury. He even choreographed a few to look bad. Professor Amycus Carrow positioned himself to entirely cross this line.

"Professor Carrow, sir, how is it that you can intend to use hexes or curses on students that could inflict physical harm on them?" Livia inquired. "Article II, paragraph 1, item 1 clearly maintains that no instructor can purposely injure any of them; their safety is paramount."

"Doesn't that apply to punishment? I'm not doing that."

"How is hurting a student ever okay in your reading of this code and bylaws?" Livia responded, pushing the issue back towards him. "Not as a punishment doesn't make the wrong better – it makes it worse, in my interpretation of this. Try me first, if you must."

"I can do what I want – this is _my_ class," he said. Nonetheless, he tried one of the advanced items he would teach at Livia. She completely cast it aside. Moreover, she explained what he did and how she responded as well as how it fit the course materials. She understood the course a lot better than he did. "So, if you get lucky once, I'm supposed to completely change what I do?"

"No," Livia replied. "What I have done has no bearing on this. Conforming to the standard practices of this school remains an overarching issue. I am just here to see that all the classes I view keep these standards in mind and adhere to them. Luck would be if I just allow my necklace to respond, rather than myself, since none of them have this." Livia touched the necklace with her wand. "If I repel you using techniques learned here, luck has nothing to do with it, and students can learn and use these skills." He launched a stunning curse. Livia allowed it to rebound directly to him, which knocked him back harshly in a great display of power befitting the wizard who gave it to her. "That comes from luck as no one else owns what I wear nor has what it can do."

"Who-who gave you that?" he stammered whilst trying to shake the effects.

"It was a birthday present from the headmaster's nephew," Livia replied.

Professor Carrow was completely taken aback. Whoever gave it to her had a powerful urge to protect her. He considered lodging his own complaint. "If you do not need it, why use it?"

"To show the difference between skill and luck, obviously," Livia answered. "Did you not follow what I said?" He again tried some form of hexing that he wanted to teach. Livia repelled it and again explained both actions. "Are you actually going to tell the class anything, or are you now too preoccupied with trying to inflict your authority on me?"

He tried more rounds, each with more complexity, even going beyond what he was supposed to teach them. Each time, Livia turned him aside like shooing a fly and even started explaining things as he continued trying to assault her. He continued for at least 20 minutes and, though Livia kept talking, he was the one to feel worn out, in terms of both ideas and energy.

"Professor Carrow has worn himself out and is vulnerable to me," Livia announced. "This means that I or any of you could disarm him or hurt him." She disarmed him with ease. The student Neville picked up his wand. "I have my own name for this. Class, you have learned something valuable about conserving your own energy in a situation whilst someone intent on inflicting injury over a sustained period puts himself in jeopardy. He becomes open to you doing what you will."

"What do you call it?" Neville asked.

"I borrowed the term, but it fits," Livia replied. "I call it rope-a-dope. If anyone knows the reference, keep it to yourself."

"But do you float like a butterfly?" student Seamus Finnigan inquired. Some laughed.

 _Must be a half-blood wizard._ Livia laughed. "No, I wish I did – I love butterflies," Livia answered. "Still, I'm not as pretty as him, either."

"Nah," a few students called out.

"Well thank you," Livia responded. "That was a nice birthday present, too."

The Slytherin students seemed stumped by their inability to figure out their primary loyalty. They got what Livia taught them – it did possess value – but their first sympathy, they initially believed, should have gone to the hand-picked professor working under their former Slytherin head of house, now headmaster. Yet she wore his nephew's present. One Slytherin female spoke up and asked if it were true that Livia's father had belonged to Slytherin house.

"That is correct," Livia affirmed. "Precisely who remains somewhat obscure. My name does not correlate to that, and I rarely see the man who adopted me. I have never met my mother, though I have learned that she was a pureblood American witch with a few additional talents."

The class was soon dismissed, and Neville returned Professor Carrow's wand. If she was supposed to return it, Livia figured it was better for her that she did not do so. Instead, Livia simply told the professor that, regardless of his original intentions, he wound up showing his class a great deal. Professor Carrow found it rather oddly outrageous that Livia gave him such a backhanded compliment since she actually taught them much more than he did. Moreover, the students knew she was more capable as a teacher of this and in magic. He said nothing and left the room, wondering how he could complain about a tutor who gave him credit for being her patsy.

When Livia arrived at the Senior Common Room for dinner, everyone there stood and applauded her. Livia, despite her initial sheepishness, mouthed "thank you" several times before sitting at a table with Winslow, Hideki and Isabelle. Everyone seemed in awe that she had taken on two faculty members, each in a different way, and embarrassed both of them. At the same time, the stories about what she did that day – and the perverse intensions of the Carrow siblings – became fodder at every dining table. Only the Slytherins remained unconcerned about the Carrows.

"That was the fun part," Livia admitted. "The fallout might not go as well."

"You mean that you exposed yourself," Winslow asserted.

"Exactly," Livia confirmed. "I can't do that every day and yet I just exposed those two sadists whilst buying time for the students, heads of house and general faculty to know how to handle them. I told my Uncle Jack that I worried if I would last the year. You now see why."

"You would never leave us," Hideki declared.

"May not be entirely my call," Livia stated. "I want you all to remember this. I want you all ready to subvert the Carrows more indirectly or surreptitiously, however you can – work with the other professors and heads of house. I drew first blood today. They will react, and I may get a target on my back from revealing them in a manner that at least did not endanger any student here."

"You think you put your neck that far out?" Isabelle asked.

"Probably," Livia answered. "What do you think?"

"You did the right thing," Winslow replied. "But someone will notice. The question is how much of a backlash will go to all of us versus just you."

"Does anyone blame me for going too far?" Livia inquired.

"That's really hard to answer, I think," Isabelle responded. "What you did took a lot of nerve as well as skill. It made a lasting impression but at a cost. I think you needed to make the impression, so we have to cope with what happens now. I don't know how you could have avoided it costing anything unless you blanked out their memories."

"That is a good idea, Isabelle," Livia concluded. "I wish I had thought of it then, but I will try to alter theirs, anyway, even if slightly. It's odd because I want them to remember and not remember at the same time. Maybe if they forget about me, it will be enough. I will have to think about how best to massage this issue."

"Either way, the union will be undercut eventually, and with it the Code of Conduct and bylaws," Hideki maintained. "We will have to watch our step, but as long as these exist, they needed to be used. You have to wonder if they go after all of us what else they will do. Will they force us to quit – like void our contract, cut our pay or other things like that?"

"We will have to protect everyone as best we can," Livia offered. "I woke up some people. They will notice that both instructors tried to harm me today. I may have to pull back and heal injuries or help fake them to con those sadists. Indeed, you all need to come by my office tomorrow, so I make sure you can do either, as needed. A few more sturdy souls will act like gluttons for punishment. Nonetheless, we must be ready to go any which way that works, keeping the wellbeing of students, academically or personally, as our highest priority. I hope I finish the year with you, but I may have fallen on my sword today, instead. We shall see. I am sure the headmaster wants to speak to me, so I best face the music."

Livia decided to see if she really could work in the headmaster's room, so she literally told the truth. The fact that he would not be there did not matter. She brought her papers, including those the union suggested she use for a complaint against Alecto Carrow. He had not changed his mind; she found herself able to enter easily. She found his small, round table totally clear, not an unusual thing. Working at his desk seemed a little too intrusive. _You kissed him and now you worry about invading his space. Hilarious._ She put something familiar on in the background, loading several artists whose music she enjoyed for years, starting with Live Aid, if not before.

Given she had her player on "shuffle," she did not know how much time had passed. She worked on her complaint last. It took a little longer than she thought because she thought about it very carefully. She turned off the music and started towards leaving the complaint on his desk when he entered.

"Sorry, sir, I was just about to leave this on your desk and return to my room," Livia said.

"You just had to open your mouth today, didn't you?" he asked.

"Of course, I did –"

He cut her off with putting his fingers to his lips. He mouthed, "We're staging this."

"Miss Woodcock, you should know better – the ministry tied your hands as well as my predecessor's hands before."

"I asked a legitimate question in the first incident given my responsibility to this school as spelled out by my duties, the bylaws and the Code of Conduct. Moreover, I was attacked – in two separate incidents, in fact. I have documented everything that happened today. Obviously, there are plenty of witnesses, too. It's all in the complaint. I have contacted the union people already, particularly over the first incident. The second one could be debated until the professor inflicts an injury on an underage student. That is clear cut."

"I cannot and will not help you," he asserted. "I suggest you resolve this yourself."

"I don't need you to resolve it," Livia maintained. "You are just reading the complaint I'm filing, regardless of what you do."

"You are playing a dangerous game."

"No. I. Am. Doing. My. Job. Goodnight."

Livia went to open the door, but he waved her back, opened the door and closed it, as if she had left but actually did not. He motioned for her to remain quiet for some time. He made some motions to ensure what he wanted heard got heard. Then he nodded to her when she could talk. "Livia, we are going to have to clash at least sometimes," he told her. "We likely will need to stage a few things for the benefit of others. I hope you are ready."

"It's not the first time," Livia responded. "You might want to tell me how far to go."

"Tonight was fine," he declared. "I can't believe you managed to get them both to attack you today. I thought that might take longer. I knew Alecto has a short fuse and would be easy to anger, but you outmaneuvered them both. Amycus can't even figure out how to complain about you, since embarrassing him as a better instructor isn't grounds for dismissal. A lot of people took notice and will act accordingly. You gave them the impetus to judge them both rightly."

"I went too far?" Livia asked.

"I would think so, but you had to do it," he replied. "They opened that door, and unless you were a pushover, you would stand up to each. I would not have expected less."

"I have tried to instruct the others about priorities to act behind-the-scenes but protect the students at all times. Still, I lit a fuse today. Do you think I should try to alter their memories?"

"That is difficult," he answered. "You couldn't get them to respect you or any of the things you said. Complete erasure probably does not help – spies will figure it out and you'll be exposed. If I can fight with you and shut you down sufficiently, it may go a long way. The only issue will be how formidable you are versus either of them. If you can tone that down on them and maybe enough spies, you might keep the façade going. The Carrows have very large egos, and they may have excused what you did, anyway. You may not have to do much. I would avoid them for at least a few days unless you can run into them and tweak their memories along with their spies."

"Okay," Livia agreed. "A question I need to clarify – and this came from my Uncle Jack – are you going to determine who my father is? Muggles can test saliva, blood or even hair for genetic matches. I have no idea how this can be determined here."

"I swore that I would. We have a variety of ways. I would prefer to eliminate people more quietly or informally. Still, give me at least one intact hair. I have a few things I can do."

Livia went to retrieve a tube from his desk, plucked out a few hairs and placed them inside. He found this a bit odd, but it might help her, too. "Thank you," Livia stated. "Goodnight, Sev'rus." She left wishing she could hug or kiss him again, but she knew it might disturb him too much.

As Livia walked back to her room, she wondered how she could pass either Carrow or spies there and tweak their memories enough for them to remain convinced of the Carrows's superiority over her. The new headmaster had a Livia headache before the term started, and now it grew. He knew she had to expose them, but he wanted to mitigate a backlash. Even the late Albus, speaking from his office portrait, agreed. Albus wondered if his successor could get any leeway for her by suggesting or determining that she is Lucius's daughter. Of course, that could go awry, since Death Eaters could deem her a "blood-traitor," even though reports on her protest said nothing about her beliefs. Rather, she only discussed the incongruity of changing textbooks and the weaknesses of the one chosen. She never made it about content, only the authoritativeness of the source(s). Her complaint entirely matched what the present headmaster had heard. He hoped they walked this fine line together, though he knew he needed a contingency plan. The time would come when displacing her would serve him. The necklace already paid dividends. He opened his bedroom door and stared the picture Livia gave him of her garden. It sat on a nightstand that his dark bed curtains on his four-poster bed did not obscure, by his configuration. The image did help him sleep. He wondered how it looked in person as he drifted off.

Earlier that night, another meeting took place at the school. Each head of house met, though Professor Slughorn attended more as a courtesy and to inform them of Slytherin spies; he had little concern over the threat the Carrows posed to his students. They all agreed that Livia had proven that both had ill intentions and possessed a grave potential for harming students. Professor Flitwick especially expressed gratitude for her calm and foresight. He delighted in how his former prefect had shown up both of those assistant headmasters. Livia's use of Ginny Weasley's famed hex also drew a few raves. They brainstormed efforts they would make to keep their students away from either and how they would advise their student leaders. All left satisfied that they could minimize, though not eliminate, the potential for harm. They all pledged to say nothing to the new headmaster as well, given the ministry expected him to side with the sadists – and he likely did, anyway.

Another drama also had begun at Uncle Jack's house that Friday evening. He received a visitor he had not seen in some time. "I never thought I'd see you again," Uncle Jack declared just after he opened his door. "Why are you here?"

"I actually managed to buy property in this area, and I wanted to talk to you about Livia."

"Hmm. You mean we are neighbors?" Uncle Jack asked.

"Yes, it's just down the road. When I'm not working, I'm often there. Only those I want to find me can do so. It's unknown otherwise. I developed a creative outlet into a business."

"Do you really think it's a good idea for me to talk to you now?" Uncle Jack asked.

"I had to return. Tell me what you know. I want to hear everything. Please."

"Okay, I guess, if we are to be neighbors, come in," Uncle Jack stated. "Since your presence here is obscure, perhaps you can help me in better keeping my grandniece, Alice, safe."

The two spoke for at least an hour before his guest departed. Uncle Jack gave him a lot of information, which the younger man pondered for quite some time afterward. He agreed to safeguard Livia and Jack's muggle relatives. The two recognized no one would figure that out. Uncle Jack already had heard about what happened at school and grasped why Livia feared someone could go after Alice and Tom. His guest concurred with this view and agreed to help.

Livia did find her opportunity and, the same day she saw each tutor from her office, she "adjusted" the memories of both Carrows plus their spies. To them, Livia's necklace had done the bulk of the work. She did not rate nearly as competent as some might think. That is, they all knew the "real" story. Livia veiled how she had neutralized the female of the pair on her report to the union, yet she still accurately recounted the incident. She merely reacted to illicit attacks on her for asking a question her position required that she pose. The union had started being pressured, but its head, Glorianna Gardenia, had held fast at that point. She descended from a famed activist, Gordon Gardenia, who had struggled to assist various types of employees. He had pioneered the concept of dignity for all workers some 300 years prior. She could not be easily cowed. She took her lineage seriously, as did every member of her family, though her own child, Rose Gardenia-McAdams, remained too young to attend a wizarding school, let alone fight for this legacy.

A tall blonde, Glorianna Gardenia had risen fast regarding labor matters and had assumed her leadership role only a few years before. She personally held some sympathy for the new ministry, but regardless, felt such concerns had nothing to do with her work, since she represented all types of people regardless of position, not the presence or lack of blood status. Livia Woodcock's situation had to do with the law and honoring contracts and established procedures and responsibilities. No one had the right to treat her poorly when she asked a legitimate question. Indeed, Livia gave the professor an opportunity to address the issue outside of the class. If Alecto Carrow had done that, Livia would lose her basis for complaint. Lashing out suggested the instructor or whoever really selected the text in question had made an arbitrary, indefensible decision. Her actions also demonstrated exactly why such protections existed. Livia had acted responsibly, despite the professor trying to attack her four times that day. Thus, she communicated with the new headmaster that she entirely supported the complaint lodged by Livia Woodcock.

He did not find this statement surprising in the least. He read Livia's complaint. Livia had given the instructor the opportunity to explain herself, in class or outside of it. Livia correctly justified her actions. Moreover, she kept her objection rooted in standard practices regarding how texts met the criteria to be used in the school. Parents expected factual instruction rooted in rigorous and scrupulous use of the best material available. Livia, with the present rules intact, had gotten her entirely. He would not have expected less of a barrister's sister. Alecto Carrow had no idea. He knew that telling either of the Carrows would lead to action being taken against Gardenia, so he delayed telling either until he had the chance to alert Livia to warn the woman as well as her family. He made sure to do that the next time he found Livia still in his room, which happened to fall on that second Tuesday, 9 September, of the fall term.

Livia just had completed some standard forms regarding academic status reports of her tutors and shut off her music when he entered again. He let a short time pass, then explained to her what he thought would happen with her complaint, since the union entirely supported her. She needed to warn the union head to avoid the fate of several previous ministry officials, including the prime minister himself, who died during the takeover. The family might need a safe house or evacuation plans. Withdrawing the complaint might help, but given the lack of concession, he did not see how she could do that, which meant trouble for others.

The new headmaster summoned Professor Alecto Carrow to his office that Thursday, which came after Livia duly informed the union head of what may come. Alecto Carrow came with her brother. They learned that Livia Woodcock had filed a formal complaint and the present union leadership, through its reading of the present contract, Code of Conduct and bylaws, entirely supported her position. Professor Carrow had to respond.

"The ministry does not as yet control the union nor has eliminated any of these things," he told her. "The power of an instructor, especially over juveniles, is not absolute."

"A temporary concern, I bet – I am not concerned," she claimed.

"You should be," he stated. "In any other circumstance, you would get fired for this."

"But it's not any other year," she responded. "That union head will be gone and this nobody will lack any recourse because her complaint will go nowhere."

"Perhaps," he said. "Unless other employees back her and stop working. Many know her and respect her, from the tutors here to her former head of house. She has to withdraw her complaint to avoid that, and I do not see the mechanism to compel her to do that. Do you?"

"All because of that bloody necklace!?" she shrieked. "How ridiculous. I am an important, powerful figure from a great, influential family. Who is she?"

"Someone my nephew happens to care about who has a lot of friends here, which means you have to confront this issue and show her due respect," he maintained. "Can you do that?"

"I don't get that," her brother said. "You have family?"

"Remotely, and he is it," the headmaster affirmed. "He is more of a distant cousin, but the age difference and mentorship role I have played at times has made the shorthanded terms 'uncle' and 'nephew' useful. I do not have the closest of relationships with him, unlike her. In any case, since no one else exists here, no one can complain of the inaccuracy. No one would bother. I probably have relatives on my father's side, somewhere, but I have no interest in finding them."

"How about get her to remove that necklace and engage in a fair fight?" she suggested.

"Livia Woodcock will not take that necklace off to humor you, or even me," he responded. "And how does that get her to withdraw her complaint?"

"That Gardenia woman is done for," she asserted. "That will force her to withdraw it."

"I hope you're right, but I'm not sure about that," he pronounced.

That weekend, attacks did come against the union's headquarters and the home of its leader. Glorianna Gardenia had anticipated what would come, and though she did not like resigning, she thought tactically she could retreat and still raise her daughter. Meantime, she would wait for the right opportunity to retake her office. She hesitated at first, given her ancestors would not have abandoned the office. They would have given their lives to defend their principles. Glorianna Gardenia had to make a tough decision as to the quality of her daughter's future and employee rights. She decided the girl was too young to grow up without her. Gardenia would bide her time and look for the best opening to reassert union rights. Six days or six years in the long scheme of things did not amount to much, but the latter would do a lot for young Rose. Gardenia organized a shadow union ready to pounce and retake the group if or when it faltered. She wrote a long letter to Livia about it, thanked her for her warning and pledged to act as circumstances allowed. She invited Livia to join the shadow organization to make plans for this event. Livia attended meetings with her and other key former officials in subsequent months via Uncle Jack, though all disguised themselves and used various devices for safety. Livia would not actually see her physically for a number of months. They would welcome her, eventually.

The fallout did not quite become as dire as Hideki feared, as the new union wanted to appear as if they maintained some continuity with the former organization. So many items, like compensation, remained the same. Still, the protection of students and minor staff got truncated to supportive and largely after-the-fact actions whilst those in charge of discipline, namely the Carrows, held absolute authority. The tutors continued to provide academic support unfettered, though it had dwarfed in importance compared to personal safety. The purge had neutered Livia's complaint, even though the incident took place during a pre-existing legal and ethical structure.

Livia saw many students personally after they came from a class where one of the Carrows had attacked a student, for whatever reason. Livia treated real injuries, feigned others and told students what to have a nurse report versus do. She practiced healing as well as faking and occasionally both. She did more healing with Neville, who tended to have wicked injuries inflicted on him. She voiced her admiration of his unflinching bravery and, even as the mother hen in her might try to curb his actions, she would not. In the end, they spoke to the person he needed to be in order to defend the core principles of the school, as embodied by the late headmaster. Livia could only quietly help, whereas he could recruit others to resist the dominance of the sadistic advocates of "discipline." The person who broke free from _Isa_ had been worth finding. He thanked her for encouraging him to be who he had become.

The new headmaster asked Livia to meet with himself and Alecto Carrow. Professor Carrow pressed Livia to remove her "distracting" piece of jewelry that had no place there. Livia refused, saying the headmaster could not compel her to do it and neither could she. She might as well try to take it off herself. "If you are so powerful, you do it," Livia told her. The woman found she could not try it without the necklace slapping her hand hard. Then it cut her hand severely on a second try. Felt like justice to Livia. The meeting could only produce a pledge of professional respect from the Carrows to the tutors – as in no physical attacks – in exchange for Livia withdrawing her complaint. It represented the only realistic way of defusing the situation.

After Alecto Carrow apparently left, Professor Snape again made the request to remove her necklace, but Livia saw he was staging the effort. Livia declined, citing her unyielding love and devotion to Christopher. She added that she would be buried wearing it. Whilst sounding aggravated, Livia saw he felt contented by her statements. It would keep her safe. The previous headmaster also smiled from his portrait, glad that his successor had found a means to protect her as he appeared to argue with her. They both played their roles well and, after Carrow truly had left, told both as much. They could even celebrate this conclusion, in a way, by sparring with each other as practice, as Legilimency or dueling, to blow off some steam. That is, they did both several times during the fall term, though others thought he was interrogating or reprimanding her. Still, he also reminded her that if Gardenia was attacked by ministry people, her brother and sister-in-law faced the same risk. Livia told him a measure was in place, though one they could improve.

To Livia, music constituted a better release, but this worked. He usually preferred seclusion or grounding himself in nature, even imagining sitting in Tom Woodcock's garden. He even considered having Livia show him it. It was his turn again not to know how to ask for something.

Meantime, he had eliminated Paul Marlborough from the list of possible fathers of Livia, owing to personal circumstances during the trip. Paul had not spent much time in London with the others. A personal emergency, a family illness, had compelled him to return home quickly. Members of the Marlborough family confirmed this, as the headmaster pieced the events together. Marlborough expressed shock and amazement that one of his friends had fathered a child whilst there and thought it never would have happened if he had remained with them, an odd statement. That Marlborough had never married or dated women suggested a reason. The fact that Livia likely was fully a witch strangely did not matter much to him, though he did express interest regarding her abilities. He believed that whichever of his friends fathered her would have contributed to creating a powerful figure. Still, he did not learn much, other than that Professor Flitwick thought highly of her and that she had scored perfectly on all her exams during her final year.

In early December, several issues had become visible. First, Livia Woodcock, had come to the attention of the Dark Lord's inner circle as well as the corrupted ministry. Both applied pressure on the headmaster about her. A student ministry spy whose memory of what Livia had done to the Carrows remained solid also knew about her work healing students. In class, Livia had sat silently and played "peanut gallery" to those who could hear her, which neither Carrow could detect nor their spies. Nonetheless, the time probably came to enact some plan regarding her, thanks to pressure from the ministry, especially. Controlling the school had become overly-important to many to consolidate power and gain public submission to their authority. Trying to subvert them from within drew out the possible need for a gesture to guarantee their ascendency. Confining Livia to her uncle's or brother's home carried more risk to them and would not last, the headmaster thought. The narrative written for her birthday present suggested a story, if only a misdirection. He could say she took a leave of absence to elope, but what would he really do? When? He did not like sending her away, in any case, so he asked his predecessor to brainstorm methods to conceal her. A transfiguration would not do, since she could reverse it and get too involved if the school got invaded again. He had seen her that night, though fortunately no true Death Eater did.

Next, another name got crossed off the list, the bully Blake Hall. Professor Snape did not want to tell Livia. He knew she would dislike being the daughter of either of the final candidates. His predecessor thought the truth could spare her, though, so he requested a final answer.

By mid-month, the headmaster left campus and briefly hid where no one would discover his transformation. He had made a number of trips away that term and kept himself distant from much of the student body. Still, given the spies in and around the campus, he had pull off this visit to Hogsmeade convincingly. Christopher Prince had to be seen by someone. Christopher Prince thus commissioned a one-of-a-kind ring to use for a wedding ceremony. He told the jeweler's representative that he loved the tradition of the Irish Claddagh ring but did not necessarily want an emerald. He opted for a diamond as part of the crown. Small diamonds would simulate buttons on cuffed sleeves clutching the center store, like those he and his "uncle" wore. He allowed the designer to choose the highest-quality, most valuable gem available to fit the opening for a heart-shaped center stone. He picked a date to receive it and agreed upon a price, then left. The jeweler loved commissions like this generally. He loved the creativity. For this one, he invested much of himself in it, if finding the task demanding. Still, he made it as if for himself to give.

At the very end of the term, when Livia seemed ready to leave for her Uncle Jack's and then her brother's home, Professor Snape summoned her to his quarters. He had eliminated the last candidate from the list of possible fathers from that winter break 1971 trip and confirmed the last one. He asked her to sit down, not knowing how exactly she would handle the news. For good or ill, he disclosed the name. Livia gasped. She asked him several times if he was sure and how he had found out. He told her that he had eliminated everyone else, be it circumstances or blood. It told her it involved detective work, though her hair confirmed that he was right.

Further, he told her that he probably needed to act upon the potential that student spies had endangered her and her family by putting her on the radar of the Death Eaters as well as the ministry. He would know how badly he needed to protect her by the end of the month. He did not know yet who of consequence showed enthusiasm for her demise. He hoped it would not be unanimous, and he thereby could suggest something other than an attempt on her life. He needed to at least lay the groundwork for her exit, with a story and an actual strategy. He asked Livia to go to her uncle's home and wait for word there. If she went to her brother's house, she needed to be able to return immediately. Let her uncle or a proxy know how to retrieve her, he suggested.

Livia packed a few things, including her omnipresent bobcat, secured her room and went to Uncle Jack's house. She told Uncle Jack everything she had learned, from her father's identity to the possibility that a student spy had put a target on her back. He saw that she may need to hide from the Dark Wizard's inner circle and their ministry, though how seemed unclear. At least, he knew he had obscured Alice and Tom's home, even from himself. He also realized how to do better and hide who knew even from Livia. Still, Uncle Jack saw the news as an escalation and wanted to know who gave her this information. Livia said it came from Christopher. Uncle Jack realized who ultimately provided this account and figured it highly credible. He wondered a little, though, if Christopher's uncle preferred to hide her or kill her.


	45. Hiding Livia?

Livia briefly reintroduced Uncle Jack her cottage and took him back to his house; she knew it would be temporary to show him how to reach it, since she had blocked it from him before. Meantime, she wanted to busy herself doing something constructive there. Alice just celebrated her 32nd birthday, and Livia wanted to make sure they had everything under control for their holiday party. Once satisfied, Livia returned to Uncle Jack. Livia found the whole thing unsettling, especially if her presence threatened anyone. Uncle Jack reassured her that he had made plans to better conceal the new location. Curious, though, he asked her how many people knew of her brother's move. Livia thought only Christopher and a payroll person knew. He liked the idea of preserving their residence in Durham at school. Livia thus erased the information there; no one possessed the right address. Paperwork cited either Hogsmeade or something in Durham. Uncle Jack told her that his chosen proxy already lived at a largely unknown residence, and no one would expect him to know her situation if ever found. He gave Uncle Jack some assurances already and would purge his memory selectively. Livia did not know who he was and avoided figuring it out.

Livia decided she needed a nap to settle herself down. Whilst resting, Uncle Jack finalized the arrangements. He told Alice and Tom via Sydney that he could transport Livia to her own residence then but would later not have sufficient information, if asked. He requested from that point on that they not summon any owl to their residence, lest it give their location away. For the moment, he would care for his own property, including Livia's avian friends, from the relative safety of a neighbor's home. His place appeared vacant. He only told Anne enough for her to stop asking questions. He planned to keep the entirety of his arrangement unknown to Livia, Anne, Christopher and his uncle. An elopement might remove Livia from reach, too, he figured.

Livia woke up from her nap just as Uncle Jack secretly returned to the residence. He disclosed to his neighbor as much as needed before the man erased a few details from his mind. Uncle Jack advised Livia to inform her various friends with talons what needed to be done and how he did not intend to abandon them, but that he planned to shift his responsibilities to a slightly safer distance for a time. Anne would look in on them, also. Livia told the four Barn Owls, adding information about the potential of her crow friends coming to the area. She alerted Alastair about everything as well. They accepted that the situation likely called for such procedures sooner or later, before anyone tried too much.

Livia and Uncle Jack had a quiet night at his home that evening; the house still looked vacant. Livia considered what she might have to write to her tutors if she left abruptly. Neither knew entirely what to expect next. Livia thought someone may show up but not sure who. Uncle Jack anticipated some written instructions. The situation did not fully sit well with her. She even would miss her brother's holiday party, their first in the new house. She realized its probable necessity, though she would not do what she promised Tom and hated breaking her word to him.

The morning of Wednesday, 24 December, someone did approach Uncle Jack's house. Livia said nothing though internally found it surprising that Christopher Prince came to the house. Uncle Jack revealed himself and spoke to him for several minutes about measures he had taken to secure his grandniece's house, at least in general terms. Christopher said that he planned to convey Livia to her brother's event and to return. If she had to hide – and he thought the best answer lay in eloping – they all should see her beforehand. Uncle Jack appreciated that gesture and also felt glad that he could cover their movements. He transported them to Livia's cottage and left.

Before Livia could attempt to enter the main house, Christopher pulled her arm back. "You know why we are doing this?" he asked.

"My necklace," Livia answered. "It relates to it somehow."

"It does," he affirmed. "You will need to be hidden, probably sooner versus later. This represents the cover story. If everyone you know accepts this, the effort stands a better chance of success. Yet should disaster befall them, it won't affect you – and vice versa. Their ignorance could spare them. This misdirection is not merely precautionary, though. Either the Death Eaters or their ministry will force you out if not present a direct threat. It has started already." He walked to a back window and looked out. "Even in December, the property looks good. Congratulations."

"Do you want to sit out there whilst I talk to Tom and Alice?" she asked.

"I think that is a good idea," he replied.

"You go out, and I'll bring you something," Livia stated.

Each opened doors at the same time. Livia greeted Tom and Alice again as Adelaide ate. They vaguely noticed the figure sitting outside but soon became engrossed in what Livia told them. They wondered if they had sufficient protection. Livia assured them that Uncle Jack was making sure that they did. Indeed, Livia herself did not know his proxy to keep their home a secret, just that whoever it was blotted out some details previously in Uncle Jack's memory. She did not want to tell them too much, just that she disrupted the "lesson plans" of a few sadists masquerading as faculty who likely sought revenge and had friends in high places. She had done it to make their intentions clear and to do so without harming any student. The situation still held a lot of inherent problems, owing to family ties and uncertain loyalties. She did not elaborate on her own side, though she did tell them that she knew who her father was. The name would mean nothing to them, she told them, though, so she opted to withhold it. Livia merely pointed to the figure outside, sitting in their garden, who might face the most difficult circumstances – and hardly just about her.

They all looked out at a very pensive-looking Christopher sitting alone. He clearly looked like he had a lot on his mind. Of course, Christopher wasn't doing all the thinking. The inner Professor Snape knew he did the appropriate thing at the moment and would continue making the right choices. Yet he had to hide Livia and execute the rest of it. He found that he liked this spot and felt glad he got to sit there once, even if December did not show the garden at its best. He imagined how it would look in a few months. It would abide. Would he? Probably not. Part of him did not care, though part of him carefully watched the woman approaching him, who, for reasons he did not entirely fathom, had seen all of him, despite his best efforts, and never thought ill of him. In fact, she entirely went in the opposite direction when she could have resented him greatly. Despite his extreme discomfort with what she knew, she had made that part nearly the least bothersome issue he ever had with her. He still wanted to keep watch over her to ensure her silence, but doing so had presented him with far more than he ever expected. He also did not look forward to parting with her. He had grown accustomed to her, for good or ill, over the years, particularly as he currently was. She was extraordinarily special, yet he felt he could not even tell her that.

Livia brought him a cup of tea and something to eat, after taking a picture of him out there, both with Tom's camera and in her mind. Christopher motioned for her to sit a minute with him but said nothing to her. Tom opted to take photographs, too, though he did not entirely know why he felt like doing it. Christopher looked at Livia a few times and she gave him a small smile. When he finished, she took his cup, put her hand on his shoulder briefly and then stood up. She told him to come inside when he felt ready and walked away. Livia attended to a few things inside, especially decorating and food preparation, as the afternoon waned and guests would soon arrive.

As the light outside dimmed, he took a few more drops he had with him and walked back to the house. He had found it soothing to pause out there. He did not know how long he sat outside. He knew what awaited him when he went inside. He had to give them something that would keep all calm and reassure them again that he would take care of her, even if it did not entirely work out as they thought. He needed to make the narrative convincing, even if it just became a subterfuge for what he would do. He never expected that Livia's brother and sister-in-law would hold him in such high regard or show concern for him, but they did and it transcended just their interest in her. He so rarely encountered genuine kindness that it struck him as strange, if he reflected upon it. Years ago, he had not given it much thought; he played a role, and they responded to it. He figured that he did the same again, but it started feeling more personal. He considered a reason – that he had not hidden himself fully from Livia, as he previously believed. Still, this fact did not alter the dynamics between himself and the rest of them. Only how he interpreted the situation had changed.

At some point, everyone assembled but had found parking a bit difficult. Livia had the last guests, Audrey and Jake, who drove all the way from Sunderland with Amanda, go inside and had Christopher block off anyone inside watching her. He kept everyone's keys whilst she rearranged the cars to maximize the available space. The tall grass partly obscured what she did, so she kept it. She did not need to change it to fit five cars. There would have been six, but John and Lesley came by the train and a station car hire, making the task easier. Everything worked; drivers could get access easily, even if they had to pull out a little to allow a passenger to open a door.

Livia and Christopher re-entered the house, and Christopher found a place to put everyone's keys by the door. In all likelihood at least several of them would stay a few days, whereas Christopher would leave that night. Kate seemed the most worried about the car situation but found herself quite impressed with what she saw when she reviewed the arrangements, enough to not need to divert Bertie's attention from whatever he discussed with Tom and Alice. Bertie found Abby's gazebo as well as more formal garden worth discussing. He wanted to know what they did to accomplish each. They asserted their belief that Livia had bought materials though a local DIY retailer. She agreed. They considered eventually they might get a home improvement company to give them a garden room, like the conservatory they had in Durham, if with windows to open, so Abby could continue to get fresh air.

Bertie could not believe Livia had built the area for Abby or essentially figured out how to transform most of the backyard into a formal space. Livia claimed that she had not acted alone, after all. She just knew what to buy from being a good student of various places she had visited and things she had read. Tom just said that he'd send Bertie a good book to read, an inventory of the items used and a few photographs. Bertie did not know when he would get to it, since he often had business "in town," meaning London, but he knew where he wanted something like it. He figured he would be the envy of some other family members if he could replicate the garden Tom and Alice had on a larger scale.

"Christopher, do you think your uncle would mind if I hire Livia as a landscape designer for some time?" Bertie asked, smiling.

Christopher laughed. "No, he might like that, actually. He has been pressured to do at least a few things Livia would prefer he did not do, but he has had little choice. He might appreciate her more if you took her off his hands for a few weeks at least."

Livia seemed amused at how he defanged a fairly honest assessment of her status. He put his hands on her shoulders. She put her hands up over his.

Gary could not pass up a chance to get involved in this topic. "So when are we ever going to meet him, Livia? The man's reputation proceeds him by far, and yet I still have no idea of what to make of him. I have to say I remain extremely curious." He paused to finish his drink. "I bet he has a wild streak somewhere, and he's really fun but you don't know it. Other than showing us what he sounds like, you are rather circumspect. Does he give you a hard time, Livia, or what?"

"That is difficult to say," Livia answered. "I am not that high a priority for him, really, versus the burdens outside forces place upon him. I am only the head tutor. He has a lot on his mind and should consider himself lucky that Christopher is so loyal to him."

"As are you, dear," Christopher stated. "I cannot fathom anyone failing to see you as I do."

"I like the sound of that," Gary remarked. "You ever going to do anything about it?"

"It's possible," he answered.

"Can I hold you to that?" Gary inquired, eyebrows raised. Just then, Tom reentered the vicinity, hearing a bit of the discussion. He refilled Gary's glass, waiting for Christopher's reply.

"You don't have to do that," he maintained. "Livia, show Gary the back of your locket."

Livia let him read the inscription. Tom seemed content, so Gary stopped asking about it. In fact, Tom was happy everyone came, so he did not wish to consider much else. Various kids took up residence with Adelaide in her room, though Amanda pouted, wanting to party with the big people. She ultimately accepted being put "in charge" of everyone else. A diminutive version of her mum, Amanda had a long day to get there, anyway, so she had a big nap ahead of her, too.

Tom merely stopped the party for the second year to toast Cathy and for Doc spending time with them all again. Christopher almost forgot about that. His sister Cathy had never seen this house. Doc merely thanked Tom and Alice for moving closer and giving his children a better chance to know them. Everyone seemed to think that justified the move beyond Alice's career potential or Tom's opportunities at Becket, Hart and Church. Alice briefly took Christopher aside and told him that, at their last party, two of their guests had made a surprise announcement of their quiet wedding. Christopher just told her, putting a finger to his lips, "Next year."

Alice became ecstatic, hugged him and kissed both of his cheeks. "I hope you have many happy years together," she declared. "Tom and I will do anything to help you both stay for part of the year with us. Just tell us how we can help you do that."

"Thank you," he said. _This will not be easy for them._

Tom had noticed that Alice pulled Christopher aside and only caught part of what she told him. "Am I doing something?" he queried.

"Only if your sister and Christopher need it," Alice responded.

"From me?" Tom inquired. "The woman who built that garden in a night hardly requires much from me. I could never do a fraction of the things she can do with ease."

"How about whatever Christopher desires so he doesn't run off with your sister, then?" Alice posed to him.

"Oh," Tom acknowledged. "That's different. Anything – just ask. Please, remember that."

"I will," Christopher stated.

"Keep that phrase in mind, too," Alice maintained.

"Did I hear 'I will'?" Gary asked, entering the kitchen to look for Tom. "Where's that mistletoe? Livia? Get over here."

Christopher and Livia got pushed together. Everyone there wanted to see something happen. Gary had retrieved the mistletoe. None there would be happy until he kissed her in front of them. Livia felt a little uncertain, since he got forced into it, which seemed silly in light of what she had done herself a few months before. Nonetheless, he softly and with conviction kissed her. In the end, she felt Gary had done her a favor because she doubted that she would have tried to kiss him that night on her own. She had imposed on him more than enough.

Everyone seemed almost ready to retire for the night when Christopher found a way to get Livia back to her cottage. Livia wrote a quick note that an emergency had come up and she had to depart for the time being with Christopher, whilst he took a few more elixir drops. Uncle Jack had ensured they would find a way back to his house, and they went. They spoke for a brief time then Christopher took his leave. He made sure to embrace her, since Uncle Jack still could see them, but he used the closeness to tell her that she could return to her brother's house for a few days. She should return to her room early the following year, say Sunday, 4 January, when they could figure out what needed to occur to keep her safe. He thought she could proceed with meetings she might schedule at present but should prepare herself to leave at a moment's notice.

Livia returned to Cambridge for a few days, basically telling them that Christopher had to attend to a crisis at home and had to leave. No one really forced the issue, since Tom had said he looked preoccupied the previous day before everyone arrived. They merely told Livia that they hoped he would prevail. Livia said little, given the complexity involved. Her little drama did not exactly compare to everything else. He did not have to tell her. She worried about him.

In her absence, he attended to several things expected of him, like first moving the "missing" Gryffindor sword. Then came an unexpectedly long ministry meeting, partly regarding Livia. Seeing if he needed to do anything to spare Livia from the Death Eaters came last, on Tuesday, 30 December, in the main hall of Death Eater member Lucius Malfoy's estate. He had hoped to have gotten the opportunity first to inform Livia's father of her existence but had not done so. Ministry officials took too much of his time. Absent from the estate, the Carrows wanted to intimidate the school by violently removing someone spies singled out: Livia Woodcock. They both had spoken to a few people about it. The only concern they both had involved the defensive powers existing in her necklace. The school had attracted special interest for the Dark Wizard himself. His top female ally, Draco Malfoy's aunt, particularly liked the idea of tormenting and killing the woman, whether they needed to eliminate her or not. They sat at a long, dark rectangular table in a foreboding, dark room.

"If the Carrows have not indicated a serious problem to me – and we have contained her – I do not understand the fuss," Professor Snape asserted. "Don't you think I can handle her?"

"Apparently not, if she has the means to undermine your authority via your own relative's gift," Draco's aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, replied.

"So you would have me remove, or is it kill, the fiancée of the only relative remaining to me on a potentiality I do not precisely see?" he asked.

"Fiancée? Relative?" Lucius Malfoy questioned. "I did not know you had family at all, let alone a relative with a fiancée under you."

"He is a distant cousin, but circumstances made the titles we use convenient," Professor Snape answered. "He calls me his uncle. He is younger and the resemblance is strong. I did not know of him till long after you graduated. He was thought to have little or no magical ability, but it developed late. The charms he gave her are powerful because he has strong emotions regarding her. They are defensive, though. I think spies saw him order a ring, which is how I know about it."

Several people confirmed that spies had spotted such a person ordering a wedding ring for the woman. They understood that he would retrieve the item shortly. Some wondered if maybe he could be killed first, then her.

"I know some of you have relatives to spare, but this strikes me as unnecessary," he maintained. "If you think either are possibly valuable, why not recruit them? Moreover, the charm on her, as I understand it, would become more powerful if he died first. Strategically, it makes no sense to kill him ahead of her without attempting something different."

"This woman, was she not the tutor who worked with Draco years ago?" Mrs. Malfoy inquired. "You wrote to us about her?"

"The same," he began to explain. "I had recommended her to work with Draco on his written assignments, a particular talent of hers, which is not one we need to devote time to here."

"I remember," Draco Malfoy stated. "She scared me at first but did impart some useful information. She visited me after that creature Buckbeak attacked me, too, and quietly tries to ascertain if I am okay. Mostly innocuous things. Isn't her father a Slytherin?"

"Yes," he assented. "I worked on eliminating possible names to figure out who exactly, which the ministry wanted as a condition of her continued employment. I have not yet informed them or the man. I only told her recently."

"This is interesting, but do the Carrows want her gone or not?" another figure asked.

"Originally, they did not care because she posed little legitimate threat," the headmaster replied. "That is, we can deal with her. Being potentially related to me is a two-way street. Bellatrix, you may think that she could receive special treatment from me, but it also follows that I have leverage with her. Still, this concerns school business, not what matters here."

"I think it's better to set an example before a legitimate problem exists," Bellatrix Lestrange maintained. "They all tremble and fall in line. She sounds like a useless blood-traitor, anyway."

"They all fall in line now," Professor Snape declared. "We should react to an incident from September long after it has been resolved? I also expect that openly acting against her will cause far more trouble than it is worth, if that action is traceable to anyone at the school."

"So I will do it myself, then," Bellatrix Lestrange offered. "Easy enough."

"The school is secure, and someone could see you or know how you obtained access," the headmaster responded. "I told you that she wears something that protects her. She poses no threat to you, but that does not mean she will go down without a struggle. Anything could happen. Still, before we decide this, I think the woman's father needs to know that she exists."

"You know something, and you withhold it," the Dark Wizard himself stated. "What?"

"My Lord," Professor Snape began, "only that I wish to privately tell the woman's father that he is in fact her father. I think he should know when she's still alive."

"Come, come, Severus," the Dark Lord insisted. "Just tell us."

"Just before the winter break of 1971, seven Slytherin students in their last year left school early to spend time in London," he narrated. "Of those, I eliminated three on the basis of blood type, one for personal circumstances. I finally used the woman's hair and a potion to match her to the person I deduced as most likely her father. This is what the woman, Bessie, an American, looked like at the time. She also happened to be a witch, like both of her parents." He showed a type of holographic type of image over the table. "I really do not wish to go on, unless –"

"I appreciate that you prefer to be discreet, but we want a name," the Dark Wizard restated.

"All right, I will give you a name – that image proved it to me. I am guessing I do not know the entire story, though I was there. I am Livia Woodcock's father."

Everyone turned to look at the shocked and humbled face of Lucius Malfoy. His wife became confused and upset, though she tried to remain dignified. They had not been married at the time, but they knew each other and had dated by then. His son seemed utterly dazed.

"You do not know the whole story, but Miss Woodcock grasped a good deal of it that I confirmed," the headmaster disclosed. "This woman was homeschooled and knew only a basic amount about potions. She wanted to pass in the muggle world, first as an actress. She excelled at mimicry but not theatre. Recognizing that she would not become a great stage success, she figured out what you were, Lucius, and that she could get information and potion samples from you to study and duplicate. She convinced you that you had seduced her, but she planned everything and likely altered your memory, something you would never have suspected that she could do. The only wildcard for her was conceiving a child. She had no idea that whatever precautions existed at that point had no effect on her as a witch. Yet her condition gave her an excuse for her failures, so she used it as such. She abandoned her child shortly after birth, returned to America and hardly has thought about her since. As I understand it, the feeling is mutual. Miss Woodcock has no desire to meet her, either. I think she has called her birth mother a parasite."

Lucius Malfoy shook his head, stunned. He only could say: "I'm extremely surprised. It never would have happened if Paul had remained with us. He was the strongest of the group."

"So what?" Bellatrix Lestrange asked. "Does this change anything? Cissy?"

"Don't ask me," Mrs. Malfoy replied. "I am just trying to understand this. Why did this not come out sooner?"

"I doubted it was true, obviously," the headmaster answered. "I only got interested when the issue mattered for her post. I had to swear to what I knew and that I would discover the rest."

"You want to kill my half-sister?" Draco Malfoy asked his aunt. "This does change something for me. It makes me personally involved, and I don't want to be. She tries to do her job. She would make a good teacher. The Carrows do not want to admit it – I can say that. I saw it. If Professor Snape's relative elopes with her, why do we need to do anything? Where is the problem? I think there are bigger issues at hand right now."

"What Draco says makes sense," Lucius Malfoy asserted. "If she leaves, let her go. Worry about her if or when she returns. We have far more important matters to discuss here."

"I will see that she leaves, then," the headmaster concluded. "That fact would preclude me from having to inform anyone official about my findings, also. I presume the Malfoys accept that, yes?" Lucius and Narcissa took comfort that the information had no wider, possibly public, outlet. The rest of the group did not know what to make of the odd news and perhaps found themselves grateful to cast the whole matter aside.

With that, the fate of Livia Woodcock passed from being a topic at the meeting. For various members of the Malfoy family, she had not disappeared. Draco wondered why he could not talk with birds like she could. Lucius wondered what she looked like, trying to remember if he had seen her on any trip to the school. He did remember hearing of the prior headmaster ardently pushing for her admission over 12 years prior. He vaguely remembered seeing a photo of her from then. He also considered possible implications for Draco, though if she left the area, Draco may not have many. Narcissa Malfoy held the most conflicted feelings. She could not blame the girl for being born but wondered if it meant anything for her in the long term or the family name, even if the girl's mother had returned to a type of anonymity by existing outside the wizarding world.

The headmaster might have felt relieved that no definitive plan to kill Livia had emerged, but he suspected that Bellatrix Lestrange still harbored ill will towards Livia. Should the Carrows give Bellatrix entry, they all might try to eliminate her. Moreover, Livia could not actually elope, so he still needed a plan, one he could justify to her Uncle Jack and keep her family safe. Though he would tell the school that Livia had taken a leave of absence and eloped, he decided that the best thing to tell her uncle was that, shortly after marrying, Christopher had died during an attack, from which she escaped and sought refuge from him. He thought he could try formulating a potion to hide her, glad that the faculty would not impede this effort. He would need to review various spells, too – and procure an owl. This work might be the most inventive, nuanced and multi-faceted work he had done. He would also have to formulate its reversal, too. He would have to stretch his own abilities. Something about the blood-thirsty expression on the face of Bellatrix Lestrange made him certain that he had to succeed, given his own promises about her.

He needed to consult his predecessor, to ensure he got it right or could test it. The late Albus agreed with his idea as a solution. Further, Albus thought telling Jack that Christopher died would compel the former to enact the strongest safety measures he could manage. He agreed that members of the ministry would look for her family as her weak link. Of course, the late headmaster had no idea that Livia's family had seen Christopher nor that they would take his death as real and tragic. Albus only remembered Livia's brother and how, as a very young man, he had dedicated himself to his sister's wellbeing. Headmaster and late headmaster agreed that they should do right by him, given the valuable roles Livia would play, if all turned out as they wanted.

Professor Snape had the issue of impending separation all to himself, though Livia likely would have to deal with it later. He figured if she lamented his loss, she would have no problem grieving for "both" at the same time. He realized that she would, in fact, suffer greatly regarding his loss, though he felt that he did not deserve it. He contemplated all sorts of things related to that, wondering how he could put her in charge of his estate in both worlds. He found that such a designation would work best uncontested, which meant some sort of bond, legal or otherwise. He could not imagine marrying her, for a number of reasons, though her inheritance claim would be clear. If not that, then what? At least, he did not necessarily need her to do this.

He thought she should have something. She would likely see his wishes carried out, if present, and she would want some token of remembrance. She would deserve it many times over. Still, he also ultimately thought that, if he successfully hid her, he would never see her again. He paused uncomfortably over that and only could guess at her response. He had known her for much of his adult life, in fact for a slightly longer time than he had known _her_. That fact practically smacked him upside his head. The topic started irritating him to an extreme. He had not grown accustomed to thinking about a living person, even if he had to deal with her occasionally. The whole concept made him uneasy, but Livia tended to do that, anyway – for quite some time, in fact. His demise he could handle – this issue less so, much less so.

In any case, he needed an owl. To Barn Owl, or not to Barn Owl? He wondered how a new one might impact those Livia possessed. Since she exclusively possessed Barn Owls, whereas he never had any, someone might find the choice suspicious, even if they constituted a common species. Just keeping an owl would seem odd for him, since he borrowed one usually. If anyone knew Livia's views on owls, that person would grasp that the last type she would ever own would be a Screech Owl, since it lacked a native equivalent and thus could not find a mate. So he bought a grey morph Screech Owl female that the shopkeeper called Ardith and hoped she would accept his task. He considered he should have consulted Livia on Ardith, but he believed her being in public flirted with some danger, sanctioned or not. An "accident" off school grounds might stand a good chance of being dismissed. He already had many reasons not to trust any of them. No one forbid anyone from killing Livia. Too much rode on them taking seriously his warning of consequences. He kept control of the school to keep them out, but something could trigger a change to that. So far the Carrows accepted his virtual lockdown of the premises; he needed that to stay.

Livia had discovered what he had done over the years because all of it followed from the thing he wanted no one to know. He found her too gifted, inquisitive and determined to have kept this away from her, something he never thought possible. He trusted himself more only because it was his risk, not hers. Still, she kept her word. She even knew why she needed to remain silent and why she could never defend him. She did both. Livia just could not figure out how he would hide her because he needed to pull off a novel task. She grasped that he wanted to keep her close to safeguard himself. How could he contain her, keep her safe yet have her close for what she could do? Livia thought this a complicated objective, even though she had become so sensitive to him she almost practically could follow him, at least if somewhat nearby.

Meantime, Livia maintained her calm as Tom and Alice's guests exited, and everything returned to its day-to-day appearance. Livia did not want Tom or Alice to worry too much when she departed, returning to Uncle Jack on Sunday, 4 January. She told Tom and Alice that she would try to get word to them as soon as she knew what would happen. Livia conveyed the same to Uncle Jack as she headed back to the grounds and her room in the massive stone castle school, with her simple travel bag in hand. Livia never fully got to her room, however.

The current headmaster intercepted her before she opened her own door. He indicated she should be quiet as he went through her room. He found a dark creature, probably a dementor, but she did not see it; it would have attacked her before she would have seen it. It hesitated as to whether or not to attack him, which gave him plenty of time to open her window and repel it. From there, he secured her room fully and directed her to follow him to his quarters.

He motioned for her to remain quiet till he ensured his room had remained safe. Livia dropped her bag and sat down. "Thank you, sir," Livia stated. "I gather the meeting did not go that well and I am now threatened. That must have been sanctioned to break my own security."

"Actually, if the Carrows or their friends had paid attention to what happened, no one would have tried that," he responded. "They had to be involved somehow. I know of no official Death Eater sanction for what you saw, but the Carrows have other powerful friends in the ministry who could sign off on it and obtain access from me." Livia wondered who he meant when he told her that both Lucius and Draco Malfoy preferred that Livia just be allowed to leave. He first informed her as to spies she missed then listed ministry officials the Carrows knew. Livia was shocked. "The Carrows have friends, and they still are aware that you embarrassed them. I will say that I secured your room, owing to your sudden absence. You should give me letters for Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle, since you will not be seeing them now. Do not tell them that I found you nor that I stopped you from entering. Tell them simply that a threat to you has made your temporary withdrawal imperative. Say my nephew could not tolerate the risk after some unnamed incident. I still need to do and get a few things. For now, you stay and write. I will return." He left.

This time, Livia did sit at his desk, but for the first time she really took in the grey Screech Owl near it. Livia seemed puzzled about this and started speaking to her. The little owl liked her name, Ardith, and told Livia she thought that she had come there for a special task. Her purchaser seemed too intent to not have something in mind. Ardith did not know what it was but considered that it might involve Livia herself. Livia thanked her and gave her a treat and started writing.

The letters seemed almost identical except for particulars of who each tutor covered and designating Hideki as acting head tutor. She began outlining her reluctance to take what the headmaster called a leave of absence. An attempt to harm her, be it intimidation or intended to cause injury, had convinced those around her to press her to leave. That is, one effort could escalate and detract from her ability to assist students. The Carrows had powerful friends ready to attack if given entry. Livia's departure might spare her family, also, because her Uncle Jack could help them hide. He just would not know how to find her or them for an indefinite time period.

Given the imperviousness to criticism the Carrows exuded, she thought each could volunteer to see injured students after their classes, rather than attend any class and confront either professor directly. Livia gave a summary of what each did and how to help students cope. Livia eliminated the requirements for written updates and status sheets, academic or otherwise, telling them to just meet with heads of houses, giving them an excuse for secretive, collaborative efforts. It would save time, and since she could not read anything or file anything, they served a minimal purpose. They also would not leave a paper trail for the assistant headmasters or headmaster, either. The tutors needed to operate a kind of triage, privileging issues of health over academics, though appearing at least to tend to the latter. She encouraged them to have evacuation plans, particularly for the youngest students, should any attack become eminent. She suggested the student Neville would know if any viable evacuation route existed as well as told them what she knew about possible means to secure students or escort them away. She told them anyone below 15 had to come first. Whilst those 15-16 still rated as underage, they might waste a tutor's time arguing, thus impeding the mission of getting more children out of any line of fire. Livia thereby urged them to go after the potentially defiant underage defenders of the school only after they secured the youngest. Anyone 17-18 made up his or her own mind as to what to do; the tutor only gave information. If anyone older wanted to help a tutor, have him or her stand watch over the youngest ones as you pursue additional ones to rescue. Livia also gave Hideki her remaining lucky potion.

Livia concluded that she hoped she would see each soon and all would remain unscathed by whatever might happen. Whilst she had done some necessary things, she could only hope that her marginalization gave the sadists the appearance of victory whereas the rest of them got more freedom to act in stealth. Of course, she also identified various heretofore unknown spies, including those who countered the Carrows's belief that Livia's necklace – and little else – had spared her. They could spread information amongst each other about their identification. She further instructed them not to take Professor Slughorn as a spy merely because so many Slytherin students fell under suspicion or had become spies. That is, she did not extend her concern for avoiding the Carrows to his classes. She told them he taught well and evenhandedly. Owing to that, he might become valuable to them as an ally, though not student leaders of his house.

Professor Snape returned to review Livia's letters. He deeming all three detailed, suitable and extremely useful. He first wrote Uncle Jack, telling him that Livia had eloped and taken a leave of absence after he found a dementor in her room waiting for her. Then he left to leave Livia's letters inside the rooms belonging to Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle.

After he left, Livia briefly slipped out to give a farewell to Helena Ravenclaw. Helena understood the plans and regretted their necessity. She pledged to say nothing about Livia's whereabouts until it became safe for her to do so. She had some idea of what might happen but would keep her distance, in case her behavior tipped off anyone. Livia appreciated her discretion and shook her hand before departing. Helena let Livia clasp her hand for longer than usual, making the seriousness of the situation unmistakable. Livia returned first, as the headmaster got sidetracked by making his presence appear to involve a trip to his office.

As he walked back to his quarters, it occurred to him that he did not know how Livia could stay there. He did not have her ring yet, so he thought it prudent to hold off executing everything. The jeweler needed a few more days. The best stone had not arrived, and the jeweler needed time to set it. Professor Snape was stumped. Yet when he entered his residence, he found only a Siberian tabby curled up in a chair sleeping against Livia's stuffed bobcat. Ardith also roosted on her perch nearby. He decided to do nothing about the situation but go into his bedroom to sleep himself.


	46. The End and the Beginning

A few meetings at Hogwarts beginning on Monday, 5 January made timing the execution of the final plans tricky. Given the increased activity, Professor Snape exercised great care to leave Livia undetected. No one knew she existed there. At least, he had completed and tested the potion aspect of the work. He did not count on Livia, as a cat, opting to sleep on his own bed during the daytime. She dragged her bobcat with her for a pillow. He already had moved her bag. In any other circumstance, he would have vacillated between befuddlement and eye-rolling disdain. Yet he needed her quiet, undemanding and unobtrusive, so she could have done worse. He gave her a litter box, water dish and food under his bed. He put the water and food opposite the corner used for the litter. He shut the door and, with her bag in his closet, no one knew a cat lived there during the day, even if entering the living room of his quarters.

Livia managed to update all her crow and owl friends so that they knew where she was and what might come. She reassured all of them that she would contact them when at liberty to do so. For the time being, they could not contact her or come to her, unless she requested they assist the current headmaster. Only he knew among people exactly where she was. This secrecy involved protecting her, though it resembled a form of imprisonment.

At night, like a typical cat, Livia did not leave Professor Snape's bedroom easily. When he showed that he did not want her sleeping on her bag in his closet, she successfully ran under his bed on Tuesday. _This is why I do not have a cat. Livia does not even have to try. All cats take over. That ring better be ready soon._ On Wednesday, he just gave up. She slept at the foot of his bed. He had to act on Thursday because he had no idea what she would try next – his pillow, his arm or what?

He drafted another letter to her Uncle Jack about her situation, to ensure he secured his relatives's residence. He would provide her sanctuary and put charms around the room to maintain its integrity. Still, Jack might need to find her and get assistance to restore her from her disguise. He made notes on the draft so that he could write it all out well. He then set off to retrieve her ring, appearing as Livia's fiancé, after informing Livia as to how to handle his return. The ring lived up to everything he could have wanted, from the sleeve diamond buttons on the band, to the diamond representing its crown. The jeweler had found an exquisite natural Alexandrite gem for its center, heart-shaped stone. Nothing seemed amiss in appearance or intent. Christopher expressed great appreciation for the jeweler's craftsmanship and asserted the task must have challenged him greatly. The jeweler opted to speak with him directly, calling it taxing but thanking Christopher for entrusting him with it. He felt honored to do it. They spoke for perhaps ten or fifteen minutes.

When Christopher returned to the headmaster's quarters he knocked. Livia, in the headmaster's voice, verified who came to the door and motioned for it to open: "Well, how nice of you to find your way here – and about time, too."

That produced a hearty laugh after the door closed. "Perfect, I would believe it," Christopher stated. He showed her the ring, complete with his inscription. Livia only could wish someone fully meant to give her such a thing. This jeweler really knew how to make a piece sing in all its elegant beauty. It fit perfectly, too, since she just had to try it on. "You would deserve it so much," he admitted. "I hope you know that I wish I could really give it to you."

"You just did, no?" Livia sometimes wondered who said things like that or what he meant. She knew memory versus control did not necessarily match, but why the man would say that did not seem clear to her. She figured she might have to ask herself that question for as long as she lived; she knew better than to ask him. All of this skullduggery had put out of her mind the fact that usually on this date, 8 January, she pulled some kind of birthday prank on him. Livia apologized that she had not worked on one but would gladly try anything that might amuse him.

Changing back to himself, he told her they had more important things to do. He asked for the ring, returned it to a tiny box and retreated to his bedroom. He created a pouch inside her bobcat and told her that he placed the ring there. He suggested she write a letter to her brother and date it 11 January, as he did the same in one to her Uncle Jack. He wrote:

 _Dear Jack,_

 _I am rather sorry to have to write this to you. Christopher, as you know, eloped with Livia very recently, though he had to pick up her ring only a few days ago. Spies gaining knowledge via where he got it gave a few unknown people eager to find her a tip as to her location. They exploited the information. My assistant headmasters may have not waited or required official sanction to send some friends after her. I am not certain presently who did it. In any case, Christopher got in the way. I cannot act on this, however. Other things take precedence. I must protect Livia myself. Please do not discuss him. Let everyone here believe both got away. It is safest. I beg you. Since I will cloak Livia, she relies on the story, as do I. To suggest otherwise could only mean someone saw or heard from her, which endangers us all. Moreover, if anyone suspects this, she may die without avenging him. You know she wants to do that._

 _Livia did not want to leave Christopher, but he insisted she take the opportunity of a diversion to depart. He upheld his vows to her family by getting her back to me. I do not believe either of us will ever see him again, which you can imagine has upset both of us. I wanted to keep him out of this war, to ensure some part of my family survives. Essentially, I inherit his promises. I must take them seriously on even the remotest chance that she carries Christopher's legacy already._

 _Please secure her and your relatives's residence as you discussed with Christopher. The less I know the better and vice versa. I conceived of a contingency plan I hoped I would not have to try; I am going to use it on Livia. You will find out where she is and what to do by coming here – later. You will have to be the seeker of assistance, however. I will leave instructions. Seek out the victor. (You will know what I mean then.)_

 _Remember that last part but otherwise destroy this note or at least get it far beyond anyone's eyes here._

 _Sincerely,_  
 _Severus Snape_

Livia's note to her brother said some similar things, though she completed it only after seeing the letter to her Uncle Jack. Her letter stated:

 _Dear Tom, Alice and Uncle Jack,_

 _I am okay, though shaken by recent events. I really thought I should have stayed with Christopher, but he insisted I leave when he created an opportunity for me to escape. I cannot imagine what I left him to face. That will haunt me. I had a sense of survivor's guilt before, and it only deepens. Yet I know that to make his sacrifice meaningful I must accomplish much when given the chance. I will do so in his name._

 _You'll likely not hear from me for an indeterminate amount of time owing to the necessity of hiding me. Please have faith that "no news is good news" – I or Uncle Jack will contact you, Tom and Alice, as soon as possible when this conflict ends, and he finds me. As I understand it, Uncle Jack will not be the one securing your location. He has not even informed me as to whom that person is. He and I may best preserve your safety by me not even knowing this. I generally have not pursued a few things I could have asked him that I sensed were best left alone, but I will at some point. If you are ever found, say nothing beyond the elopement and when you last saw me._

 _I would like a copy of that picture you took of Christopher and me sitting in the garden together, Tom. I don't know how many keepsakes I will find of myself with him, but I will someday want to find as many as I can. I hope to see you all again in the not too distant future. Give my love to everyone._

 _With deep affection,_  
 _Livia_

He made sure neither revealed her hiding place. He also noted that he would contact her friends as she signed her name. She nodded. Then he looked over Livia's letter, finding it a bit unusually sentimental. The note sounded very genuine. Did she actually mourn a non-person? He asked her.

"Oh, he exists for me," Livia stated. "I've said it before. Even if he only partly lives inside you as the person you never could allow yourself to become, he lives as far as I'm concerned. Just because you rarely permitted him to see the light of day in your reality does not mean I must agree. Your possible sacrifice involves a lot more than the life you have. You may give up the life you could have had, too. He could grow, he could laugh, he could feel and give love. What you do with those attributes I dare not guess, but I do suggest that they live somewhere within you."

That felt very deep to him and a bit dangerous. "Where are you getting this?" he asked, annoyed. "I have never given anyone else even the slightest indication regarding any of that."

"Yet I'm not wrong," Livia replied. "Am I?"

He drew a long breath. "That I cannot say."

"Christopher has maybe 52 more hours left to live, since it will be midnight in four hours," Livia said. "Does he gets a birthday, too?"

"Livia…"

"Well, does he?" she asked, insistently. "Does he get anything?"

"Like what, Livia?'

"A wedding picture? Or how about –"

"You are taking this too far," he responded. "It's just a story, you know, if a needed one."

"Yet it's also going to be one I tell for a very long time to come, isn't it? Or can I someday inform Uncle Jack or anyone what actually has taken place here? Do you really agree to that?"

He paused. This narrative at times fit various purposes – his, hers or both, but it also had gotten away from him. It got away from her, too, if she honestly felt blindsided at least once. Did he really want anyone else to know that Christopher was nothing more than a part of himself? He did not relish the idea for so many reasons – not one bit. Livia knowing what she knew already had pushed him beyond what he thought was his limit. She would say goodbye to many things shortly. Perhaps she needed to do this. He felt extremely reluctant because he knew that a significant part of him wanted the same thing; he needed to say goodbye to her, also. The only saving grace came with the realization that allowing her to bid Christopher farewell could help him transition her from the person who sat before him into how he would cloak her. He first needed to loosen her grip on her bodily reality. How it affected her cognitively he could only guess, given so many things that she could do. Of course, he had no basis to compare.

He stood up. "If I do this, we will also slowly begin the process of how I wish to conceal you, which involves both a potion and a spell. Will you be ready? Ask Ardith if she is ready, too?"

Livia got up and embraced him, which he had not expected. She released him. "Okay. I needed to do that whilst I remembered – and you would remember." He tried to ignore the gesture, waiting to hear about Ardith. Livia asked Ardith, who said she would do as he wanted, which Livia relayed to him. He seemed satisfied.

He retrieved something from a desk drawer and took drops of it. He first would give her the opportunity to say goodbye to Christopher Prince. Livia wanted to hold onto Christopher like they attended their own reception. He let her do it, though when she put on her CD player, he put a finger to his mouth. "Shhh, you don't need to sing." Livia put on a lot of music from her past. Christopher showed no hesitation just moving with her or asking a question about her brother's wedding. He actually wanted to hear "Tiny Dancer" again, the first song he asked someone to play for her, but she had to admit that she lacked it in a CD format. The vinyl record got destroyed in 1991, Livia informed him. She tried to supplement it with a compilation disc at some point, but that collection did not include that song. Changing technologies affected what she owned to a degree.

She did have "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" and the first record they ever danced to together, the U2/B.B. King song "When Love Comes to Town." He never found lyrics worth dissecting; he just considered the moment for her. She put her head on his shoulder a lot. Yet the first tune made her tremble. He preferred to not think about anything, just keep Livia focused on the present. It would end too soon for her.

Livia did have "Alive and Kicking" on CD, which he found interesting to hear from the original artists, rather than the way it sounded at Tom and Alice's reception. He remembered and told her she completely had captured the singer's voice. Livia found it enjoyable that he could recall that. She only had "Summer, Highland Falls" on cassette, and had not set that up. He did it for her, surprising her greatly. Despite the nostalgia, if not because of it, Livia felt a little like a witch "Cinderella;" she had a feeling that, as midnight drew closer, she would begin to transition away from the life she had heretofore known. When she cast that foreboding aside, she found Christopher captivating and focused, like any other groom might have been, even though he couldn't really be that. The end more or less to her full memory that evening came with a song called "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues,"* though she could not say that she or he would run to a place in their hearts. The chorus, however differently, affected them both. They at least had done the laughing part that evening. He whispered a few things to her that made her giggle, like reminding her of what he had done to Lydia that night. She assented to whatever he asked, but she later could not recall his question. She pondered the time she wished she could spend with someone who did not quite exist. Call it a missed or lost opportunity or just her delusion. He seemed very real at that moment, which filled her with many emotions that she could not handle fully, since he had asked her not to sing. Still, she clung to him as if only he existed, the only person that ever mattered to her. The moment totally had enveloped her.

Livia did the only thing she could do: she softly kissed him and thanked him. He accepted this, neither rejecting it nor fully responding. She then took whatever potion he gave her, which seemed rather quickly to make her feel weak-kneed. Before her hearing became sporadic, he whispered something to her, though she could not remember what he asked or her reply. She seemed to think it referred to the prior song. Her eyesight started weakening, like her blood pressure had dropped, making her sight fade. Livia practically started collapsing onto him. She vaguely could hear the INXS song "I Need You Tonight" and lacked any impulse control whatsoever. Clutching him tightly, she started kissing him again and again, unsure if she had closed her eyes or they had stopped working. He seemed to respond to her, though he paused briefly to drink something. She started wondering who she held onto because she could not see him, but of course she no longer cared because it no longer mattered. She knew and he knew. If she had to guess, the man remained Christopher Prince and not the brittle, bruised and bitter person who blocked Christopher's blossoming as a fully realized individual.

Livia lost track of time, though she heard a few lines of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"* and felt herself mumble things as herself like: "But you misread my meaning when I met you/Closed the door and left me blinded by the light." Surely, he must know that she saw him when she searched herself, which prompted her to verbalize that as well as, for her, the most significant lines like: "But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal." If her words had become a tad sloppy, her physical body had become a little distant – the potion separating the two deepened its effects. Of course, she held on more than many would, enough to figure out that he had picked her up and carried her somewhere. Livia only sensed when she could see at all that everything around her seemed dark. She could feel his arms around her, touching her face as well as the rest of her. She determined where she lay and only wished she could remember all of it or see more of it as well as feel his presence more. She could only murmur what she felt and kiss all of him over and over. She dimly took stock of the fact that her clothes lay in a heap with his against his bed curtains. Christopher apparently had no reason to hold back unlike July of 1991, even though the man inside of him who would remember this likely did not want her to recollect the details too much. She still loved him, nonetheless.

Livia only could puzzle over the fact that Christopher never came across as shy. Did this help her reach a state where he could finish his task? Yes and no, she thought – he did not plan what happened but considered it possible. Again, she did not know how much time passed. She gladly would have spent all weekend there or longer, if permitted. That may have interfered with his mission, so she accepted what he offered unconditionally. That she could touch him, hold him and accept him on his terms had to suffice because she lacked the ability to question or change it, as difficult though that was later. Livia somehow floated beyond her own body but she still could not see anything. He had obscured both of them somehow. Livia found herself happy to have expressed something of herself truthfully to him, in any case. He could not doubt this – ever. Still, she tried to tell him. She did not know if he understood her. She thought he had, but she could not recall how he replied.

Livia had no point of reference to the fragment of a memory of sitting at his small table. She knew that all she wore was her necklace and his black academic robe. Before her sat a piece of cake, the same cake he got every year. He had filled another eyedropper and emptied it onto the cake. He told her to eat all of it, which she dutifully did. She thought she looked at Sev'rus, in a different robe, not Christopher at that point, but she could not swear to it. After she finished, he stood her up or tried to do it. Livia could not stand and reached for him. He took her in his arms and lowered her to sit on the floor near Ardith. He removed the robe and put it in front of her, if for her modesty or his concentration – Livia had no idea. He briefly, thinly smiled to her, nodded and said farewell. He then began an incantation that lasted probably no more than five seconds, if that.

Livia then had a clearer point of view but higher than what she just had. Looking down, she had the feet of an owl, clutching a perch within her talons. The robe fell beside her, empty, flat on the floor by his window. Ardith did not exist next to her. She was Ardith. Precisely, she and Ardith seemed to share Ardith's body. Livia recognized herself enough to ask Ardith if she was okay. Ardith said that, if crowded, she could tolerate this for at least some time. How long, Livia asked. Ardith told her not to worry, just let her make the physical decisions. Livia could do all the thinking. Livia asked if that meant she could not speak. Ardith agreed and said she would have to do the vocalizations for both of them. Ardith trilled contentedly to indicate her wellness.

"Ardith, is Livia in there?" he asked. Livia essentially translated what he wanted to know.

Ardith trilled. He picked up some of Ardith's feathers and saw that Livia's necklace now adorned Ardith's neck, confirming what she indicated.

"Is there any problem right now with either of you?" he inquired.

Ardith made a clicking noise by snapping her beak in an effort to signify "no."

"Your trill is yes?" he attempted to confirm.

She again trilled.

"Confirm a 'no' if you want the clicking sound to represent it," he requested.

Ardith once more made the beak snapping sounds.

"Good," he said. He reached out to pat Ardith. Yet he felt Livia's presence. She could still clear his energy field, which though not the most terrible, still marked the fact that, indeed, Friday, 9 January had come and, in addition to his cake, now missing a slice, he had a bottle of whiskey standing on a sideboard cabinet. He found Livia's continued ability most remarkable and useful. She would keep him sharp, even whilst not entirely there. _That's a testimony to the power she has._

He took her wand, which he brought from his bedroom, placed it in a box and put it in a drawer by her other belongings. He wrote out directions for reversing what he had done and placed this, as well as another potion bottle, inside a drawer above her wand and cassettes. He left food for Ardith, picked up his academic gown, said goodnight and retired to his room. He hung up all of Livia's clothes on a hanger above the closet space where he kept her bag. He cleaned his clothes and gave them a hanger, too. He got rid of her dishes and litter box. He obscured any trace that she had been there, except for two objects. First, he kept the picture of Tom and Alice Woodcock's garden by his nightstand. Second, he left Livia's plush toy bobcat on the same nightstand, with her ring inside of it. Ultimately, he would contact those keeping his wills to change them according to his wishes and the belief that Livia would be found. He wanted them to look for her ring. He hoped that it occurred in time for her to execute his final wishes, should she need to undertake these.

Everyone knew not to disturb him on his own birthday, but those rules did not apply to Livia or Ardith that year. He started drinking his whiskey not looking at either, not wanting to look at either, when Ardith started to make clicking noises at him.

"Leave me alone, Livia," he demanded. "Not today."

Ardith kept up her beak snapping at him and flew to the back of a chair opposite his, as if asserting territorial rights. She glared at him, as only owls can do.

"Livia…" he began. Ardith continued clicking. "Are you telling me, Ardith, that you are doing this yourself?" Ardith trilled. "I see, two on one now, well I'm going to drink in my bedroom, then." He left some food, then closed his door. Ardith moved back to her perch. Livia congratulated her for trying, stubborn though he was. He stayed in there the rest of the day and night.

He spent much of Saturday, 10 January in his office. He informed the late headmaster that everything was set and his work had gone well. If Albus detected any emotions, he said nothing. Still, Albus sensed great regret in his successor. Severus later spoke quietly to Ardith and Livia before retiring that night. He emerged near midday on Sunday. They all had something to eat and drink. After a brief trip to his office, he located the letters he and Livia wrote. He could get them to her Uncle Jack by using the man's first two names; everyone knew him by either "John Russell" or "Jack Russell." He hardly needed that if Livia could still call Sevy via Ardith. Could she?

He touched Ardith's head and kept his hand there. It took Livia a little time to clear his energy field again, lacking a wand and an obvious means to dissipate all of what she collected. Yet she lacked another focus so she still could do it.

"You both okay?" he asked. Ardith trilled. "Can you collectively call Sevy to deliver these letters?" After a pause, Ardith trilled again. He opened the window nearby. "Call him then."

Livia told Ardith who she tried to get there, so Ardith knew what to expect. It took longer than usual for Livia to connect with him. Being an owl carried no advantage. Sevy also had to negotiate a few obstacles but ultimately arrived. Sevy eyed Ardith and seemed puzzled as to why he needed to come given the owl there. With difficulty, Livia spoke to him. Sevy flew up to Ardith's perch and moved some of her feathers with his wing till he found Livia's necklace. He seemed relieved to confirm that she remained there.

Livia spoke with Sevy for a few minutes, though ultimately he wanted to speak to the other male in the room. Unfortunately, Livia could not translate, but she could tell Sevy that she needed this subterfuge for the time being. She conveyed to him what the letters said, including the "cover" story he would carry that ensured the safety of others. Sevy understood, even if human actions sometimes baffled him. Sevy still felt he needed to vocalize, even if only Livia knew what he said.

"I think I can interpret Sevy now," he stated. "Tell him I thank him even though I am unable to do what he believes I should." _If only human lives worked like that._ Nonetheless, Livia complied.

Sevy brought both letters to Uncle Jack around mid-afternoon. Uncle Jack profoundly regretted reading about Christopher's probable death. Livia's letter seemed a bit raw for someone who usually has control of her emotions. He wondered about the headmaster's motivations, unsure about his concern for Livia versus the corrupted ministry that insisted on putting him in charge of the school. Whichever way he went, the situation seemed highly complicated. Uncle Jack had to trust that Livia had judged him correctly. The next to last paragraph offered an interesting clue. Was he seeking a seeker? The obvious person he could think of who fit that cryptic description no longer attended the school or held that position. Nonetheless, Uncle Jack knew what he had to do.

Uncle Jack retrieved and shared the letters with his neighbor, who would keep Alice and Tom's Cambridge home secret. They discussed the information. They agreed that Livia seemed stressed and Professor Snape a bit enigmatic. If Livia trusted him, they must, as well as finish their plans. Uncle Jack took his neighbor to Livia's cottage so he could find it and they finished securing it. Returning, the neighbor took the letters and thoroughly blanked Uncle Jack's memory as to Livia's present position as well as Tom and Alice, only showing Uncle Jack a small part of one letter. He explained to Uncle Jack that, when the time came, he would restore Uncle Jack's memory so they could find Livia. Only then could they "seek" the person both previously agreed fit the description, however odd it was. Meantime, they had to keep quiet, though only one knew why: lest they inadvertently harm Livia.

As far as Uncle Jack knew, Alice and Tom lived somewhere in Durham, though he had no idea exactly where, and Livia eloped to parts unknown. With Uncle Jack's memory blanked of any detail that could find anyone named Woodcock, Uncle Jack went home. Uncle Jack's neighbor, the only person who knew, went back to Tom and Alice's Cambridge home to leave the letters. He couldn't help himself; he looked around both inside the cottage and outside, where the property gently sloped to the River Cam. He failed to realize that, when he opened the rear door to see the property better, he had not gone unnoticed.

Just as he closed that door, the door linking the cottage to the main house opened. Alice stood there, shocked. "I never thought I would see you again," she asserted. "Why are you here?"

"I am the proxy protecting this location for your Uncle Jack," he answered. "No one would figure that out. I have a dwelling near him, and few know about it. I came to leave you these and to ensure there's a charm on everything here so your home remains safe from anyone trying to find you."

Alice read the letters and started crying. "Oh, that poor sweet boy," she stated, sobbing. "How awful for Livia. Where is she?"

"The one letter is rather cryptic on that point – it seems to me only its author knows," he asserted. "Your Uncle Jack no longer realizes much, which seems best to me. In any case, for this to work, we all must trust the person Livia has entrusted with her life and never discuss it or him."

"Do you trust him?" Alice asked.

"I have no idea what to think, honestly," he replied. "I cannot remember when Livia has ever been wrong, however – certainly not on something nearly as important as this."

"That is true," Alice responded. "I guess I should thank you, as strange as this is."

"It's the least I can do, and I'm happy to do it. I'm sorry, though, that it needs doing."

Shortly afterward, Uncle Jack's neighbor left the Cambridge house. Alice showed Tom the letters later that day. Tom felt overwhelmed and helpless. He hoped that he had taken a few good photographs of his last holiday party. Still, he felt stunned that people with such extraordinary powers possessed the same fragility. He could not imagine his sister's grief in being a newlywed and a widow within mere days. Both held each other close that night, as well as young Adelaide.

In the darkness that night, Alice revealed the greatest irony: "You will not believe who Uncle Jack got to protect us by keeping our residence a secret. I still hardly can believe it."

When she told him, Tom found the information bizarre also. "And Livia doesn't know?"

"That's what her letter says," Alice recounted.

"How did he react to Christopher's death?" Tom asked.

"I didn't get a sense of that," Alice answered. "He only acted concerned about Livia and doing what Uncle Jack wanted."

"Sure is convenient for him, though," Tom stated. "I hope that's all it is. You ask me she should have been with Christopher for more than a few days. This makes me very angry."

"I know – I can't disagree," Alice responded. "They just seemed right for each other. I really liked him, you know. Can't believe I just used the past tense there."

If Livia thought she lived in a holding pattern before, that feeling grew more intense during the winter term. Ardith rarely moved from her perch. Livia tried to think of herself as something other than a prisoner, but the Victorian idea of women residing in gilded cages came to her. Yet Ardith did not mind, given the food and company. Professor Snape played music when gone all day. He also told Livia things he thought she should know, like meetings he had or a rumor that he had "gotten rid of her" as retaliation. Many took her absence as a cover but interpreted it as his action against her, though others asserted that his nephew probably convinced her to leave.

He also wrote to Ted and Athena inquiring about Livia's whereabouts after her elopement. He told them the ministry wanted to find her. They did not recognize that he informed them by asking. Athena wrote back that Livia had not contacted them recently, and they told their friends.

When he told Livia anything, he did it whilst stroking Ardith's feathers but not looking at her. Perhaps he imagined talking to himself or in his mind's eye saw Livia. Then again, perhaps he did not want to look at what he did. Maybe he still had mixed feelings about the last night he saw her. Livia could only detect his need to unburden himself – either to help him focus better or impart knowledge that she might exploit eventually. He needed the former immediately, and she felt lucky that she could still do it. Livia held onto hope she could use the latter, since some of it surprised her. Several rogue ministry officials kept pursuing her and asked others to do so. They believed she lied and left to avoid discovery of her true origins as well as evade the Carrows.

He spoke about a missing student, a favorite of Helena's, Luna. He told her about the wand taken from the late headmaster's tomb and its possible allegiance, though some might presume its loyalty to him. He listed every single person within the Dark Lord's inner circle, key outsiders and every corrupt member of the present ministry; he essentially testified. He listed, among many ministry names, Dolores Umbridge, Rodrick Spence, the Wayne sisters and their father. He opted not to reveal her paternity officially, though those there pursing her there hadn't first handled the issue. They held no inclination to ask him about her parents because they never accepted Livia's status and never bothered to peruse his initial statement.

When Ben Spence disappeared, Rodrick assumed a sizable role, he said. Percy Weasley oddly held on there; no one knew if he blinded himself or hoped to turn informant. Professor Snape disclosed the death of the prior Muggle Studies instructor. He also told her that her ex-fiancé, Nils, assisted the Dark Lord at Durmstrang but never fully joined. At times, Nils disappeared from its grounds, which suggested at least second thoughts. No one knew where or what he did. His one-time wife had betrayed Nils's former headmaster by revealing his hiding place. She hoped to curry favor by serving those sent to kill Igor Karkaroff, but finding her insignificant, they killed her, too. Elise Piersaan had run into people uninterested in her actual abilities; they did not serve this particular cause well.

Sometime in April, Professor Snape spent a decent amount of time at his desk, usually amending some kind of list or checking things on it. Livia never could decipher it, given he usually revised something. He revealed to Ardith the name of those who kept his wills: Phillip Beckford and Baldur Bodlington, as well as the local undertaker, Basil Forrest, who could make his final arrangements. Livia swore to herself regarding that information, compelling Ardith to make a clicking sound. He patted Ardith and said he had no choice but to plan for this possibility. Toward the end of April, he produced parchment from a pocket and told Ardith that he had placed it next to Livia's ring. Livia knew he did all this for a reason; he or Albus must have sensed something imminent.

Livia realized Sev'rus would take at least one secret with him by dying, if needed. He told her he sought to disclose certain information first and hoped he would do so himself. Livia knew what he meant entirely. Sparring with him then spending time there further enhanced her instincts and sensibility that rarely required him to say much more than confirm her suspicions. It pertained to why he kept her there. Some might doubt what she knew, but she would figure out how to prevail because finally someone would know many of the things that she did. At the end of the month, he relayed to her information about another incident regarding key Death Eaters and its possible implications regarding the wand some likely presumed might answer to him, if anyone.

The morning of Friday, 1 May began like any other spring day but Livia soon felt different. At some point, Professor Snape returned to his quarters and did not remove even his academic robe. He seemed to wait. He looked towards Ardith and nodded, then put his finger up to his mouth to quiet her as a knock came to his door. Amycus Carrow entered to tell him that spies had spotted Harry Potter in Hogsmeade, perhaps on his way to the school. He noticed the grey morph Screech Owl and expressed how unusual such a sight seemed in the headmaster's quarters.

"What, you have never seen anyone here have an owl, Amycus?" he asked.

"I do not recall you having one," Professor Carrow replied, puzzled. "None ever in your office."

"I got Ardith some months ago at the Emporium," he recalled. "No one offers a black owl or I would have one. I keep my own counsel. She keeps me company. I do not see how this is your concern. We have a bigger issue and students need to be warned." Before departing, he nodded at Ardith who gave him a fading trill, which sounded a bit mournful. He cracked open the window slightly and secured the room to maintain its integrity. He smiled slightly towards Ardith and left.

Livia tapped into what Ardith could see looking out the window, dreading all she might see. She possessed a decent vantage point, even able to peer into part of the Great Hall from above the courtyard and perceive a number of areas besides that. Indeed, the headmaster's view amounted to a type of ringside seat. Ardith, of course, could see inordinately well in the darkness. Nothing escaped her vision by just a tilt of her head or bobbing movement. When Ardith spotted a trail of smoke leaving the fortified structure, Livia knew. He had to leave because he would not fight those he secretly supported. Moreover, they could not defeat him before he conveyed what he needed to share; Livia knew who must have entered the school. She recalled something Helena said long ago about the right person standing before her. Could it be? Still, Livia hoped that this event also meant a passageway existed for the tutors to get the youngest students away from the building.

Ardith could spot the defensive measures going up to protect the area, at least temporarily, then these becoming porous. Livia tried to get a fix on what happened to Sev'rus as the school fell under attack. Seeing the ravaged building and assaulted students horrified Livia. Vaguely, she found a sense of him still remaining close by. He seemed to wait rather than flee.*

Within Ardith, Livia could only brood and stand eyewitness to the viciousness or what unfolded. It did seem that Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle got the youngest out of harm's way, but other students had fallen victim to attacks of various kinds. Moreover, other defenders also paid with their lives, including older people Livia met or knew well. _Why must I witness this?_ Livia longed to save any or all but could do nothing. Then she heard of a brief armistice announcement not long before dawn with its central demand being the young wizard the Dark Lord had tried to kill for years, Harry Potter. She felt that he would go eventually. Livia, however, questioned how he could die via the wand she thought that the Dark Wizard possessed.

Just before that time, Livia realized that someone had joined Professor Snape. No longer alone, she felt his life slowly begin draining from his body. Ardith snapped her beak several times in sympathy. Livia knew he had been mortally wounded. Still, he did convey enough information before dying. She understood why he virtually fell on his own sword, or really a wand not actually his. He did manage to send her as a farewell a sense of certainty she would be found and restored, though not by him. She felt his exhausted final exhale as if she had witnessed it herself.

Dawn had just about come when she saw a procession of people, including Hagrid carrying Harry's body. Livia hoped he played dead. She couldn't understand what had happened. Then she saw it. He was alive. The wand perhaps chose him, after all. Moreover, Livia grasped that townspeople, including her Uncle Jack and the former headmaster's brother, had joined the fight. Uncle Jack may have come looking for her as well. He no longer had the memory of her blanked, she guessed. Livia knew someone worked with him; she figured that she knew him somehow, but she could not see him. The building obscured him. Livia perceived only a few things: he came with Uncle Jack, he had protected Tom and Alice's home, he arrived to fight and he also wanted to find her. Then she realized one recent tie to him: he had made the necklace she wore and the ring that sat in the adjacent room. Livia just could not put his real name or face on him – curious to be sure. Still, one thought dominated her mind: Livia needed to find Sev'rus's body before anyone else did.

Some Death Eaters continued to fight until killed or captured whilst others stopped or fled when Harry Potter emerged alive. Rhonda Wayne had fled, Livia noted, along with a few other corrupt ministry officials. Livia saw that not everyone believed Harry Potter when he announced Professor Snape's actual allegiances, but the death of both the Dark Wizard and his most loyal underling, the only witch anyone feared that Livia could not consistently defeat, meant that the war had ended. The time for them to assess the damage and rebuild had commenced.

Livia wanted out. She felt she had so much to do yet did not know how to start or get there. Livia and Ardith briefly sparred over Ardith's little body. Livia had grown anxious, and she wanted someone to know she remained there but had to wait for someone to come to her. Ardith tried a plaintive trilling sound to call for help. Livia wondered if anyone could hear her even though some people milled outside as well as inside.

Uncle Jack knew who he had to find. As various people gathered in small groups to talk about what had happened or what to do, Uncle Jack found Harry Potter, congratulated him for his courage, tenacity and success. He then asked: "Do you know how I can recover my grandniece, Livia Woodcock? She may reside here somehow, but I don't know where or how to find her."

"I think I do, just stay here," he replied. "Tell the faculty that I will find her."

Harry Potter found Ginny Weasley and told her to stay precisely where she was. He went outside to talk to his friends, Ginny's brother, Ron, and Hermione Granger. After they spoke for some time about many things, Ron pulled out the map of the entire school grounds. He opened it and they all scanned the contents. In the headmaster's quarters, they spotted the name "Livia Woodcock" in the outer room. Ron and Hermione seemed confused as to why she was there and yet could not leave on her own. Harry Potter told them that he suspected why. They all went inside, met up with Ginny and set out for the headmaster's quarters. Harry partially explained the ruse to everyone: Professor Snape could only hide Livia secretly. Otherwise, they appeared to be adversaries. Ron, Hermione and Ginny seemed dumbfounded.

It seemed odd to them to reach this part of the building, which largely lay intact, except for a few cracks or obstacles. The actual rooms they reached remained damage-free. Yet the charm protecting the room allowed them to enter. They went in and Ginny started calling Livia's name. Hermione and Ron looked for clues in the bedroom, which they found bizarre to search. The only sound heard was Ardith's trilling after Ginny spoke. Harry began going through some drawers till he located Livia's wand in a box as well as a potion vial and instructions for restoring her.

By then, Ginny had walked up to Ardith and looked her over. When Ardith trilled again, Ginny pet her and picked up a few feathers around her neck. She spotted Livia's necklace and told everyone she had found Livia. Ron and Hermione emerged from the bedroom with Ron carrying the hanger holding Livia's clothes. Harry directed Ron to put them on the floor, minus the hanger, next to the Screech Owl, where he placed Livia's wand. Ron looked at the map again, confirming Ginny's assertion that the owl was Livia. Ginny showed them all the necklace, which proved this, telling them that Livia wore this the last time Ginny had seen her. They examined the inscription.

Harry read the instructions aloud. Hermione took the potion vial and administered a full eyedropper directly to the owl. Livia had told Ardith to accept this, so she and Livia could return to their original states. Ardith trilled happily. Hermione put the vial down by the clothes and returned to the three standing by the small table. They all touched each other's wands and collectively spoke the incantation aloud for Livia's return, all pointing at Livia's clothes.

Livia thus appeared beneath her clothes, wearing nothing but her necklace. She grabbed at her throat to clear it. She greeted everyone, thanked them and told them she had not spoken a word in nearly four months. She asked if the boys didn't mind closing their eyes as she dressed. Harry closed his eyes quickly. Ron took a bit longer, with Hermione's scowl reinforcing the idea that he should do it. Part of this Livia could do with her wand, but Ginny assisted her partly. Livia put her wand in her pocket and hugged Ginny, happy to see her and to have recovered her voice and her body. "No offence, Ardith," Livia stated. "I'm sure you are glad to get rid of me, too." Ardith trilled. "Yes, it was crowded in there, for sure." Livia drank the rest of the potion to ensure the transformation stayed and provided Ardith with food.

"I'm not sure I understand why you were a prisoner in there," Ron asserted.

"Not a prisoner," Livia responded. "Whilst you were away, I challenged both Carrow assistant headmasters to prove their nasty, sadistic tendencies. I earned a target on my back. Professor Snape ultimately hid me to keep me safe. They basically left something in my room, likely intending to prove that, if I defeated it, I was more powerful and dangerous than he had suggested. His predecessor wanted to guarantee my safety for work to be done starting now."

"What work?" Hermione asked.

"Rounding up the rest of the Death Eaters and their enablers, making sure all are imprisoned or dead," Livia answered. "Then securing the future of this school. Professor Dumbledore once joked that I someday would become the Potions Master here, just to annoy Professor Snape. This was some years ago. We shall see if he was right."

"Really?" Hermione asked. "How old were you?"

"I was 13," Livia replied. "He also mentioned my wand resembling Professor Slughorn's."

"Why were all four of us necessary?" Ginny inquired. "I follow everything but that."

"I have my suspicions," Livia answered. "Two, in fact. Harry, do you know if I'm right?"

"I believe so," he concurred. "Fraternal twins is my guess."

"Can I speak with Harry alone for a minute, please?" Livia posed to everyone. "Ginny, if you remember who my great uncle is, can you tell him I will be there shortly?"

Ginny agreed and withdrew along with her brother and his girlfriend. Livia remained in the room with the young man who had vanquished the Dark Wizard once and for all.

"First, I must thank you for everything, yet I need to ask if you have any idea what happened that night?"

"You're asking me?" Harry countered, puzzled. "I could ask you."

"You saw nothing from that time?" Livia put to him, a bit disappointed.

"I didn't say that," he answered. "It was very dark. I know what happened affects your ability to remember. I have no doubt as to why you were hidden or your present state."

"But who?" Livia inquired. "Or should I say which?"

"Since there is only one answer biologically speaking, I'm not sure it matters," he replied. "It's a great responsibility. I can't really judge what else I should call it."

"Nor I," Livia stated. "That is, I don't know what is most accurate. I must ask one more thing. In the event one is female, would you object if I name the girl Lily?"

"You would do that? Why?" Harry felt caught off-guard.

"Oh, I'll get an earful about it at some point, but in addition to thanking you, I think someone actually would appreciate it, even if he won't ever say it to my face," Livia maintained.

Harry nodded. "You know him very well, which is not surprising. I can't think of a reason to object. Blimey, I'm amazed. I doubt my mother would want me to object. I guess we should both go downstairs and determine the next steps."

Livia raised a finger to wait a moment. She opened the bedroom door and looked inside. She found her toy bobcat. Inside lay a folded piece of parchment and Livia's ring. She was not ready to read his letter. She had to find him first. "After I talk to those downstairs, you need to take me to Sev'rus's body. Please. I have a feeling that no one will prepare him well unless I do it."

"Yes, I'll show you," he said. "But can you do that?" Harry was baffled at Livia's emotional state to do such a thing.

"I don't see how I can duck that responsibility," Livia answered. "An undertaker can advise me, but I don't want anyone else touching him. I think I should have that right."

* Author's Note

The song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" originally became a hit in 1974. Penned by the due of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, it came out on the album of that year _Caribou_. It later was sung by George Michael at Live Aid in 1985 and became a hit as a live duet sung by Michael and John in 1991.

The song "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" appears on Elton John's 1983 album _Too Low For Zero_. A single that year also, songwriting credit goes to Elton John, Bernie Taupin and Davey Johnstone.

I did not distinguish the location of Severus Snape's death since the book and film designate different locations. I leave it to the reader's preference rather than choose the "wrong" spot for anyone.

Events from The Battle of Hogwarts appear in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (Arthur A Levine PB, 2009) chapter 31.


	47. Arranging a Proper Burial

Livia followed Harry Potter down to the Great Hall where the dead remained as well as survivors in varying degrees of shell-shock taking stock in all that happened. Harry was quite agile negotiating everything whilst Livia just started getting comfortable again walking. He approached Uncle Jack first to tell him that he had succeeded and walked away to rejoin his friends after respectfully placing his hand on Livia's back. Uncle Jack thanked him most graciously though he also seemed a bit unsteady after all that he witnessed.

Livia embraced her Uncle Jack. "So great to see you again. How did you get here?"

"I feel the same way," he stated. "Horace gathered many of us to come via a tunnel starting at the inn. How are you?"

"Better that I see you now," she said. "There is a lot of heartache as well as work here."

"Yes," he agreed. "I'm so glad I said nothing about Professor Snape. I had no idea as to what danger he put himself in, beyond you of course."

"I knew about all of it for some time, which is why he had to keep me quiet and not let me go too far," Livia responded. "I tried to help him maintain the ruse until he had to appear to force me out, at the very least. Anyway, you will soon see why both he and his predecessor hid me. No one will get past me. My first duty, though, will be to see that Uncle Severus receives a proper burial. I will visit Tom, too, but I think you will have to tell him first because I have much to do."

"Okay, but I need to first re-introduce you to someone," Uncle Jack declared. "He kept the Cambridge location safe."

Uncle Jack motioned for a man to approach them. Livia furrowed her brow a little at first. As he came closer, she opened her mouth, covering it with her hand. She raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes in shock. The proxy who kept Tom and Alice safe was none other than Ben Spence. He thwarted his father in escaping as well as in protecting her brother.

"I don't know what to say," Livia pronounced. "Why? How?"

"Livia, I knew I had made a grave mistake letting my father run my life," Ben began, "Athena protected my home here from him when he and his friends came to suspect Ted. I made the necklace and ring you wear. Just about every piece I have ever made for Living Gems I imagined creating for you, anyway. I started learning how to do this years ago. When the previous ministry fell, I already had a plan and enough money to defy my father by breaking my engagement, resigning and leaving. I was going to do it three years ago, but that property situation fell through. I guess I was inspired by your sister-in-law's ring."

"I'm not sure what to make of this," Livia proclaimed.

"I know. Protecting your brother and his wife was the least I could do given how rudely my father dismissed them – and you. Then I hurt you terribly. I lamented that so many, many times, especially when I learned you had previously gotten engaged and recently were married."

"And widowed," Livia said, bitterly. "I guess I should tell you both that, not only was I hidden via a Screech Owl, I am expecting twins this fall." Ben seemed shocked but said nothing.

"Really?" Uncle Jack cried out. "That's great – but what a shame that they will never truly know their father."

"Yes, sadly," Livia lamented. "But they will not be alone in lacking someone important. This conflict has cost many and caused great suffering – I will avenge them all against what's left."

"You will?" Ben inquired.

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "I'll be a threat to anyone who remotely sided with that evil cretin. I have underappreciated skills as an empath, in Legilimency and in making truth serum. Between the three of these, none should stand a chance. The two late headmasters wanted me ready. That is my first purpose. The fact that Tom gives me insight into legally pursuing people is just gravy."

Uncle Jack and Ben looked at each other. They knew Livia had great talent. They never considered how putting it all together sounded. Her abilities and knowledge suited an immediate, great need. If used appropriately, she would prove herself a valuable asset.

"I never considered how right you are, Livia," Ben revealed. "You sound as if we need to get out of your way."

"Indeed, I have much to do, starting here, then in burying my uncle, then completing this mission. I will have a lot to do before October."

"I'm here for you," Uncle Jack promised. "Ben, I need to contact Alice and Tom."

Before Uncle Jack left, he asked Livia to let him know how she intended to proceed with burying her uncle. She told him she needed to consult the young man he had secretly protected for years without his knowledge. She would inform Uncle Jack when she knew the arrangements. Uncle Jack also told her that her owls and crows had stayed close to his home. All survived, though the crows had experienced some difficulty recently and his residence came in handy.

"I'm definitely here for you, Livia, too," Ben claimed. "It doesn't matter how. I will wait till you are ready to talk to me, at least. I want you to know I will do anything I can for you."

"I don't think you can reverse the past, Ben," Livia asserted.

"No, but I can try to earn your forgiveness," he said. "I will tell Athena and Ted that I have seen you. They can inform the rest of your friends." He kissed her ringed hand and left.

Livia found herself surprised at his thoughtful gesture. She turned to where the Weasley family congregated near the remains of their fallen member, one of the twins, Fred. Livia sat next to the body and embraced him tenderly. Since she had such fond memories of laughing with both of them, this loss stung her a lot. Livia made a point of embracing his mother and learned that Molly Weasley had destroyed the only figure anyone ever feared Livia facing. She thanked the woman for her sacrifice, her strength and her service. Livia also embraced George, who struggled the most without his twin. Livia also embraced or shook hands with the rest of the family, though made a point of asking Bill's wife how she and he got on with the scars from his injury. She asked about Bill's attacker, if he had been killed or caught. Many thought he had died.

They introduced her to the figure many believed would reformulate the ministry in the wake of what happened. Livia asked him about Glorianna Gardenia and the union as well. He pledged to work with Gardenia, whether she already had moved on the puppet union officials or not. Livia told him that she was at his disposal, since he could use her talents as an empath, an expert in Legilimency, her ability to make Veritaserum and her legal knowledge. She wanted the chance to show him. She informed him that her first order of business involved burying her uncle, though he likely could find her via her Uncle Jack, who everyone seemed to know.

Livia then came across the bodies of Remus Lupin, the former instructor, and her former classmate who had become his wife, who she remembered from her N.E.W.T.-level potions courses. She held both their hands at one point. As a tutor for him, Livia knew Lupin better, embraced him and hoped he found serenity in a place where he never had to worry about a full moon again. Livia pledged to both, having heard that they had a son together, that if she ever could, she would do everything possible to make their sacrifice mean something for their boy.

Livia also found some students that she had spent time with, namely Neville and Luna. She hugged Neville intensely, congratulating him on avenging his parents. No one could question his strength or bravery. He smiled. Livia cleaned and fixed his wounds, badge of courage though they had become. Though looking hideous initially, he would recover fully. Luna seemed unhurt and, despite everything, remained soft-spoken and philosophical. Livia told her that Helena made sure Livia tried to watch over her. Both of them had at times relied on her wisdom and clarity.

Livia next greeted the faculty, who she had not seen in months. She explained to them how she had remained obscured there owing to a threat on her life and the idea from years ago to keep her "off the radar" of certain people. Most had presumed that meant for a limited time. They had not fully recognized that the late Professor Dumbledore wanted her to avoid everything. She told them she would round up the residual malefactors who fled as well as verify the testimony of defectors, to assure they had switched sides and revealed all pertinent information. Livia told them that she possessed the entirety of the late Professor Snape's knowledge of the Death Eaters, since he told her everything that he knew. All seemed surprised, though Professor Flitwick was just especially happy to see her. The rest seemed relieved that her talents did not go to waste. Livia inquired about the tutors and the young students. She learned they had successfully saved everyone 11-14 years old and that her decision to have routine meetings worked well in such unusual circumstances, as it gave them opportunity to talk without spies around. The students who died either had fought of their own accord or had resisted efforts of the tutors to secure them. Livia told them that, at some point, she would gather her belongings, some of which remained in the headmaster's lodgings and some in her own. She requested they not dispatch with the headmaster's things until his will stipulated what she or they should do. They agreed, though some still harbored confusion regarding how he had been on their side all along.

With that said, Livia found Harry Potter again and asked him to take her to Professor Snape's remains, located on the grounds but away from the school's massive building. On the way there, she inquired if he knew what had become of the old potions textbook with his notes. She retained papers with his comments and duplicated the notes he wrote on that book into her own copy, which also included her own marginalia whilst his student. Still, Livia wanted his copy as a remembrance. He pledged that he would see if he could find it. They said little else during the walk. Harry looked at her to see how prepared she was. Livia was focused, though not unfeeling.

He finally told her as they approached the room that the attack on the headmaster, by the Dark Lord's snake, Nagini, had brutalized him horribly. Livia did not change her expression. He thus brought her into the room. Livia saw how much blood he had lost and how it had flowed or splattered on him as well as the surrounding floorboards and wall. Some of it had congealed on his clothes or in his robe. Livia knelt down and cradled his body, not unlike how he himself had done the same years ago with Harry's mother. Livia asked only if Harry could get the undertaker Basil Forrest and/or the lawyer handling his estate, Baldur Bodlington, to meet her in the potions classroom at the school, where she would ultimately head with his remains. He agreed to see if he could locate either and disappeared. Livia knew the young man who killed the Dark Wizard would get more attention than she would, even if she would execute or inherit any portion of his estate.

Livia wept softy as she whispered to him. She knew why he died and that he would deem his death necessary and something he had prepared to do. Still, she lamented the necessity as well as all that he gave up so freely, as she noted his lack of defensive injuries. In her mind, she saw his life better than he did, which made his death so tragic. Surrendering what he had become may have not seemed like the greatest burden, but he relinquished so much in confining himself to the role of a cranky, mean-spirited, unsympathetic petty tyrant that she regarded it as a loss, too. That he cast the die of his life by 21 years old never ceased to disturb her. He let bullies and his losses define him like a crippling disease more than his abilities, his bravery or, yes, his heart – it lay in there somewhere. She mourned it all. He did not invent Christopher. He repressed Christopher to the point of obliteration, which only made him lash out in ways akin to what others had done to him. The once bullied learned how to bully and humiliate. Livia understood it, but she never took the bait. She had held fast to Tom Woodcock as her lifeline instead.

Livia made a number of pledges to him, trying to honor all of him and not just what he presented himself as being. She promised to make him proud of her. She pledged to love and watch her children enough and to ensure they never endured what she or he suffered for even a moment. Their talents would be nurtured along with whatever else they gained from her. They would respect him and his sacrifice above all, even if they never appreciated either wholly. Only then did she produce a dignified way to convey him back to the school building, though before leaving the little room she erased all traces of his death from it. She blessed the spot so that it did not carry a stigma from having essentially witnessed his demise. She marked it in her own small way for herself only.

Livia quietly, reverently conveyed him back to the building, looking for the entry point easiest for her to reach the classroom where she opted to work on him. Professor Slughorn found her in the vicinity first and considered questioning her about her plans. Harry had told him of her plans. He saw her determination and decided not to confront her too openly, especially by himself. Livia informed him regarding her intent to clean and prepare his body as well as await his undertaker and/or solicitor. Professor Slughorn gave way to Livia, though he looked at the corpse of his former student and asked if he had really been on their side all along.

"Do you not believe Harry, or is it me you doubt?" Livia asked. "No one lies to me overtly. Ask my Uncle Jack if my trust was misplaced. Sev'rus hid me for my protection, and he died so the Dark Wizard presumed things that were not true. He could have told him anytime but didn't. That helped Harry win. He dedicated himself to avenging Harry's mother, who was your student, too. For him to succeed, he risked his life daily yet had to ensure Harry never knew the truth. But I knew, even though he never wanted anyone to know. I made sure Harry never knew, either."

He withdrew but returned with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall. By then, Livia had converted the stretcher into a table to work on the headmaster. They questioned what Livia did there, since she had taken a leave and, technically, Professor Snape had abandoned his post. They wondered if the undertaker simply should have removed the body.

"First, I never fully left," Livia said. "I was hidden here because the Carrows put a dementor, I think, in my room. I did not see it. I thought maybe it was another dark creature, but Severus told my Uncle Jack that it was a dementor. Nonetheless, if I remained visible, the Carrows could have arranged another attack. He preferred to prevent that versus have me reveal myself more. Ask the late Albus's portrait if he agreed with this action – I believe that he did. Moreover, Professor Snape never entirely left the grounds, either. He left the building versus fight any of you. You think he fled? You think him a coward? He risked his life almost every day. Again, ask Albus if Harry told the truth or not, if you do not believe me. And ask yourselves who has knowingly, successfully lied to my face because I sure would like to know when that has succeeded." The only one who ever had lay dead on the table before her.

The trio briefly talked quietly among themselves as Livia removed the deceased's academic robe and began working on his buttons. They did not wish to see this and wondered how Livia went about what she did as if she handled corpses of people she knew every day. Filius asked her directly why she had assigned herself this task.

"He deserves nothing less from me than to ensure this is properly and honorably done," Livia asserted. "He is my uncle, and I owe my life to him. If you objectively look back, you might see this similarly. In any case, the work that he, Albus and all of you have done will pay off quite handsomely – you will see when I complete this and show you why I was set aside until now."

"What happened to his nephew?" Filius inquired. "Where is he?"

"He died in another January attack that targeted me," Livia replied. "I'm all this man has in this world, so it's incumbent upon me to do this, be that ever an old-fashioned view."

They all decided to withdraw. Livia acted very righteously and sure of herself. At least one of them wanted to confer with the portrait of the previous headmaster to see if he did in fact confirm her account. He did. Both she and Harry had told the truth. Severus Snape had done his bidding all along – even when he asked Professor Snape to kill him. Only Severus and Livia, with Harry learning afterward, knew of the curse that would take Albus's life. He was dying and, as orchestrated, his death enabled the Dark Lord to trust Severus as a faithful servant, when he wasn't.

At around the same time, the undertaker and solicitor showed up in the potions room. The undertaker, Basil Forrest, a slight, somewhat undersized greying, partly bald man, had a slight stoop. The solicitor, Baldur Bodlington, stood a head taller and weighed at least 50 pounds more. A portly man with large mutton-chop sideburns of a greying auburn and thinning hair on his head, he also struck Livia owing to his intense grey eyes. The solicitor stepped forward first. He confirmed that the death occurred, then permitted Livia to put up a type of extension barrier preventing him from seeing her continue to remove his bloodied clothes. He asked Livia about her physical condition.

"Are you inquiring as to whether or not I'm with child?" Livia asked.

"Yes," Bodlington affirmed.

"I am – I believe I will have twins during the first week or so of October," she responded.

He put his hand on her stomach, which had vaguely begun to emerge. Still, he could detect at least one heartbeat there. "May I see that ring on your hand?" he inquired. Livia gave him her left hand. He took the ring off and examined it, including the inscription. "I am satisfied. About 30 percent of his estate, in cash, he has bequeathed to Harry Potter. Less the costs of his funeral, the bulk of it – from his bank vault to all of his personal possessions – belongs to you as trustee for the only wizarding family he will have. Severus Snape lived rather modestly, and I believe he has muggle-world possessions as well. Your children will not want for much. I understand you often interact with Jack Russell of Hogsmeade."

"That's correct," Livia stated. "He is essentially my great uncle. My brother married his grandniece in 1991."

"Good to know, if I need to find you to sign anything." With that, Baldur Bodlington gave a nod to Basil Forrest and told him that he would register the death for him, as he passed that office on the way to his own. Forrest expressed his gratitude for the gesture.

Alone with Livia, Forrest expressed surprise that she opted to work on the deceased herself.

"I see no reason why I should not clean and dress his body," Livia asserted. "Relatives or neighbors did this for centuries. I obviously will reimburse you for your time and your advice, but I feel I must do this and do it right. It is the last thing I can do for him and I won't deny him that."

"This is still a bit odd, Miss Woodcock," he stated. "Are you sure? I don't doubt you can in theory do it. Yet many bereaved people find it too upsetting. Those who try often do not finish."

"I'm sure," Livia responded. "I likely need to clean his clothes using magic, but I want to personally clean and dress him. Would I be correct in presuming he has a plot in Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes, though I have wondered about that, since he never lived there."

"The woman he loved for much of his life lies there – that's the reason," Livia said.

"Oh, I presumed…"

"No, I'm his niece, not his fiancée or widow," Livia clarified. "He never married. Frankly, I wish that he had. He had more to offer than he knew, but he had his 'reasons' to discount this."

"You seem to have cared for him a great deal," Forrest concluded.

"I did and I do," Livia affirmed. "Perhaps because I understand some of the things that pained him and drove him to lash out rather than find comfort or support."

Forrest told her how to make a cleaning liniment, how to prepare him and what provisions they used for his transport to the burial site. Livia and Forrest agreed to schedule the funeral for Sunday, 3 May at 3 o'clock. With that, Forrest withdrew to make arrangements with the cemetery to receive him and to post a notice there and with the funeral home as to the upcoming service. He told her that he would return Sunday morning at 10 o'clock to take possession of the body.

Before continuing, Livia covered the body with a sheet and penned notices to Uncle Jack, Professor Flitwick, Harry Potter and Professor Slughorn regarding the service time and location. Since she worked on the body and only had four owls readily available (Ardith had never carried mail at that point), as none yet had eggs, she invited each to notify anyone who might wish to attend. Harry actually came to see her to discuss a few things, since the solicitor and undertaker had posed questions to him. They agreed on a simple, appropriate headstone. Harry suggested the inscription and also wished to speak with her as a principal mourner at the service. He then made sure Livia would not object to anyone he specifically wanted to attend.

"Me object?" Livia questioned. "Never. Severus Snape was not who they thought he was, certainly not who you once thought he was. It had to be that way. He couldn't help avenge your mother's death any other way. He would have betrayed himself and died too soon. He tread very carefully to create what people saw and to ensure no one knew his actual motives."

"How did you know?" he asked.

"First, I can perceive people well without magic," Livia explained. "I'm what muggles call an empath. Ask your head of house how I earned money as a student. Heck, ask Bill Weasley, since I made a small fortune from his ex-girlfriend at a ball. We had some of those events here until some students destroyed school equipment in 1991. In any case, Sev'rus and I staged some fights over the years. Ask your head of house about the Slytherins I turned into 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses.' That's a good story. From the beginning, I found Sev'rus the most difficult person I met, but I understood a few things about him. I figured out his actual agenda when I took Occlumency and Legilimency lessons from him. If he were here and honest, he might tell you that I eventually surpassed him. No one now can outright lie to me. He was the only one who could. Truth evades me only when I don't want to look, or I'm too emotionally involved. This is why I will be able to track down every single ally of that cretin you defeated. It's my duty and part of what I have been trained to do."

"What's the other part, teaching?" he inquired, unsure if she referred to that.

"We'll see," Livia replied. "My former roommates thought I would run this school someday. Professor Dumbledore merely predicted I would take the post of Potions Master, though for years he trained me as if I'd replace him. First, I need to get this right. He deserves that much."

"Yes, I agree," he affirmed. "One question. Your avoidance of my year's Potion's classes. It wasn't about Hermione, was it?"

"Not exactly," Livia answered. "I knew what he would do and that I would find it hard to take. I did him a favor by mostly not going nor getting too involved. I didn't want to find a reason to question him. I gave you a plausible answer but not my primary reason for staying away."

"It worked," he admitted. "I will see you tomorrow then." Both bid each other goodnight.

Livia acted with care and reverence. Whether he intended for her to do this she had no idea. She removed all traces of blood on his body. He looked peaceful, and she told him she hoped that somewhere he had earned rest and some measure of the happiness he had denied himself in life. She saw where a mark made for the Dark Wizard years ago had faded. She used her skills to remove the rest of it, since he more than made up for his youthful indiscretions involving it.

Livia covered him again whilst she cleaned his clothes. She created a hanger then essentially steamed and pressed everything he had worn, with the exception of his academic robe. Livia wondered if she had donned this herself in January. Nonetheless, she wanted it. She cleaned it of all visible signs of blood, though she knew some of it remained embedded under its hem. Livia left those vestiges of him, since no one would see them or know they existed. She resized the robe for herself and put it aside. If she ever required such a robe again, she would wear his.

Next, Livia began the process of dressing him in his cleaned clothes and returning his wand to him. She saw no reason to find anything else for him. She entirely replicated his tie as he had it, which she admitted initially stymied her because she wanted it perfect. Every button she fastened herself. He looked exactly as he had before attacked. She freshened everything with a little lavender or eucalyptus, where helpful, and folded his hands across his body. Only then did she close her eyes and kiss his forehead, choking up as she pronounced the work finished. Temporarily, she covered him again, given that she wanted to create the serum she would need in the near future.

Livia had just assembled the ingredients when another figure approached her. Surprised, Livia looked up to see Helena Ravenclaw standing before her.

"Helena, it's great to see you, though I did not expect to find you here," Livia declared.

"I came to pay my respects and see how you are," Helena explained.

"I'm holding up," Livia responded. "I'll think about this later."

"He might have said the same," Helena claimed. "You did him quite an honor in caring for him so well. It's rather touching to me, though I know it's not a task for the faint of heart."

"He deserves nothing less," Livia maintained. "I wish, in fact, that I could do more."

"I know," Helena stated. "We should talk again. Where is he going?"

"Godric's Hollow Cemetery, I understand, tomorrow at three o'clock," Livia told her. "You know how I feel, but I do as he wanted. I just hope he isn't torturing himself in death, too."

"He isn't," Helena revealed.

"I'm glad," Livia acknowledged. "That would disturb and depress me immensely."

"Do not worry about him," Helena urged. "I think he watches over you, actually. He's never figured you out entirely. I think he wants to understand you better."

"Don't flatter me, Helena," Livia said.

"I'm not," Helena responded. "You will see. When you finish, you will want to either sit with him or secure the room. Secure it and sleep. Just call me, and I will stand guard overnight."

"Thank you, Helena," Livia responded. "I'll call for you when I leave."

Livia furrowed her eyebrows, still a little perplexed about what Helena said. She started muttering to the corpse beside her and put her hand on his covered shoulder. "Don't flatter me, Sev'rus, I have work to do," she declared. Livia then began making a large quantity of the potion that would serve her in the near future. She had no idea when she would have such an ability to do this again but recognized the advantage of having it ready as soon as possible. In fact, she could not wait to use it on a few people she figured would resist her mightily.

Livia worked deftly and found it fitting that her teacher essentially supervised her work, even as a corpse. By then, she did not require his feedback. She could make that serum in her sleep and store it correctly. She left a note for Professor Slughorn about what she had done and to arrange for her to reimburse the school for what she had used, if the new ministry did not. After she placed it to mature in the closet, she returned to the deceased, touched his shoulder again and vowed, "I _will_ make you proud of me, for as long as I live." Livia secured the room, called Helena, thanked her again and returned to the headmaster's quarters with his academic robe.

First, Livia spoke with Ardith for a few minutes and left her some food, petting her as she ate. "I guess you're now mine, Ardith, though I wonder how I can make you happier." Livia looked at her music collection but did not think she could play anything to process all that happened. Only time could help her digest it all.

Livia entered the bedroom, seeing her bag, the picture on his nightstand and her stuffed toy bobcat. She hung up his black gown. Was she ready to read his letter to her? Livia sat on his bed and steadied herself with a post then unfolded the parchment to read the dated 24 April letter:

 _My dear Livia,_

 _I can only imagine if you are reading this that I am dead, you have been restored and that the Dark Lord has met his final defeat. This is as it should be. I have repaid the debt I left from actions I took years before I ever met you._

 _Try not to lament my passing that much. Many years ago I prepared myself for this possible end. Indeed, I existed for it and, yes, it made all other aspects of living frequently trivial or annoying to me. Still, you were never insignificant to me, not even as a young girl. At times you topped that list regarding the latter, though._

 _You surpassed everyone because I never prepared myself for meeting someone like you, much less that anyone would try to see me, all of me, the way that you did. I did not deserve your empathy, much less anything else. Why you never became infuriated or felt that I used you in some obvious ways largely eludes me. Have I left you a burden or a gift? You likely will tend towards the latter and some will disagree. Love them as I know only you can. They will keep you looking forward, not back. For you, Sevy is not wrong about that. And yes, I came to understand a lot of what he said once I recognized your method of communicating. I could hear it._

 _You so often tried to make me laugh and I resisted showing you, but I never forgot. Your treatment of Lockhart was grand. I enjoyed that, and even your effort against my own students. I wish I had seen you humiliate the Carrows. Arguing with myself also amused me much, especially in retrospect. You did more good than you know._

 _I admire your resiliency even more than your ability to talk to crows and owls. That is why I know you will succeed and that entrusting you with my legacy is appropriate. I did wonder once or twice what might have happened if I had been your age or you mine. No one could have a better friend. If I could have split myself harmlessly, I would have lived contentedly as Christopher. I think you know that._

 _The few times I ever had a moment of peace or comfort or enjoyment in my adult life came from you. You freely gave me more solace than I could imagine in the context of a bitter existence – and you never asked for much in return. I only could look out for you at times, though I never expected everything that took place. I know you will fulfill the obligations I place before you as well as whatever gets asked of you beyond that. I have no doubt that you will make me exceedingly proud._

 _Knowing you did not change the trajectory of my life or the exterior of it, but it did change me where no one else could see. That belongs to you. I will rest easier._

 _With love,_  
 _Sev'rus_

Livia considered the letter carefully. He partly tried to obscure his intent, but it remained a touching letter for an uncle to write, him especially. Livia put it back within her bobcat, unsure if she ever could dare show it to anyone. She also wanted to keep a small part of him for herself – because she would never have any other fragment of his life. The rest of him had wandered free.*

Livia decided to sleep in his bed that night, just to feel a little closer to him and to feed Ardith in the morning before turning over the headmaster's corpse to Basil Forrest. She contemplated what she might say at his burial service besides thanking those who attended, whether they came for her sake or Harry's. She decided she would tell them a few things so that they recognized that they did not entirely know him. He had perfected who he seemed to be to succeed in a very precarious task. With her thoughts better organized, she drifted off to sleep.

The next day Livia had Ardith fed and herself fed and clothed before nine o'clock. She returned to the potions room to sit with Severus Snape's corpse before Basil Forrest came. Livia quietly spoke to him as if they were reminiscing about the past. She confessed a desire to sing "Black Hole Sun" just to bother him. She set up the room. In her mind, everything shattered as she sang to him. She kneeled and lowered her head onto his body. She pled with him, too. After, she recalled the first time she had inadvertently touched him and the painful emotions that overwhelmed her young frame. She hoped that they finally had left him for good. Still, every time she opened her mouth, she wanted him to know that she would remember him – every song, every time, whether it fit anything or not.

Livia sat there quietly by the time Basil Forrest showed up. She signed some papers, releasing the body to him. She had chosen the simplest means of burial, to fulfill the "dust to dust" aspect of the traditional service. Retarding decomposition equaled an abomination to her. Being raised in a clergyman's home for some years gave her strong feelings on the subject; she might have selected a pyre if Forrest had given her the option. He brought a young assistant, Glenn, to witness the transfer and assist in conveying the body respectfully. Helena came back and watched them depart with the body after Forrest gave Livia information as to how they could assemble at the funeral home to travel to the burial site. He told her that he had given this information to others who inquired, from her great uncle to her fellow principal mourner. Livia felt satisfied.

She returned to the headmaster's lodgings to put all of her belongings into her own room. She moved Ardith as well as the deceased's personal effects, which did not seem that huge in number, despite the fact that he basically lived within the school walls for many years. She only found herself surprised to find that he had saved almost every note that she had written to him since 1991. She called Sevy from her own room to ask Baldur Bodlington how to find Phillip Beckford and to satisfy whatever he required. Ardith protested, but Livia told her that Sevy would want to handle his namesake's final affairs. Bodlington replied that he would gather everything Beckford needed, except for her birth certificate. She would merely need to present those papers, herself and show him her ring. The cemetery would give him a proper copy of what she needed.

At a little after 1 o'clock, Livia, dressed fully in black, from her matte, lacy-sleeved satin ¾-length gown right down to her lacy veiled, wide-brimmed hat and hosiery, fed Ardith again then took her to Uncle Jack's to leave her there and go with him to the undertaker's location where all got transported to the cemetery. The day was cloudless and slightly breezy. Uncle Jack and his friend Anne viewed the event as an opportunity to have mourners gather at his home and eat ahead of time. Livia had first paused to talk to Sydney, Mel, Brontë and Sevy. The Barn Owls except Brontë had started feeling their age a bit, despite getting the best diet and care. Sevy had taken his namesake's demise hard, too. Livia told him that she shared his disquiet but had to keep going. He agreed, though he finally understood why humans had trouble doing so at times.

Livia entered the house and first saw Ben, which did not entirely surprise her. Dressed appropriately, and stylishly, he embraced her, which caught her a little off-guard. When she froze, he said, "I'll wait forever for you to let me help you through this. You need not be alone." She then noticed that he had not come on his own. Ted and Athena, both looking extremely fit and happy, waited for her, also, glad to see her again. Ted, with short cropped hair and ever tall, had filled out a bit more but still lacked any significant fat. Petite Athena had allowed her blonde hair to grow out more. Ted expressed surprise at everything except that Livia understood Professor Snape differently than anyone else. He merely wanted to know when she had known.

"I realized a lot of it when we still were students," Livia responded. "I will detail this later."

"Really?" Ted asked.

"You'll see," Livia replied.

. "That is unbelievable," Athena interjected. "I had no idea. His letter to us seemed curt, like he really needed to find you. Still, his note functioned to warn us, and we didn't see it."

"He wrote that letter in the way everyone expected," Livia said. "That's how he needed it to be. He perfected his image, and I needed to respect it. The lessons I had after the fifth year ultimately enabled me to uncover everything that he wanted hidden, much to his dismay. By then, I promised to be very careful. And he and Professor Dumbledore decided to hide my abilities."

"Incredible," Ted stated. "I don't know how I should react to all of this."

"Me, either," Ben agreed. "Alice asked me if I trusted him, and I couldn't answer her."

Just then, more friends of Livia's arrived: Shelley and Liam. Both still had curly hair, with Liam's just long enough to still show it. Shelley's became a little more wavy because she also had let it grow. It seemed a very thick and lush brown. They were delighted to no longer live like fugitives but sorry that a funeral marked their initial departure from that. Both also remembered Livia's sparring sessions with Professor Snape, even her impersonation of him in front of him.

"Would you believe me if I told you he found arguing with himself amusing?" Livia asked.

"Yes, I would," Shelley answered. "He probably had a very quirky sense of humor."

"He did," Livia affirmed. "I'm going to tell a story illustrating that at his service."

"Can I ask why you wanted me to lie about Christopher's identity?" Liam inquired.

"At the time, I thought that students should miss seeing the resemblance," Livia replied. "We were mostly in dim light. Only I really saw him up close. I'm glad you all know. My family knew, but I had vowed to maintain his uncle's reputation and never defend him, so I figured more distance was better. Perhaps it wasn't necessary, but I thought it best if students knew the least amount possible." Livia opened her locket. All eyes widened but those of Uncle Jack and Ben.

"Blimey," Shelley said. "That's almost scary. Must have been quite strange, Livia."

"Indeed," Ted noted. "For once, I'm too taken aback to say anything. We never saw it."

"Who asked that of you, regarding Professor Snape's reputation?" Uncle Jack queried.

"The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore," Livia told them all. "They had their scheme in place for a long time. I found out and they had to decide how I fit into their plans. They believed ultimately that they could fulfill the prophecy regarding Harry Potter, so they had to determine how I best fit into the big picture. It started with my silence. We now will see if they chose wisely."

* Author's Note

These lines obliquely refer to the sentiment in Bernie Taupin's chorus to "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."


	48. The Rite and Rights of an Heir

Shelley had no doubts about anyone having plans regarding Livia. "You still doubt them, Livia?" Shelley questioned, a little perplexed. "Or is it you need to stop being so annoyingly humble? We all know you can be a badass when crossed." Shelley laughed as did several others. Shelley figured Livia needed some levity right then, given they would shortly leave for a burial service.

Livia was surprised her friend was embolded by her first taste of freedom. Perhaps Liam made her a less reticent. She didn't know what to say, nonetheless. No one else wanted to chime in openly, either. Livia had gotten so accustomed to being cautious that she needed time to adjust, at least in regard to herself.

Shelley then opted to ask Livia about Brontë, and they went outside together. Brontë landed on Shelley's arm; they shared a moment before Shelley let her former owl rejoin her mate. Livia reinforced how much Brontë appreciated raising eight clutches to date with Sevy. Pleased, Shelley went back inside with Livia.

Just then, Ben decided that he wanted to address the group, to deflect attention away from any uncomfortable silence: "I just want to say to everyone here how glad I am that Ted befriended me again. I don't know how I could have escaped my horrible situation without Ted or especially Athena. Given what the ministry became, I feel very fortunate today."

"You did that yourself, mate," Ted responded. "Athena and I just made the logistics easier." Athena was content to let Ted speak for them both.

Just after 14:30, all assembled prepared to make their way to the Forrest & Sons Funerals, to get to Godric's Hollow. They had dressed in dark suits and dresses, like a gothic formal. Of course, Professor Snape dressed like this daily, as if perpetually ready for a funeral, even his own. Once there, one by one, each touched the appropriate portkey for transport to the cemetery, where all reassembled. Truth be told, probably only the chief mourners really wanted to pay their respects at the outset. Others came because they wished to lend moral support. About 16 total showed, led by Basil Forrest. Before the service began, Livia had the coffin opened to ensure they buried the right man in the right place. No one who knew her found this surprising. She put her hand on his shoulder one last time, bidding him farewell, and asked Harry if he wished to do anything. He bowed and lowered his eyes. Others touched the coffin before or after Forrest closed it for the final time.

Forrest led the service, then offered the committal words. The coffin was lowered by workers into the grave. Everyone dropped roses on top of the coffin. As earth covered the coffin, Harry spoke, thanking everyone for coming. He expressed his own amazement given how he had not really known the deceased until after his death. He thus reconsidered all that had passed in the years he had known him. He reconfirmed that Professor Snape's unwavering love for his mother and determination to avenge her death guided everything he did. As he made his remarks, Livia thought she saw someone else approach but could not see who; people blocked her sightline. Harry admitted that there was much he didn't know because the deceased took so much with him. He then turned towards Livia and observed that she undoubtedly knew the deceased better than anyone present. He asked her to tell those assembled what he had missed and what they all should know.

"Thank you all again for being here," Livia stated. "Harry recounted the most important thing, but indeed there was a great deal of complexity to this man that perhaps only I and the previous headmaster ever saw. You did not grasp how he agonized over that man's death, even though Professor Dumbledore himself requested that Severus take his life so that, for one, the Dark Wizard would trust him. Not all of you knew that he staged fights with me for various purposes, including how I argued with him as him, which later he revealed had amused him. In fact, he orchestrated the intervention that spared several of my friends here today from severe punishment by asking his nephew to break up two potential fights – you know the incident, Filius. He did it owing to a concern that I might throw away my education over whatever repercussions transpired."

Ben hung his head to hear of that again. _I have thought of that night so many times – just like Christopher said._ He never knew it had been Professor Snape's idea to spare him the beating he would have received. He would have deserved it, too, he believed. He had to admit the words Christopher spoke that night seemed incredibly mature – he now knew why they were.

Livia continued: "What you also do not know is that he enabled me to create a potion that helped me stop the bullying of my friend, Selene. He even tipped me off to two Slytherin boys who later cornered me. He offered to punish them, though most believed otherwise. I asked him to do nothing. I turned them into 'rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses' to maintain his image over mine. Finally, I must tell you that he possessed a sense of humor and self-awareness. Once, I half-jokingly teased him about my favorite crow, Alastair, chasing him to, umm, soil him or his clothes. He told me: 'If you asked him to do that, Alastair would become the school mascot. Everyone will start feeding him until he becomes too fat to fly'."

Livia recounted Professor Snape's comments in his voice, perfectly replicating its cadence and inflections. Everyone laughed, regardless of their feelings towards attending. "Now you know why I found him funny. He was so much more than what you saw, but no one could know. That is, nobody could think he acted strangely these last seven years. My lessons in Occlumency and Legilimency revealed far more than you imagined. Now you know why I sincerely mourn him, not from an obligation, but on his own terms for his own being. Thank you all for coming."

There seemed to be a kind of stunned silence but also a moment of clarity for many where various things in the past made more sense. Livia finally looked towards the back and saw who had joined the group. "Oh my, Helena, you're here!" Livia cried out. Livia was given an aisle to run towards the back. Livia put her hand out and with her second hand was able to touch Helena Ravenclaw's diaphanous energy. "May I?" Livia asked.

"Okay, I came, after all," Helena replied.

Livia embraced a ghost. Everyone's jaws dropped, even Filius who could see only a bit of it from his position. "Did you know she could do that, Filius?" Professors McGonagall and Slughorn asked simultaneously.

"I had no idea, actually," he answered. "I'm as shocked as everyone else."

"Did you know about this, Ginny?" Harry Potter asked his girlfriend.

"No," she responded. "I never saw it, of course – and Luna never told me, either."

Meantime, Helena had congratulated Livia for her speech and truthfully encapsulating why she cared, if omitting what the group did not need to know. Helena said that she could not stay long because such excursions tired her out. They would talk later back at the school. Livia nodded at her, released her and let her return to where she felt strongest.

"I'm sorry about that," Livia said. "I didn't know Helena would come to support me. In some ways, she has been a mentor to me for years." Livia then placed a second flower, a white lily, on the dirt-covered burial plot of Severus Snape. She paused, kneeling in the dirt, vowing to return every 3 May to place a white rose there for him, which she did. Livia started a procession of people placing flowers there, beginning with Harry Potter, who then stood next to her as one of the chief mourners. After each person did so, he or she came to Livia and Harry to offer condolences to the principals. Some also thanked Basil Forrest for his thoughtful, if brief, service.

"I'm as shocked as anyone that you could embrace Helena Ravenclaw," Harry told Livia as they stood next to each other. "Can you teach someone to do that, or is it your gift alone?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think I could connect someone to a spirit by placing their hands correctly to feel the energy," Livia replied. "If another can feel it, they could do it without me, eventually. You saw the result of practice – I could not touch Helena right away or very well."

"Your ability makes me wish I still had a stone I received as part of Professor Dumbledore's will," he revealed. "I dropped it somewhere in the Forbidden Forest early yesterday."

"Do you want me to try to find it?" Livia inquired.

"You could do that?" Harry put back to her.

"Between a murder of crows and four Barn Owls, it's possible," Livia answered.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked. "What are crows and owls doing?"

"They may find the Resurrection Stone that might help me do what Livia just did to Helena Ravenclaw, only it'd be my parents, not Helena," he answered.

"What about Fred?" she questioned. Ron heard that part and wanted in on the discussion.

"If I find it and Harry agrees, I'll try," Livia responded. "You know how fond I was of both Fred and George."

"And Bill," Ginny stated. "I know as well as Ron." Ron nodded.

"Him, too – but he's a married man, so let's not talk about that," Livia said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I'll tell you later," Ginny replied.

Filius and several others shook Harry's hand and hugged Livia. He in particular did put together what Livia said but still found it hard to believe. It made sense, he told her. So many details seemed extraneous to an overall picture, though they had a place, after all. She asked him about the school's future, since prior headmasters got their pictures – a ghost-like yet verbal presence – in the headmaster's office. He sensed that Professor Snape likely wouldn't get one, given his tenure of less than a year and the common view that he had abandoned his post.

"You now know why he left the building – he had to stay alive long enough to give Harry a way to know everything that he and Albus Dumbledore discussed," Livia asserted. "I couldn't tell Harry because I remained perched in his quarters as a Screech Owl. I had no ability to speak."

"You will have to convince the entire Board of Governors, though I know you already have one vote," Filius said.

"One vote?" Livia inquired.

"Ask your Uncle Jack," Filius answered.

Livia knew what he meant, though she had never asked Uncle Jack. It made sense, given everyone knew him and he knew so much. She introduced her friends to Harry; they had only heard of him. They were all impressed as well as gracious. Shelley hugged him hard, telling him how her family had uprooted itself since Livia confirmed the Dark Lord's return for them. She was so glad that had ended. They all told him that they had no idea about Professor Snape, either, and that Livia tended to go right along with them, never giving any indication she knew anything different. Ted made a point of telling him that Livia had only revealed to them that the deceased had hated his father, which appeared obvious to all her male friends afterward. Harry nodded his head, having some insight about the significance of that, even though it didn't describe himself.

"You really told them nothing except that?" Harry asked, after Ted had walked away.

"Not even when I imitated him singing the most ridiculous songs," Livia responded. "I was accurate singing as him because I understood him, not just because I could impersonate him. They asked me a few times if I had learned anything about him, and that was the most innocuous thing I could say. He later admitted to me that he wouldn't even try to deny that."

"When did you do that?" he inquired.

"Well, we all graduated in 1991, but I believe it was 1990," Livia answered.

"So these were the people who wanted you to confirm what I said?" he queried.

"Some who asked me, yes," Livia affirmed. "They knew they could trust me, so when I told them what you said was true, they believed you, also. Lies of omission I can miss or I may avoid knowing but so far my training has led me to not miss overt ones stated directly to me. I'll let you know immediately if I find that stone. It would be a shame to leave it. What does it look like?"

"It's dark and looks like a pyramid," Harry said. "I believe he found it in a ring." He indicated the size with his fingers. Livia nodded.

After everyone in the group expressed their condolences to Harry and Livia, the group walked to a location where they could be transported back to the funeral home. Uncle Jack invited everyone back to his house, either before or after they all had a final toast in the local tavern. Many liked a visit to the inn, so everyone assembled there for a drink. Ben had said little during the service, but he remembered what had happened in that establishment so long ago that he had to speak to her. "Livia, I know this isn't the best place or time to say anything to you –"

"Then why talk to me?" Livia put to him.

"Because I remember, and it still hurts me," Ben answered. "I wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten. I know you haven't. But I do still want to earn your forgiveness somehow."

"Ben," Livia began, "if I start hunting down the Dark Wizard's ministry cohorts, it will include your father. It might even include your uncle, though I understand he did not actively participate to a great extent. I don't know all that will be asked of me. Should I get the chance to capture or interrogate your father, I won't be nice. He likely will be imprisoned. I'll enjoy making him squirm. I'll even taunt him regarding my own father. How do you feel about that?"

"I got away from him," Ben recounted. "I built my own life. When I finally confronted the truth of what your brother and his wife said, I set a path to abandon that manipulative man. He will get whatever he deserves. I can't feel sorry for him after all that he did."

"Will you change your mind when he is led away to prison?" Livia asked.

"I can't say I know for sure, but I doubt it," Ben replied. "Again, come see me when you are ready. I'm sure this is not the day. You've gone through a lot." Ben left shortly thereafter.

Everyone else separated from the inn after bidding Livia farewell, owing to various obligations, including other funerals or memorial services. Livia made plans to keep in touch with Shelley, Liam, Ted and Athena as well as asked Ginny how to get her mother's advice regarding twins. Livia still had to transfer her belongings to her great uncle's house, as various people sought to restore the school to its former state. Those running it took a brief hiatus and would finish the spring term in June and July. For the time being, at least, Hideki remained head tutor. Livia's formal leave extended through the end of 1998, though the actual timing of her return seemed open. No one could remember a female faculty or staff member with children, despite the fact that magic made raising children easier. Contractual protections in some places remained unarticulated, despite the theoretical appearance of no particular bias against working mothers. Underlying assumptions or inherent views died slowly everywhere, it seemed, though Glorianna Gardenia had dedicated herself to eradicating this since becoming a mother herself about nine years previously.

Uncle Jack seemed to have a handle on her situation, which compelled Livia to revisit what Filius had said to her. "How long have you been a school governor, Uncle Jack?" she asked.

"I started around 1974," he replied. "I had just moved here permanently and took over running a sweet shop after working with the ministry for some years as I slowly retired from competitive dueling. I wanted a more consistent home life. I knew a variety of people affiliated with the school – Filius, Horace and a few others – and they suggested I apply for an open board spot. The composition of the board isn't supposed to be widely known, so I had no reason to tell you. I also had no reason to tell them private things you said to me, either, since they didn't conflict with my duties. Telling them could have exposed my role as well, so I thought better of doing it. I had watched the school closely in case it ever admitted Alice or anyone else I knew."

"I understand there likely will be resistance to giving Professor Snape his due, owing to a perceived sense that he abandoned his post," Livia stated.

"That's my guess, too, but I know Harry and you will wear everyone down on that point eventually," he asserted. "Get your brother's advice. Collect official testimony regarding this once you have completed your other tasks. Harry should lead the effort, in my opinion. I know the new ministry has become anxious for you to interview the Malfoys, to confirm what you have revealed and to begin rooting out the residual associates of the Dark Lord. I'm expecting the new ministry to contact you soon, though I told someone that you needed to settle your uncle's affairs."

"I also wait for a truth serum to mature, though I shouldn't need it to interview the Malfoys," Livia said.

"Will you have any conflict speaking to them?" Uncle Jack inquired.

"No, not unless the ministry wants it to be an issue," Livia answered. "I see no reason why I can't act professionally."

"I'll let them know," Uncle Jack responded. "We should see Baldur Bodlington tomorrow, so he can assist you in dealing with your uncle's other will. First, visit your brother and get your birth certificate. Your brother likely will prove very helpful, though I'm sure you will have enough identification to satisfy a solicitor. Still, they're all anxious to see you."

Livia went outside in late afternoon light and called all her avian friends, leaving food in various places for all. The crows and owls arrived with some neighborhood songbirds. Ardith wanted to join them, so Livia obliged. Livia fully described the stone that Harry Potter lost in the forest adjacent to the school and asked them how, if possible, they could find it. They suggested pairing an owl with a crow, as each's sight varied, and really both types of intelligence and vision only could find such a tiny item. Mel flew next to Alastair, Sydney paired with Benedict, Brontë with Edward and Sevy with Archer while Ardith went with Edward's son, Edgar. The songbirds engaged additional crows and would serve as liaisons between pairs. All liked the challenge of a virtual needle in a haystack. The group also claimed they could elicit help from whatever animal they came across, by using a universal signal that existed for cooperation at times – a type of "time out" for animals. Before leaving, Sevy asked if this stone's power would allow him to see his namesake again. Livia deemed it possible, if both stayed close to her. Sevy said he definitely would find it and took off with Archer. Livia smiled. _See, Sev'rus – he does have loyalty to you._

Given that Livia could accomplish little there before Monday morning, she decided to visit Cambridge. Her things could wait. Since the new ministry likely would reestablish the pre-existing network of travel the corrupted one disrupted, she asked just before she left what she needed to do to have her own cottage linked to it. Uncle Jack said he would ask and get the appropriate forms for her to set this in motion and get the same service as himself. He expressed happiness because doing this would make getting to Cambridge easier for him. Apparating was more for the young, he said. Getting his own online again and connecting with hers seemed like a great luxury. He hoped it would make him a much more frequent guest in his grandniece's home.

With that all settled, Livia told Uncle Jack she would see him Monday morning and departed. In Cambridge, Adelaide had just woken up and sat in her chair with a special cup and some biscuits. Livia paused for a moment thinking about the last time she had visited her cottage, looked at the garden and in her bedroom at the picture of Christopher and her from her brother's wedding. All she did those last 24 or so hours crept up on her and she drew a deep breath. She tried to draw a modicum of comfort from having sung to his corpse that morning. Yet he now lay in the cold earth hundreds of miles from her, where the flowers and then he eventually would crumble into nothing. He called it "as it should be," though she would never accept this fully. She partly collapsed and felt like crying. Nonetheless, she had to move forward, to ensure his sacrifice and that of so many others mattered. Livia had to remain strong for them. She soldiered on.

Livia knocked at the connecting door and opened it. Tom sprinted through his home to the hallway and the door connecting the residences. He grabbed her forcefully and spun her around.

"Are you ever a sight for sore eyes," Tom stated. "I've missed you so much. What's with all the black, Livia?"

"Tom, I'm so happy to see you," Livia responded. "We buried Christopher's uncle today."

"Oh, so soon?" Tom inquired. "Funeral directors aren't consistently that fast."

"I cleaned and dressed his body myself," Livia informed him. "I wanted it done right."

"Oh my God, Livia, how were you able to do that?" Tom asked.

"I felt I owed him that as a sign of respect," Livia answered. "I didn't want anyone else to touch him but me. Christopher would have appreciated me doing it. So would Rev. Woodcock."

Alice came forward, holding Adelaide, briefly giving her to Tom as she embraced Livia. "Did I hear correctly – you handled your uncle's remains?" Alice queried, puzzled. "Blimey. Where were you all this time? It never seemed clear to me."

"I did clean and re-dress his corpse," Livia confirmed. "He concealed me in his quarters. I basically lived much of the last four months as a grey Screech Owl in his living room. The only person who saw me thought it strange, but since Uncle Sev'rus clearly had purchased her, no one could seriously challenge him. By the time anyone saw me, the issue also had become moot." Livia opened up her locket, showing them Christopher's picture as well as his uncle's.

"They really did resemble each other," Alice said. "Stunning. Must have felt like losing Christopher again. Did Uncle Jack tell you who protected our residence?"

"He attended the funeral today as well," Livia replied. "I'm sure he wasn't too pleased when I revealed something that went back to that stunt pulled on me at that one dance. Uncle Severus essentially sent his nephew to break up what would have been two fights. None of them knew that until today. I told them because I wanted it known that they had not really seen him."

"He did?" Tom queried. "You never told us that, either. No wonder you appreciated him."

"I have kept quiet about many things regarding him," Livia confessed. "He played a very dangerous game, and I felt anything I revealed about him could someday hurt him. My friends, except one, did not even know Christopher was his nephew, since they saw him in a low-lit room. Either Nils or Uncle Jack told Ben."

They all moved into a relaxed living area to sit down. Alice made some tea so they all could talk and unwind from the various stresses of recent days or weeks. Abby came to sit next to Livia to show her support as well. Tom remarked that being a Screech Owl could not have disagreed with Livia too badly since she looked great, even if decked out entirely in a funereal black.

"Are you going to tell me I'm glowing or something?" Livia asked. "The only good thing about being a Screech Owl perhaps is that I missed out on morning sickness."

"Oh," Tom responded. "I suppose not. That's going to be so hard to go through without Christopher, no matter what we say or do. I'm so sorry, Livia."

"I can't imagine, even though I had Adelaide not that long ago," Alice asserted. "I mean, your situation seems so painful and, still, they are your link from your memory to your future. That's a lot for any woman to handle."

"Well, it's not like it's more preferable to not have them," Livia declared. "It's a gift and a burden – sometimes it may seem more like one or more like the other. I just will try to remember the former more, though I'm sure some situations other than mine make that view impossible." _Thanks for the insight and summary, Sev'rus._

"Are you going to need financial help or just assistance managing?" Tom inquired.

"The latter, I would think," Livia answered. "I believe Christopher spent so much on this ring, he had nothing else to leave me. His uncle, however, made me trustee of his estate. I'm probably also inheriting the man's childhood home in the Midlands along with its contents. As I understand it, he lived very modestly, meaning I'll suffer no financial hardship. I'll just need to show his solicitor some papers, including my birth certificate."

"What's the solicitor's name?" Tom queried. "Maybe I can handle some of this."

"Phillip Beckford, I believe," Livia replied. "I'm not sure of his exact location."

"I may be able to find him in a national directory," Tom maintained. "Or just get me his contact information when you can. Let me see your ring. I'm curious."

Livia took it off and handed it to him. He found the band with its diamonds resembling buttons exquisite as well as the larger diamond set in the Claddagh's crown. Tom had never seen a natural Alexandrite stone, either. He understood a little about their ability to look different, given its quality and the light source. Some held tremendous value. He guessed that this ring held that kind of stone. Christopher had no discernable estate to leave because Livia wore it. He passed it to Alice. She knew about quality better than Tom and found this ring fit for a duchess, at least.

"If I understood Uncle Jack correctly, Ben made this as a custom piece?" Tom asked.

"That's what both say," Livia confirmed. "Ben said Alice's ring inspired him doing this."

"Humor me, just for a minute," Alice began. "Your uncle wrote that Christopher was followed after he picked this up. You don't think Ben had anything to do with that, do you? We just wondered, given the situation and timing. Would he protect us if he felt guilty about that?"

"Perhaps he feels guilt, but he did nothing wrong," Livia responded. "I'm certain, though I could see why you might worry about that. I think both he and Uncle Jack fought off a few people, but my perch obscured a few things. I didn't even see that Ben had accompanied Uncle Jack until I saw him as myself."

"I'm glad," Alice stated. "I didn't enjoy the thought, but that dance made me ponder it."

"I totally get that," Livia said. "Ben has no allegiance to those who tried to hurt me. His father does. If Ben feels guilt, he might worry that his father contributed to Christopher's death. I don't believe he did. Still, that man has his judgement day coming. Since Ben hid from him, he doesn't warrant suspicion. Uncle Sev'rus positioned himself to know everything. It was part of his duplicity. He confided in me, though. He had to conceal me secretly because those who disliked me counted on him as one of them. Learning of my existence there would have exposed him."

Much of the remainder of the evening involved catching up on what Tom and Alice had done since January, as well as their friends. Tom had established himself as a valuable asset at Becket, Hart and Church, so they had no immediate plans to want him to teach in London – at least not yet. Alice had done some research and made presentations at Woburn Abbey and Cambridge, with a few scheduled elsewhere. Her book had prompted her greater involvement in aspects of art history, given the Woburn Abbey collection and the acquisition of various works. She disclosed her amusement that some dismissed her as a dilettante, when she merely tried to balance being a wife and mother of a young child with her work. Usually, when those assuming such a thing met her, they got quite a shock when she challenged their own conclusions with painstaking detail or at least upset their biases. Livia chuckled. _Where have I heard that before?_

Livia disclosed how she would catch up on payments she gave Tom for her cottage. After duplicating her birth certificate, Livia settled into her own bed that night. Her bobcat remained at school, but she still pondered the note inside of it as she stared at the picture on her nightstand. He sure felt real enough to miss. She hadn't read her ring's inscription often because it essentially replicated the one on her necklace. That night she stared at it: "Livia, Ever My Love, Christopher, 8 January 1998." The hypothetical had become hypnotic. She supposed that she never got over her initial regret that Christopher Prince couldn't be real enough for her – because she had wanted him to be. That sorrow became so pronounced that no one would know that her grief for him wasn't legitimate. In some way, it constituted an even more substantial occasion for mourning than if Christopher Prince had married her that day. Would she get over it, no matter how resilient she supposedly seemed? Like Severus Snape, she had to ask herself if she truly wanted to get over it.

Still, so much lay ahead of her that she only had an off-moment to feel sad. Monday morning came soon enough. First, Livia spoke with Tom about various legal proceedings before he left. Livia then headed back to Uncle Jack's residence to reach Baldur Bodlington's office. Uncle Jack accompanied her. She also came with her birth certificate and added it to the papers she needed to present to Phillip Beckford, too. She made an extra for Bodlington to have as well, in case it smoothed out any problem in passing Severus Snape's estate to her children. Bodlington, professional yet gentle and helpful, told them that, if she knew a muggle solicitor, judge or barrister, it would help her settle matters more quickly. Both Uncle Jack and Livia nodded that she did, in fact, have such a contact. Bodlington also gave her information that might help Tom Woodcock settle the muggle estate for her, though he clarified that she still would need to meet Phillip Beckford in person. He also revealed that Livia just needed to visit the home branch bank in Diagon Alley at week's end to claim what remained to her, after funeral and probate expenses as well as Harry Potter's share. By then, the bank would have a life insurance policy remuneration as part of the estate settlement, also. Bodlington noted that Beckford had moved his office, away from the area of the testator's row home to a nearby town named Blackburn.

Livia and Uncle Jack decided then to retrieve all of her belongings from the school and transferred them to his house, whilst structural repairs and meetings took place regarding the completion of the 1997-98 school year. Professor McGonagall acted as interim headmistress. Uncle Jack told Livia that she wanted to oversee the repairs, though he had no idea how long that she would run the school. Still, the board would support her for as long as she wanted the post. They hoped to drop the "interim" if she continued during 1998-99 year, which seemed likely.

"Uncle Jack, how did Sev'rus get his position?" Livia asked. "How did that go?"

"Well, the board was threatened to choose him or have it stacked with hand-picked members of the ministry who would choose him," he said. "It was a much-debated decision, but the bulk of us felt that we would be better off trying to be a buffer overseeing the school without hand-picked new governors, so we approved this action. I must say that I had hoped, though I kept this to myself, that he would not be exactly what the new ministry expected. I also believed you would mitigate whatever they envisioned, too. It wasn't perfect, but both pretty much happened."

After they returned to his residence, Livia had a chance to check in with her avian friends and keep them well fed. They had conducted some searches so far and had gotten a lead about a red squirrel uncovering and moving the stone in a search for food after a centaur apparently crushed it into the ground. They had not located it yet. Sevy had taken it upon himself to organize how everyone searched. Meantime, Ardith could come and go from the house. Everyone reported to Sevy so he could keep track. Whilst some birds like Alastair and Benedict initially felt he had become a little Napoleonic, they changed their minds when they realized his motivation had become unexpectedly personal. They opted to be supportive. Alastair changed his mind first. Other animals joined the search, too. A few participants called it "Sevy's Crusade." Livia confirmed that Sevy hoped he would see him namesake again should they find it, owing to a quality the stone possessed. She didn't know if it definitely would occur because she wanted him to be right. Should they find it, others would likely get an opportunity before she did, though.

Two notices also came from the new Ministry of Magic. Once concerned general information on applications for chimney use being connected to a wider network, affecting potentially both Livia and Uncle Jack. Uncle Jack opted to take on that issue entirely for his residence and Livia's cottage. The other letter, personalized, came to Livia regarding her ability to participate in interviews of the Malfoys. It seemed to Livia that they would gauge her abilities based on this performance. That is, they could determine if Livia should just give evidence or do more regarding their pursuit of former ministry official Dolores Umbridge, the first person they would put on trial. Livia's role in that case might hinge on the interviews she conducted, though the letter also requested a witness statement regarding the Carrows. Livia used their messenger, a Tawny Owl named Greta, agreeing to meet an official at Uncle Jack's residence to convey Livia to the Malfoy home on Thursday, 7 May at 10 am. Since the Malfoys desired to cooperate, the new ministry gave them the courtesy of avoiding a public appearance. The information mattered more than parading the family in front of the press.

Livia returned to Cambridge to check with her brother on finding Phillip Beckford in Blackburn. Tom had found two practices with solicitors named Beckford, so the information showed him which one to contact. She shared the documents she had received regarding the confirmation of death and burial. Everything looked appropriate to Tom. Whilst he understood the need for Livia to meet Beckford and for him to verify things, Tom asked to join her, perhaps with someone from Becket, Hart and Church who owed him a favor. Livia did not relish the drive – it seemed like wasting 3-4 hours. With another person, she couldn't speed him up, so she thought about the potential of finding the home she visited once and merely having a car service drive her from there to Beckford's office. She couldn't get there, since she had to verify the location better.

Livia checked in with her avian "family" on Tuesday, ensuring none wore themselves out trying to find a tiny stone. Sevy and Brontë seemed very confident about the status of the search. They had located the red squirrel, though neither got what she told them entirely. They believed Livia could assist them in bringing the search to a positive conclusion. She got a sense of where to meet them and did so. Sevy and Brontë got the squirrel to come out. The squirrel told Livia to call her Astra. Astra pointed out where she had dug recently and had uncovered the stone. She knew another squirrel found it and buried it nearby. Livia thanked her and wished she had a muggle metal detector that could work there. Livia imagined making her wand act like one and opened herself up to feeling through it like she held Inigo Montoya's sword in "The Princess Bride."*

Livia took a few steps to one side and closed her eyes. _That way_. She walked about five steps to her left. Her sensibility got stronger, but her sight in the dense woods did not help. Livia could not believe it was a pleasant spring day, as the forest seemed dark enough that only owls could negotiate it, though their hearing mattered as least as much. Livia did not know what Sevy tapped into – he later claimed it as intuition, but Livia thought perhaps something else guided him. Sevy suddenly flew to a log a few yards from her and made a twittering, kleak-kleak sound, jumped down and put a talon into the ground. He wanted Livia to dig there. She felt it, too. A little under two inches down, she found a very curious, solid, quasi-pyramid dark stone. Livia smiled. Sevy cried out and seemed to dance on the log. Brontë joined him. Livia sat on it and patted them both. Sevy had found the needle in a haystack. She told the owls that she could meet them back at Uncle Jack's residence. Once there, she called them all, including Ardith, for a congratulatory cheer and juicy rewards all around. Livia then went inside and wrote out a quick note to Harry Potter about the team effort of crows, songbirds and owls resulting in one Barn Owl finding the right area to dig. She had it, she believed. She asked if Friday might be too long to wait. Brontë took the note. He said he'd come at 15:00 Friday to identify the stone and, if the right one, try it out.

Meantime, her brother had gone to his office and rang Phillip Beckford and set up a time to meet the following day at Beckford's office. He also faxed Beckford copies of the records Livia would bring. Beckford told Tom that he had expected to hear from someone, given his last conversation with the deceased. He also wished to tell Livia that Severus Snape had sole freehold of his property, given his lack of living parents or another claimant. An outstanding offer on the land also existed, given a desire of developers to create some sort shopping area on that block. The town had approved the proposal, but Snape represented only one of two left to sell. Beckford recommended that Livia accept, given the fact that she already possessed a place to live. All she needed to do is remove whatever personal effects she wished to have before the developers chose to take possession and demolish the place. Beckford would also transfer the Barclay's account of the decedent to one in Livia's name, where he would also deposit the proceeds of the sale. She then just had to visit a branch in Cambridge and present identification to make it her home branch.

The firm's expert in wills would join Tom from Becket, Hart and Church, hoping she could resolve the situation quickly as a thank you for Tom's help with a case of mistaken identity involving her brother-in-law. Tom had defended Jill Bennet's brother-in-law, Calvin Upton, regarding a pub altercation. Upton had been accused of accosting another man in a row whereas he had witnessed the event rather than actively got involved. The brawl had created a lot of confusion. Upton had the man's blood on his shirt, yet not on either hand. Tom demonstrated Upton lacked the time or means to clean either hand, which another man had done.

Livia spent Tuesday night in Cambridge so that when Jill Bennet arrived the next day, the three of them could drive to Phillip Beckford's office. Tom took a camera, in case they saw the property. Bennet arrived rather early so they could make an 11:00 appointment. Bennet, an extremely petite woman, could barely find a suit small enough for her. She wore dark, framed glasses and she pulled her brown hair back into a slick bun, making her seem older than 30. Tom thanked her profusely for coming. Livia stayed very cordial but tried not say too much about the situation beyond what Tom already had told her. Given that Livia wore something deriving from her funereal clothes, Bennet took Livia's reserve to be either shock or deep sorrow. Livia got the sense that Miss Bennet had something of a crush on her brother that he totally missed. Livia thought that Bennet took Tom as a yardstick to judge any man remotely interested in her, which to Livia didn't seem a bad rubric at all. Essentially, he had served as hers, even if Alice found it funny. The idea actually did transcend how Tom looked, though Livia saw the visual pattern, too.

Livia sat in the back and tried to either sleep, meditate or do anything to take the numbingly long drive off her mind. She contemplated questions to put to people the following day as well as what she might have to do to prove her worth to the new ministry. Few knew much about her, after all. She imagined how she could recreate what she used years ago to project some images from her mind so others could see them, when her Legilimency yielded pertinent information. Livia knew she might have to discover a lot about a variety of people to convince them of her accuracy, if not other talents useful to hunting down hiding Death Eaters or their bureaucratic allies.

Livia nearly missed that Bennet had inquired about her ring. She did take it off so the woman could examine it. Bennet had some doubt as to its authenticity, given its possible value.

"I know it's very real," Livia told her. "It represents why Christopher didn't have a significant estate to leave me. I also know the artisan who made this ring. The will in question belongs to Christopher's uncle, who, after his death, made Christopher's children his heirs."

"Children?" Bennet asked.

"I'm about four months along – I expect twins in October," Livia replied.

"Oh, right," Bennet responded. "I'm very sorry. I can't imagine. How did his uncle know?"

"I think he changed his will only weeks before his death," Livia stated. "I'm not sure how he revised it – if he put them in place of Christopher or what. I guess it doesn't matter now."

Tom, Jill Bennet and Livia arrived promptly to meet Phillip Beckford in a small building converted into office space. Livia thought it interesting that Beckford, a tall man with sandy blond hair and greying temples, did not seem much older than the deceased. He said something about representing his client whilst young and undergoing a tragic situation regarding the death of his mother and subsequent death of his father. The testator barely had reached adulthood when he became parentless, which may have caused him to retain his childhood home. Livia knew that assertion veiled a truth, but she had no desire to dispute the account. It gave all present an easy way to sympathize with the deceased. Tom presented Livia's papers, including a certified copy of her birth certificate. Beckford seemed satisfied, especially given Tom's standing to affirm his sister's identity. Bennet scrutinized the will, finding it in order. Though Tom's presence made an examination of Livia's ring not strictly necessary, Beckford found it worth reviewing, given its unusual qualities. He was impressed.

Livia signed some documents, as did Miss Bennet as a witness. Beckford took the particulars of Livia's Cambridge address, in order to send information when the account transfer had taken place, as well as the sale of the property. Beckford had obtained keys to the house and told Livia she would have 30 days after the transaction to remove whatever she wanted from the property. He also provided Tom with directions to find it, since they could do a quick survey on their way back home, as the location remained only a short distance from his office. When Bennet briefly excused herself for a lavatory visit, Beckford asked Livia how much her brother knew about her abilities. Livia told him that Tom knew everything.

"I know it all as well regarding the deceased," Beckford said. "It relates to younger family of mine that attended school in Scotland with the late Severus Snape. That and his family issues gave me one of my first clients. That's why I have keys, among other things. I know more about why he kept that home, though I suggested that he sell it. You did, too?"

Livia nodded. She was glad to know and not entirely surprised that Sev'rus would have found such a solicitor or vice versa. She just wished he had listened and had wanted to live.

They all shook hands when Bennet returned, though Beckford whispered to Livia before they left: "Severus should have listened to us." Before driving back, Tom and Jill Bennet contacted their office to ensure that they could make a detour to visit Severus Snape's home, rather than worry about rushing back. The firm took care of a few details over the phone that made the need for such a concern unwarranted. Tom did find the home in about 15 minutes.

All could see how the row of brick homes came from a turn-of-the-century, if not earlier, shabby neighborhood. At least the grime of those days had resolved to some extent, though not entirely. The town desired to remake its image. The development would go a long way as a movement towards gentrification, even if it would never create a garden paradise. Livia anticipated its exterior appearing like something out of a Dickens or Gaskell novel. Jill Bennet decided she wanted to eat something in the car rather than go in, so Tom and Livia went inside. Tom ate in the kitchen as Livia used the lavatory.

Livia remembered everything she saw from years ago – nothing changed much, if at all. She gave Tom a tour. Tom tried to figure the man out but felt the house did not relate to him. Tom took photographs and told her he found the house depressing. Livia agreed. She told him that she had viewed it once, owing to Christopher, and had called it "part museum, part mausoleum."

"Blimey, that is so apt," Tom stated. "That couldn't have gone over well."

"It didn't," Livia admitted. "Still, I stand by it. I didn't lie."

"Why did he want to stay here?" Tom asked. "I don't get it."

"Well, call them reasons or excuses, but I think anything that reminded him of the childhood love he lost became primary," Livia answered. "He cultivated a level of indifference about his own life, too. It contributed to a disinclination to move, even when he could have."

They paused in the library. Livia wanted to go through every book there but knew Tom should get back. She needed to be ready for interviewing the Malfoys as well. Since Livia had at least 30 days to go through the house, she knew she possessed no urgency to stay. Knowing where the house sat also meant she would have no problem finding it again.

* Author's Note

In an earlier chapter, Livia viewed the Rob Reiner film "The Princess Bride" (1987) in Durham before Tom and Alice's wedding. Alice's parents wanted her to get bridal ideas based on the parallel they were drawing between their pretty, blonde daughter and Robin Wright, the actress portraying Princess Buttercup.


	49. Livia Begins Assisting the Ministry

Before returning to Uncle Jack's house, Livia prepared herself carefully for the interviews she would conduct on Thursday morning. When she arrived, she also took the time to tell Uncle Jack about her visit to Severus Snape's home and a tentative agreement to sell his property. Uncle Jack liked that she could walk away from it fairly quickly. Livia did, too. Still, she spent more time contemplating how she essentially needed to conduct her pending interviews to prove her worth as well as obtain the fullest testimony possible from the "material witnesses." If they forgot or evaded any point, she possessed inside knowledge to compel the fullest disclosure. Of course, Livia presumed they would comply. Livia learned that from her brief discussion with ministry official Percy Weasley, a former adherent/informant from the old guard. Narcissa Malfoy, the blonde and black haired mother of Draco, had spared her family by lying to the Dark Lord himself. She told him that Harry Potter had died, which, coupled with the secret Severus Snape expired protecting, had enabled young Potter to defeat him. The Malfoys possessed a moral compass somewhere; Livia just had to find it and use it – and not alienate this lady in the process.

Percy regained a position owing to his experience and knowledge, if being a late convert. He ardently strove to make amends for prior actions that perhaps unwittingly assisted the wrong people. Livia thought that he needed to evaluate her and thus would give her latitude. It also suited his preference to observe and suggest things, too. Before each gave testimony, Percy ensured the isolation of the witnesses. None knew what the others said until all gave statements and answered questions. Livia wanted each session to include as many common questions as possible, though some aspects would differ based on unique experiences or vantage points.

Everyone agreed to start with the patriarch, Lucius, who would still require a formal hearing afterward to resolve his standing. They set up an interview area in the library, a warm, comfortable paneled room with many shelves. It seemed like the easiest room to secure from any eavesdropping. Livia and Percy put up a rectangular table in front of an unlit fireplace. The witness could sit in a comfortable, high back floral-patterned overstuffed chair facing them. Livia disclosed nothing about her tie to him; Livia did not consider it relevant. Perhaps no one else alive knew beyond herself, the Malfoys, Uncle Jack and Ben, unless Harry Potter knew for sure. Percy Weasley disclosed the formalities, providing the purpose of the interview and the agreed-upon parameters. Livia wondered where he kept the tape recorder, since he seemed to discharge this role with the gravitas of someone preserving the moment for posterity. Lucius, rather regally dressed in a long jacket and sporting very long, straight blond hair, seemed anxious to start.

Livia let him make his opening remarks then led Lucius through a point-by-point account of what he had done since 1995. She had him detail who attended each event when as well as the contents of the discussion. Livia had him account for their allies in various positions, specifying who acted under coercion or who acted freely. When they got to the 30 December 1997 gathering, Livia told him that he need not disclose personal details that played no role in events of ministry interest; they held little importance. Both Lucius Malfoy and Percy Weasley seemed surprised. In fact, Livia merely said that the matter "possessed little importance beyond herself," since her employment had briefly come up and resulted in her temporary withdrawal from work. Livia moved on to the substantive issues covered that night. Percy Weasley seemed to accept her explanation, at least for the moment.

Livia was meticulous. She even got Lucius Malfoy to illustrate who attended what and where each person sat, even having him diagram some sessions. She got him to account for what became of a missing Hogwarts professor and detail what had happened to people chased down by various allies of the Death Eaters, as well as list everyone they recruited, by type or name. Livia knew about all of this from Sev'rus already, but she needed the Malfoys on the record disclosing these things. Indeed, Sev'rus had told her that it pained him to do nothing about the Hogwarts instructor, who considered him a friend. He also considered that he may have had to watch Livia's death, instead, had she not been discouraged to seek a teaching position.

Percy found himself impressed, in that Livia possessed a firm handle on what happened as if she had attended every meeting herself. With painstaking detail, she compelled Lucius Malfoy to lay out everything, even prodding him a few times to push his memory to its fullest. Livia had only held back on that one issue, the one which involved her. Percy Weasley pronounced the session over, nodded at the witness and briefly left the room. Livia then sat alone with the man she knew to be her father. She knew that he felt relieved about this session ending for several reasons.

"Sir, thank you for your testimony today," Livia stated. "Your clarity and full rendering of everything shall go a long way in resolving any outstanding issues. Your own hearing should proceed rather straightforwardly, I would imagine." Livia extended her hand.

"Miss Woodcock, is that all you are going to say to me?" he asked. He took her hand. Livia felt he had disclosed all that he knew, though he seemed confused about Livia herself.

"I think, in this capacity, it's all I should say," she answered. "Anything else is either impertinent or unnecessary, sir."

"Why did you avoid my admission on 30 December last?" he inquired. "Are you making no claim to that? Do you really not know about it?"

"I have no reason to make any claim, sir," Livia replied. "I know. I wanted to know, but I don't seek anything from it. It is what it is. I asked for the truth here in terms of what the ministry needs to know. They don't need to know about my background. It's irrelevant here."

"You did not wish for me to acknowledge you today?" he queried.

"I had no plans for it," Livia responded. "I don't need your name or your money. The former I have. I will remain Livia Woodcock as long as I live. It ties me to the brother I love. As for money, I am my Uncle Jack's heir here, and I am already the trustee to the estate of Severus Snape. From what I understand, I will have twins in October, and they will have more than enough. Beyond that, my abilities can provide. I have plenty there as well, perhaps the best inheritance."

"You are a very confident young woman," he said. "And I finally see some resemblance. It's around your eyes and the shape of your face. I thought for sure you or the ministry would compel me to confess regarding events of long ago."

"That is up to you and your family," Livia maintained. "My mother used us both. I harbor no ill-will towards you regarding that. I seek no scandal. I only wanted what you have provided."

"Then I am glad to have met your expectations," he asserted. "You intrigue me, though. You have a brother?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "I was left by a parish door and found by the boy I call my brother. Everything I am traces back in some way to him. That is where my loyalty lies."

"Your mother abandoned you to muggles?" he asked.

"Indeed," Livia answered. "Not directly to the man who adopted me but to a friend who helped her. That friend left me in front of a church."

"Very unusual," he responded. "I hope I see you again in a better situation."

At that point, Lucius Malfoy bowed and departed and Percy Weasley had returned with Narcissa Malfoy, who wore a long, dark dress. Husband and wife used different routes so they had not even seen each other, which helped retain the independence of each session. Again, Livia took her statement and led her through all she had done, on behalf of her husband or her son. She showed her arms, proving that she bore no mark as a formal member of the group. She seemed well aware of the role she had played by lying about Harry Potter being dead in the forest, perhaps as something only a real mother might do, since the welfare of her own son motivated her behavior there. She also tried to insulate Draco previously. Livia again glossed over when the 30 December meeting concerned herself. Mrs. Malfoy wondered what it meant, though she had played little role there. She suspected that Livia had not spent time on the issue.

Because she hadn't formally joined the Dark Lord's cause, her knowledge of membership and inner workings did not include as much as her husband. Percy Weasley also figured she would know less versus her husband or son. Still, her grasp of what people said and where they sat or stood at various meetings or locations seemed encyclopedic. Very little escaped her notice. It supported what Livia had gotten from her husband. She did add personal touches in terms of relationships. For example, she gave color to the fact that those suspected of being Livia's father had continued to remain friends of the couple in some way – and thus loyal to the interests of blood purity. Livia helped bring out these social nuances, which likely would help in pursuit of the outstanding figures who escaped immediate capture or death.

Of course, the only unique thing she did was seek the support of Severus Snape in protecting her son when charged with killing his headmaster. Livia knew about it well. Livia, in fact, had contemplated if Sev'rus could have escaped death had that meeting not occurred or if Draco had never received that task. Livia concluded that Albus Dumbledore saw the events as necessary as they unfolded, if not "as it should be." Sev'rus eventually came to the same outlook, if with some reluctance when it came to executing what he committed himself to doing.

Percy Weasley again pronounced the interview over, shook her hand and left in order to usher in the final subject. Livia again faced a member of the Malfoy family alone. She began, as before, by thanking the woman for her forthright testimony and for allowing the love of her child to overrule the most perverse goals of the Dark Wizard. Livia extended her hand.

"Thank you," Mrs. Malfoy said, accepting her hand. Livia found her to be exactly what she thought, satisfied that she had recounted everything precisely. "Am I correct in presuming that you did not ask my husband about you?"

"Not relevant – so I didn't discuss it," Livia disclosed. "This hearing is not about a personal agenda. Any remaining legal issues with either of you should get resolved quickly."

"Thank you. May I ask why you lack one?"

"I like who I am," Livia stated. "I don't need more. I don't need to complicate your lives. I have no need for your name or a claim to anything. All I wanted is right here." Livia held up her ring. "Nothing else can substitute for that."

Narcissa Malfoy looked at Livia's ring. "It's very striking. Where is your husband?"

"Sadly deceased. All I have is the ring. In October, I will have twins as his legacy."

"Oh," Mrs. Malfoy said. "My sincere condolences. How will you care for them?"

"Between what I earn and the estates of my Uncle Jack and Severus Snape, I'll do just fine," Livia answered. "Therefore, you need not be concerned about Draco's inheritance."

"Severus left you money?" Mrs. Malfoy asked.

"As trustee for the only relations he will have in this world, yes," Livia answered. "Though they didn't get everything, he left plenty, as I understand this. He lived rather simply. He was buried last Sunday after I cleaned and dressed his body."

"That does not surprise me – that is, material things did not interest him." Narcissa Malfoy nodded respectfully to Livia. "Preparing Severus was a touching gesture. That tells me he chose the right person." She then rose and left the same way as her husband.

Livia looked at her ring. She had to get used to saying that about her ring. It represented a truth, if not the truth. One must stand for the other, she believed. Though Harry Potter knew, he said nothing. Perhaps he realized the complexity, or he dismissed it as having no bearing on the bottom line of Severus Snape's love and loyalty. Part of Livia wanted to ask Harry but only part. She could not flatter herself because Harry likely would not. She wondered if she knew how he would answer, but she was not ready to hear it. Neither flattery nor an honest assessment would help her. She needed something that she could live with saying. Maybe a truthiness to it would work best because the truth would likely do neither her nor her children any good.

Draco Malfoy came in last, with Percy Weasley trailing him. Pale, thin and wearing a dark suit, the toll of recent events showed on his face. This session, especially his statement, would give him some relief. Since his timeline after 1995 somewhat differed from that of his parents, Livia adjusted accordingly. Her recollections of the night Albus Dumbledore died matched up with his, though he provided more detail. After all, he facilitated the entry of various assailants to the school that night, even though only he had received the task of killing the headmaster. Livia got a full list of names and none, including the Carrows, surprised her. The only detail mildly new to either interviewer was that the Carrows enjoyed a longstanding family friendship with Rodrick Spence and, to a lesser extent, Aldrick. Rodrick helped them via attacks on Glorianna Gardenia's offices and home. Livia thus figured she would need to make a statement on them herself. Draco Malfoy knew a great deal about them as both a ministry school spy and a Death Eater.

Presently, he regretted this, as he contributed to putting a target on Livia's back. Livia knew that. He had not solely been responsible; indeed, the memory of another, more concealed spy caused the Carrows to become concerned about Livia. Still, Livia could milk his remorse to gain more unique insight or expose minutiae his parents may have missed. Through Draco, Livia was able to connect spies to parents or other relatives involved in some way with the Dark Wizard, since he attended meetings of his inner circle and had numerous school contacts.

Once more, Livia did not dwell on the early portion of the 30 December meeting where her parentage had become a topic of discussion, as well as her position. Given how detailed Livia examined her subject's knowledge and precisely captured every detail, it stood out. Draco Malfoy reached the same conclusion as his parents. He studied her carefully, trying to perceive where they bore any resemblance. Though he thought it courteous that he and his parents gave evidence from their home, he had expected Livia Woodcock would compel them to disclose something. Against the rest, it constituted a small issue, but she had not overlooked anything else. Why would she spare them? He supposed the fact that he and his father discouraged action against her may have negated the matter or gave her a reason to cast the matter aside.

Percy Weasley stood up and shook Draco's hand, then withdrew to tell his parents they had completed the interviews. He gave Draco Malfoy the same opportunity to speak alone with Livia. As with his parents, she thanked him for his time and thorough testimony and extended her hand. He took it, which for Livia verified that he had honestly spoken and did not evade or suppress any subject he could have discussed. He seemed only uncertain about Livia's motives.

"I only wanted your full cooperation regarding what you know that assists the new ministry," Livia said. "I lack a personal agenda. I don't need one."

"Both my father and I resisted taking action against you," he stated. "Is that why you left the issue alone?"

"I suppose," Livia answered. "I fail to see why I should complicate this inquiry by bringing the topic up. The ministry doesn't need it, I don't need it – nor does your family."

"Do you think it would compromise your role?" he inquired.

"I'm not worried about that, actually," Livia replied. "I don't think it affects me positively or negatively. I will stand on my own merits. To me, that is how it should be. You take care of yourself. This should help." Livia extended her hand and touched his arm. He remained a little perplexed, even rattled. Livia attempted to calm him down whilst wishing him well.

He thanked her, also wished her well and expressed a hope of seeing her again in a different situation. He, too, was struck by her understated certainty and confidence. He realized that people had overlooked her, but they would not do so anymore. He wondered if his family would benefit by acknowledging her more than the scandal it would create and figured he should ask his parents.

Draco Malfoy left with his parents, who all nodded at her before withdrawing. As Livia and Percy Weasley packed up, he noted that at least two of the subjects seemed a little stressed at a similar period of the interview, but nothing materialized. Did Livia miss anything or bypass something? What had they expected from her?

"Percy, my name came up at that meeting owing to a confrontation I had at the school," Livia stated. "That was the catalyst for me withdrawing, then being concealed. There's a personal aspect to this – for me – and I let it alone because it has no bearing on what we had to do today."

"Personal?" he questioned, puzzled.

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "The Carrows wanted to make an example of me, through Death Eaters or their ministry. Because the post required some affirmation of my blood status, Professor Snape uncovered information about my family background. They wondered why I left that alone."

"Why did you?" he asked.

"I don't see its relevance," Livia answered. "Christopher's demise could be more useful, but I know they had nothing to do with that. That's a dead end in more ways than one."

Percy Weasley thought this summation oddly gave credit to Livia for not letting personal issues cloud her pursuit of the most valuable information. She had, indeed, extracted everything possible regarding all three – both confirming what she apparently knew and extending it as far as possible. He would tell the ministry that she proved a skilled interviewer – persistent, detailed and thorough. Of course, he hadn't evaluated her other talents. He asked her about these.

"I have a truth serum waiting to mature in the potion closet at Hogwarts," Livia said. "I took lessons in both Legilimency and Occlumency and am highly skilled in both. If anyone needs proof, they should try me. I'm also what muggles call an empath. Shaking hands with all three subjects was more than a courtesy for me. I verified their testimony through it. All wanted to be cooperative, and though their preoccupations and particularities of memories can vary, I ensured each matched up and gave as complete a picture of their recollections as possible."

Percy Weasley asked Livia to accompany him back to the ministry. He thought her skills should be tested then registered to reflect the confidence level they should have. Livia expressed a desire to project her recovered memories from someone else, using her brain waves as viewable electrical impulses. Jurors, jurists and spectators would know what she saw. Several additional people put in important positions regarding the pursuit and imprisonment of collaborators or allies of the Death Eaters and its fallen ministry came under her examination, from Percy's sister-in-law Fleur to an official working to prosecute Dolores Umbridge, the older, once overlooked, graying Hadrian Stone. Stone's career had suffered from innuendos and conniving by Umbridge. He saw the chance to prove himself hugely satisfying and volunteered for a leading role.

The mock examination of others by Livia took place in an empty hearing room set aside for trials or interrogations. A few officials sat in bench rows of seating for gallery onlookers. People took varying vantage points to get a full view of Livia's conduct or a sense of how a "defendant" reacted as well as what memories Livia could uncover. Livia stood on the marbled floor with a quasi-secured person standing in as a defendant. Livia asked about issues regarding parents, schooling or conduct and extracted memories both trivial and significant. She followed a script of questions for what they wanted her to uncover.

Some guarded memories well, others only gave cursory protection in part or on the whole. Livia used all of her intuitive capabilities to place herself in scenes or to shift focal points or to solve puzzles or riddles. Every intuitive or trained aspect of her abilities came to bear at some point. She could employ techniques to crack codes, find passwords or forge passkeys. Some people protected the most ridiculous things, like "what did you have for dinner yesterday?" or "my favorite memory from school." Stone heavily protected a rumor Umbridge started about him because the truth of an unrequited love caused almost as much pain and humiliation versus the lie that he had started an affair with a friend's wife, who Umbridge deemed a thief and a muggle. The substantive accusations Umbridge made regarding his competence he felt he would disprove, so these only attracted a semblance of protection. Stone wanted to make sure people knew about these and had no idea how successful Livia would be in uncovering the memories of others.

Livia considered the random scattering of importance as vital to judging her, to see if she let anything go because it seemed trivial. They judged her thoroughness and her ability to follow up anything unusual. Indeed, in that sense, Livia managed to uncover even more than they ideally thought she would. She even got Fleur Weasley to evaluate her wedding presents and home and had Percy admit to fancying a colleague who was delighted to know that he harbored an interest in her. When Livia finished examining the last mock defendant, she sat in the gallery passively whilst various officials convened to consider her performance. A few wondered about how strong her truth serum would become, but others noted that Livia hardly needed it, given what she had uncovered via her demonstration. The group collectively deemed Livia vital to the pursuit of any vestiges of the previous ministry or of any residual Death Eaters. A few wanted to know if she should join future raids to capture those in hiding, or if that task would misuse her skills and perhaps endanger her, especially in her state. They opted to let the prime minister resolve the issue. They gave her complete confidence as a prosecution interrogator of hostile prisoners or defendants.

After giving a statement on the Carrows and promising to turn over Severus Snape's letter regarding the dementor he found in her room, Livia waited for her appointment with the new prime minister. She ate a snack in a cafeteria area tiled and spacious – it looked like a hotel ballroom. She had met the minister before, so she did not feel intimidated. She tried to figure out what he might ask her, deciding it must pertain to things she did not as yet show. Still, she wondered if he held any doubts about her. She thought she had performed well, though no one had told her how they would make the best use of her or if she had met their expectations.

Late in the afternoon, Livia got her chance to meet the new prime minister, named Kingsley Shacklebolt, a man with medium dark brown skin, medium height, and a firm, imposing yet rich and deep voice. Livia mused about the engaging sound of his voice. His dress reminded her some of Professor Dumbledore, though he lacked any facial hair. In fact, she could not see much hair. When Livia shook his hand, she knew he did have questions about her, but she could not entirely see how they mattered to her usefulness. They sat close in a high, domed conference room at a large circular, wooden table. Only these two used the room. After an exchange of initial pleasantries, she wanted to cut right to the heart of what concerned him.

"I get the sense you have concerns about me," Livia asserted. "I am not sure how they tie to my useful service to the ministry."

"I do have a few things I want to ask you," he admitted. "These have little to do with your demonstration earlier."

"So that was satisfactory, I take it?" Livia asked.

"Definitely," he answered. "I would say you impressed everyone. You even found out a few things beyond our questions. First, I understand you went easy with the Malfoys over only one point having to do with yourself. Why?"

"Personal reasons irrelevant to the inquiry," Livia responded. "Among the things that came up then, Severus Snape disclosed information regarding my parentage. As you may recall, I was adopted. My parents never married. In fact, I resulted from a fairly short affair. I believe only the Malfoys fully know what he said that night, given the deaths of many others."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, unless you think I should tell you what Uncle Severus stated," Livia maintained. "If I divulge this, I _do not_ want it to become public record because it doesn't involve just me."

"You can tell me, and I will never inform anyone else – I would like to know if a conflict of interest potentially impedes your ability to uncover factual information," he said.

"Do you have any issue thus far?" Livia queried.

"No, your interviews and your demonstration showed exactly why Professor Dumbledore wanted you here and ready to help us now," he replied.

"Then you will never see a conflict," Livia began, "Severus Snape narrated how he had narrowed down a list from seven names until he confirmed the last one to eliminate. He hesitated to name someone because he wanted to tell that man in private. Nonetheless, the man who's my father identified himself that night – Lucius Malfoy."

"He's your father?" Shacklebolt asked, stunned.

"Indeed," Livia affirmed. "That discussion could only detract from more important items and specific memories recounted today. I saw nothing to be gained by either goading or shaming anyone or whatever I could have done with that particular fact. The witnesses, in my view, felt more confident and forthcoming because that issue played no role. None of us came there to discuss that issue or even much of anything related specifically to me. They never posed a threat to me. I don't think anyone should complain about my priorities."

"I had no idea we already tested you in terms of the situation where your skills stood the greatest chance of being compromised," he asserted. "I looked over the information you gathered. It should help Glorianna Gardenia as well as me, but as you likely know that Lucius at least still needs to undergo a hearing to adjudicate everything. Our side should be able to proceed without more from you, though, so no one will think your absence odd. Percy Weasley had no complaint. In fact, I concluded that he had so little to say because you covered everything he could have asked and more. I understand you await the maturation of a batch of Veritaserum you made."

"Yes, I created the serum late on 2 May after re-dressing Severus Snape's corpse," Livia affirmed. "I liked having my Potions Master in a way supervising my last task there. He would not have complained about my execution in making it, even had he the ability to do so. That much I know. I scored perfectly on his N.E.W.T. exam for a reason."

"Good to know," he stated. "Do you feel capable of assisting us in rounding up some of the more recalcitrant former officials? Some are negotiating already; Umbridge and a few others want trials, at least right now. Others hide, like some of the Spence and Wayne families, who move around. We may have to subdue at least a few groups forcefully, but the bulk of them may give up depending on how our first raids go. For example, we track a group called the Sons of Slytherin."

"I have no problem performing in any capacity you may request," Livia responded. "I wear this defensive necklace but may not need it, since I actually got plenty of practice dueling most of the time I spent at Hogwarts. Unfortunately right now, you cannot ask the prior two headmasters about my skills, though I probably practiced with them as an adult more than with anyone else."

"You practiced with Albus?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes," Livia answered. "I didn't do so as much during the last year of his life, owing to his illness, but for about five years I did it weekly. It may seem strange that he emphasized this so much with me, but my relationship with a wand needed developing. He was coy with me, but he seemed to be training me to replace him. In any case, he wanted me ready for this, as you know."

"I remember," he stated. "It seemed odd at the time, but he did think long term. If he prized your skills as useful, be it in Veritaserum making, Legilimency or interrogating, he did us a favor. Today he looks like a genius. I don't know if I could have said that a week ago."

"I know," Livia agreed. "You can't feel the same level of regret or survivor's guilt than I do because you fought and lived. I perched as a Screech Owl overlooking the mayhem. But I take very seriously the duties that you'll assign me because I feel a deep responsibility and am committed to making those sacrifices meaningful. I owe them that much, at the very least."

"Has Percy discussed with you how the ministry will compensate you for your contributions here?"

"Not really," Livia replied. "I presumed I would be something of a consultant or auxiliary employee, basically an independently-contracted person. I accept whatever your scale is, be it by billable hour or by case. If I use the Veritaserum and the school is reimbursed for using its inventory, I'm content. At the moment, I'm unconcerned about money, despite my condition."

"You are expecting, I take it?"

"I believe twins, in October," Livia revealed. "This shouldn't pose a problem for some weeks if not months, I would think."

"I will keep that in mind," he said. "Should your health change, just tell us."

"Of course," Livia agreed.

"How is it you are so undemanding regarding your pay if you'll have two more mouths to feed?" Shacklebolt inquired. "You have a ring, but I've heard nothing about your spouse."

"I have no husband now," Livia replied. "This ring is all I have. Unfortunately, I can't locate any surviving attackers, if any lived, or who sent them. I'm the trustee of the majority of Severus Snape's estate, though, and I'll inherit whatever my Uncle Jack leaves me."

"You don't need to work?" he asked.

"You need my skills," Livia answered. "And I need to honor those who sacrificed."

"I understand," he responded. "Our trial of Dolores Umbridge will begin around the time your serum has matured. We'll let you know when to come with it and let you prepare."

"Good," Livia stated. "My brother is a barrister. I understand common law traditions, even if you somewhat alter them in practice."

"We have to coordinate plans to move on the Wayne and Spence families first, given our intelligence," he maintained. "This should take place before the trial. We may move on them as soon as Saturday. I'll put you among the group that conducts raids. We also need to seek evidence from another material witness who has volunteered information in exchange for a sentence of a fine and a form of house arrest. We'll notify you about that, too. The plans regarding these things need to be set up but should take place shortly."

"I'll be ready when called," Livia assured him. "If you need to familiarize me with charges or documents or anything else, right now you can forward them to me via my Uncle Jack. If I'm not in my cottage, I'm likely to be found there."

"Cottage?" he asked.

"Indeed," Livia began, "I have my own little place adjacent to my brother's house in Cambridge. My Uncle Jack is working on having it tied to the Floo network currently being fixed and expanded, so he can reach my dwelling from his. I'm sure you'll be able to use it once everything works and I equip it with the appropriate powder."

"Yes, I'll see that this service gets addressed quickly," he affirmed. "Welcome aboard. Good to work with you." They shook hands and nodded. Livia found him most honorable and the right man for this great responsibility. No one could have handpicked a better person for the position. He would say nothing about her parentage, either.

Livia first returned to Uncle Jack's residence after completing a long day. First, she checked on her avian friends who all seemed in good spirits. Ardith loved living there, and both Barn Owl pairs busily nested in anticipation of owlets. Sydney and Mel would have five eggs whilst Brontë and Sevy would have four. They requested access to more mice later to show how to catch and eat them. Livia nodded and informed Uncle Jack about their concerns.

Livia also told him about the interviews and her time at the ministry, including having revealed to the prime minister the only thing she didn't compel any of the Malfoys to discuss. He thought it prudent of her to keep her parentage from becoming a distraction – to them or to her. He also agreed that Livia had no need for their name or their money, though he had no idea about the exact amount that she would inherit as trustee for the bulk of Severus Snape's estate.

"I'll learn that tomorrow," Livia said. "Baldur Bodlington claimed I could visit the bank then. I'm to receive an insurance payout. But why did he have a policy? Who did he expect to inherit the proceeds?"

"The school offers it to faculty as part of its compensation," Uncle Jack disclosed. "Maybe he would have left all of it to Harry Potter – or maybe he intended it to go towards the school's endowment so students like you could go or a student like him, with a bad home life, could remain there during term breaks. Maybe both."

"Speaking of Harry, I'll see him tomorrow afternoon," Livia stated. "My avian friends recovered something of his, I believe. If it is his item, we'll see if it works. I'll tell you more if all goes well and he lets me borrow it. I don't want to promise something incorrectly."

"Then I look forward to it," Uncle Jack informed her. "What time?"

"He should arrive about three," Livia responded. "I hope to also ask him about a keepsake I want. I've no idea if he recovered it. I should also tell you that the prime minister expressed an interest in getting your connection as well as my application for one processed as soon as possible, since they serve his interests. He made it a priority, since they'll want my services. If you need to speak to someone about it, tell them that – it should get the quill pushers moving."

"So noted," Uncle Jack said. "Good to hear."

Livia stayed for a time to catch up on local matters. The area slowly got back to a form of normalcy. Already, many repairs had taken place and the board fixed the date of Monday, 25 May, to resume the spring schedule. Compressing everything, the year would end only two weeks late, except for students sitting for formal exams, including graduates. Livia received and sent back a note that she would agree to return and fill in for one of the imprisoned Carrows. Livia didn't request her title back, since she asked for a more flexible schedule in order to handle ministry duties. She also wrote to Glorianna Gardenia to inquire if the woman required help with anything school-related. The existing tutors, happy to have her back in any capacity, endorsed her terms, since they looked at it as a way to promote their own kind as capable instructors. Few ever mentioned Livia's condition, though most knew. Most merely expressed condolences regarding Livia's widowhood, owing to Livia's new penchant to wear black.

Professor McGonagall insisted on finishing her own classes, with tutors grading for her or performing minor duties to enable her to serve as acting headmistress, too. She didn't want to give up teaching, though she liked overseeing the school. Since she had to fill two or three posts for the following year, Professor Slughorn agreed to continue teaching. He indicated to Uncle Jack that he would retire for good when Livia pronounced herself ready to succeed him, asserting his view that no one else could match her abilities. He found it impressive that Livia had prepared a fairly difficult potion as well as cleaned and dressed her former Potions Master's corpse on the same day. That took focus and dedication. Curious, he reached that conclusion by verifying the quality of her potion. He predicted that it would become extremely powerful when it matured. If she stumbled in lecturing or grading even slightly, he would fix it himself before he left.

Uncle Jack also passed to Livia a letter that Ben Spence wanted him to give her to read at her leisure. He knew she had a lot of her mind and things to do, but he wanted her not to forget that she needed to live for herself, too. Livia put on some background music as she read it:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _I wanted your Uncle Jack to hold this until you might have an opportune time to read it. I understand you are being asked to do many things. I am_ so _proud of you. Still, the danger is that you may not have much time for yourself. I am concerned that you will neglect your health or some other part of you in the process of doing this important work._

 _Perhaps it is not my place to say anything, much less try to do anything about it. I do not discount the significance of pursuing any remnant of the malevolent forces in this world and am well aware that my father represents one such leftover. Please do not take me as discouraging you. Indeed, I think the very opposite – and that you will be more effective by not forgetting who you are as well as why you act._

 _So once again I ask for a little of your time, for yourself as much as me. I want you to take a break from your various duties to sit with me at the inn, maybe have some dinner or do something innocuous._

 _As much as I can say I want to see you, I am well aware of the stress you have started to put yourself under to do so much. I hope you consider the good it may do you not to devote your every waking moment to what easily may become obsessive, drain you of energy or take over your life. Your children will require more of you._

 _Sincerely,  
Ben_

Livia thought carefully about the letter. He did in writing it. She realized she very well might have said a similar thing herself to Sev'rus – and probably did. She easily could follow in his footsteps in more ways than one regarding this. Perhaps that alone accounted for the "gift" he left her. He wanted her not to follow his path too closely. Did Ben make a lucky guess to benefit himself, or did he actually perceive that she sounded or acted capable of such focus as to become that single-minded? She recalled that had not listened to music at all since the day she turned over Severus Snape's body to Basil Forrest. Ben had a point, even if she did not know yet how to answer him.

Livia showed the letter to Uncle Jack. He tended to agree with Ben, in that he wanted Livia to be mindful of herself. He worried about how she would balance various things over the next weeks, more than he felt concerned about any single raid or trial or class. He just wanted her to remain aware and strong. Livia reminded him that neither raids nor trials would go on indefinitely. He put back to her that he could say the same about her present condition. Okay, she conceded. She would keep the concept in her thoughts, whether it altered her behavior or not. She told him to let Ben know she would meet him for dinner at the tavern Sunday, 10 May at six.

Livia decided to spend the rest of the evening in Cambridge. She finally retrieved her bobcat and some of her belongings to keep there for the time being. She showed Tom and Alice the letter Ben wrote. They did think she looked a little worn, so they understood his concern. They both hoped he honestly meant what he wrote. Livia admitted that she might have said something akin to this to Christopher's uncle regarding the singularity of his focus to the exclusion of having left anything to himself. Tom thought that tallied with a man who lived in the past; resigned to live in his parents's home, he felt indifferent to his comfort or contentment. Tom thought Livia once may have said something about her uncle's focus, too. Tom asked Livia if she thought he had become obsessive. Livia agreed that the term fit him in several ways.

"Indirectly, then, Ben worries that you will become your uncle?" Tom queried.

"I think so," Livia replied.

"You won't be able to function as a parent that way," Alice asserted. "You'll either snap out of it or become a bad mother. Tom or I would not let you slide if you picked the latter."

"We'll see how singularly focused Uncle Sev'rus was tomorrow," Livia said. "I have to go to the main branch of his bank to see how much money I take on as trustee. I expect this to be more than the funds that will come from Phillip Beckford."

"This is a different bank?" Alice asked.

"Yes, it's in London," Livia answered. "It's an interesting place. What should I withdraw additionally for you? Tax money for the property? Additional mortgage funds? What?"

"What you said you would do last Sunday was fine," Tom responded. "We're good unless you want another conservatory for Abby, which you could build, too. We have no pressing need at present."

After retrieving the letter mentioning the dementors, which Uncle Jack had given them, Livia retired for the night. She still stared at the framed picture by her bed before finally closing her eyes.


	50. Inheritance, the R Stone & Some Enemies

Livia woke up fairly early on Friday. Just as she contemplated visiting Uncle Jack before going to the bank in London, he tried out her chimney. He came through perfectly. She could go directly anywhere from her own place – if she had the needed powder. She lacked that, of course. Uncle Jack remedied the problem, having brought a bag of it himself. He would let the ministry know Livia's home now connected to the widest network. She could receive officials for meetings or plans herself. Uncle Jack made a brief visit to see Alice, Tom, Adelaide and Abby before heading home. They quickly arranged for him to return that Sunday, whilst Livia dined with Ben Spence. He seemed unconcerned that Ben would upset Livia and decided to give him time to talk to her with no potential for his interference. Meantime, he would enjoy the evening with his grandniece, her husband and great-grandniece. Since Livia still kept the stone she found in Uncle Jack's home and they might have need to revisit the grounds, Livia decided not to change her meeting with Harry Potter. He might want to see someone there before or afterward, anyway.

Livia dressed in something black she thought appropriate to claim whatever the wizarding bank had forwarded to her as her bequest. When she arrived, she wondered about stipulations regarding withdrawal or use of the funds, since she was her children's trustee. She did not know if the money remained separate or how they divided it. Livia had not dwelled on the details up to that point, given that she did not really want the money.

Since she already had a vault and they established her identity through it, she merely had to meet with a goblin bank manager in a side desk to sign papers and learn what they wanted of her. Surprisingly, she saw few obstacles to moving money from between the vault established for her unborn children and her personal account. They merely wanted a sworn statement as to the appropriate use of the money and took her at her word. The deceased had chosen this option. The officer found her ring curious and wanted to study it, more out of interest in its craftsmanship and unique quality. He could not believe one of his own kind had not made it. He was impressed.

Livia's account had increased nearly tenfold to over 100,000 in wizarding currency, from the decedent's liquid assets – totaling nearly half a million in British sterling. Livia had no issue withdrawing any amount from this but no current design to take a huge amount. She mainly insured that she got enough to pay her brother and had money for food, including Sunday's dinner. She did verify that the ministry could directly make deposits there as well. The trustee account totaled over 600,000. Since she did not have a great obstacle in moving money, she and the bank agreed not to separate her share of the insurance money from what went to her children. To see it all gathered in one spot truly stunned and humbled her; the vault seemed filled to its limit in gold. In terms of British sterling, Livia had become a multi-millionaire. She knew the grantor had lived way below his means, but this level shook Livia hard. She tried to do the arithmetic, but she saw the breakdown of the funeral costs and what Harry Potter received. Livia wound up opting for a fairly inexpensive funeral, given the pre-purchased plot, green burial using perishable materials and that she cleaned and dressed the body herself. She didn't intend to be cheap; she would have elected those things up to her, anyway. The headstone represented the most significant expenditure. What the bank once called his vault became hers as trustee for her unnamed children. They would rename it as soon as she registered names and divide it when her kids grew up.

Livia and Uncle Jack had lunch at his sizable kitchen table. He said he would keep his house as is, imagining its suitability for babysitting. He got used to the spacious, open floorplan, too. Tutors had used his house for some students, and he liked being reminded of providing something that helpful. He liked that many parents associated him with their children's safety. The man who once possessed no family had become a beloved uncle to much of the school, which he relished.

Livia then showed him the receipt of what she found set aside in her name. That she inherited a substantial sum did not surprise him, yet the total stunned him, too. He imagined a vault almost choking in gold. Of course, money could not buy Livia's children a father, but they would have so many other things. He appreciated even more how accurately Livia described the man at his funeral. Uncle Jack took it upon himself to ensure that they would value him and his sacrifice, even if he would not have made for a cuddly, kindly relative.

Livia went to fetch the stone from a room that temporarily held most of her belongings from the room she had at school. She hoped she found the right thing, and it would work again, if so recently after its prior use. She had no idea if that mattered. She decided she wanted to hear "Just a Girl" again, since that would be the furthest thing Harry Potter would call Livia if they succeeded. Of course, she still lamented not having "Tiny Dancer" to play. Someday she would – she knew she had to have it. She also had found information waiting for her there about the upcoming raid as well as the group "Sons of Slytherin." The latter amounted to alumni supporters of the defeated wizard. She figured that she'd know at least one member among those too timid to become actual Death Eaters. That element alone assured her that she would.

Not long before he came, Livia went outside to check on her avian friends. Everyone seemed content and well, though Sevy seemed rather too excited. Between impending fatherhood and Livia's possible success that could lead to him seeing his namesake, he had much to anticipate. Livia liked it. Sometimes Livia wondered if she let what she wanted to be true get in the way of actual truth, but she had a hard time believing Sevy would do that.

Promptly at three o'clock, Harry Potter arrived. He looked content and spoke with Uncle Jack for several minutes. His life had revolved around things bigger than himself. In a way, he only began to live, too. The idea of touching those who died for him would give him further peace of mind. He possessed no memory of any physical contact with his parents. Livia showed him the stone she and her avian friends had located. He confirmed that she possessed what he had dropped. Livia asked him where he would like to try it. He told her how it worked and that any isolated area should serve them. Livia also asked about the advanced potions book. He said he feared a fire where he had last seen it may have destroyed it, but Livia and he could search for it then or later. Livia did not care which. He thought they could walk to the school grounds, use the edge of the forest to try the Resurrection Stone, then search for the book. Livia agreed.

They both bid Uncle Jack farewell for the moment and headed towards the grounds, first greeting and chatting with Hagrid, then finding an isolated spot where Harry might contact the loved ones who tended to follow him. Livia stood behind him as he evoked their visual, quasi-physical presences. Livia soon perceived four figures: Remus, the former instructor and Order member who died the previous week, his mother, his father and his godfather, Sirius. From Harry's prior description, Livia hoped all four would return. Interestingly, to Livia, they looked a little more solid than Helena did, if perhaps an optical illusion. Livia put her hands on Harry's shoulders and congratulated him. He told her that she should greet each of the four first.

A few had quizzical looks as Livia stepped forward though she thought Remus's seemed the least puzzled. She went to him. "I think you know why I'm here, whereas your friends do not," Livia said. "You should tell them, then I'll show them."

"Livia Woodcock has a few unusual talents," Remus Lupin stated. "Harry wants to benefit, if not learn, from one of them."

Livia took his hands. "I promise you that, as long and as far as I'm able, your son will know what you did and will understand your sacrifice." He nodded. She hugged him and whispered, "I trust that you now have a peace denied to you in life about once a month." He nodded again and thanked her for providing this link for Harry.

Livia moved on to Harry's mother, the woman whose voice she had mimicked for years. Livia revealed to her that she had done this, particularly in singing like she did as a girl. Lily Potter seemed to know something about it and told Livia that she should let the rest hear her. Livia did as she asked. Harry was shocked; he had no idea, much less that his mother had known. No one else realized this, either. Livia took her hands. The woman still held much sympathy for the man transfixed by her, but she never regretted her choice. She innately understood the point Livia had made to him about an ideal versus a reality. Livia repeated the question she had asked Harry, asking if Lily Potter objected. She did not, though she wondered if Livia would or should change her mind. Lily Potter told Livia that, in a very real way, the honor should be Livia's alone. Livia smiled but said she knew better as to who would never agree with that sentiment.

Livia next stood before Harry's father, James. At first, she had no idea what to make of him, given all that she knew from a chief object of his derision and bullying. To say Livia felt conflicted would constitute a gross understatement. Yet Harry, his son, had found her. Moreover, he died so young. Was his behavior on some level "as it should be"? To hold him wholly responsible seemed untenable. She took his hands and thanked him for giving his life to defend his family, especially Harry. He did not know what to make of her either, though she became calm after taking his hands. He did regret things he did during his life, and he admitted that his rival had protected and promoted his son's wellbeing and ultimate victory. He appreciated Livia's gesture in giving him the opportunity to touch his child once more. He almost wanted to say something more, but he refrained. Livia learned a few things that made James more familiar to her than she previously had imagined. Perhaps had the stakes of what happened not become so high, Severus Snape would have reinvented himself, and James Potter would have shown that he had grown sizably from his past. Livia just became more generous from seeing all sides of what took place.

Lastly, Livia went over to Harry Potter's godfather. She remembered well the two times she had met Sirius Black previously. Despite his continuing role in antagonizing Severus Snape, she thought he had paid far more than his due. She related to his wrongful imprisonment and that he had experienced so little personal joy owing to it. Livia had only a taste of that whereas he dealt with it much of his life. He had shown blind spots but possessed some sense to transcend them, including afterward. She understood his sense of loyalty and the effects of being misjudged. He embodied the concept of the broken pillar even more than Cathy Davies had. She told him that, whilst being exonerated must please him, she knew what cold comfort it offered.

He asked Livia to embrace him. The other men seemed bemused as if Sirius wanted a romantic interest though he had died. They teased him just a little about this, as in "so _now_ you want a girlfriend, Sirius." Nonetheless, he whispered in Livia's ear that she would have made an excellent mistress for the house of Black – even his house elf would have concurred.

"You know who my father actually is?" Livia asked, rather softly.

"I have some idea," he replied. "But tell me quietly." Livia opted to do so, not seeing the harm. His eyes widened just briefly. "I'm not totally surprised."

"Sirius, she may or may not be spoken for," Lily Potter told him. To Livia she inquired: "Which is it?"

"Can't say I know," Livia answered. "I somehow doubt it, but in any case I think I'd flatter myself to say that I am – and I refuse to flatter myself."

"Now there's something to taunt about," Lily Potter insisted. "If you really need more."

Sirius grasped what Lily meant but said nothing. He again spoke just to Livia: "Well, if you come to this side and still don't know or an answer comes in the negative, you find me."

Livia gently kissed him on his cheek. He told her that he might want to hold her to that, regardless of her present situation. He seemed to know somehow, which intrigued and confused her simultaneously. He also conveyed his gratitude that he could again embrace his godson. With that, Livia turned to Harry and she shepherded him to each of the four. With Remus, Livia had to concentrate hard to position Harry well. She told him he had to open himself to feeling an energetic presence. He had to let her knew how much he felt and when. She held his hands as she directed them. Livia found that she had to modulate herself and partly try to detect when Harry had established a connection. Finally, he said that he felt it. She did, also. Harry felt a rush of sentiment, tangible and yet elusive. Yes, Livia agreed. You have it, she said, but you must open yourself more to access it. She took Harry's hands and placed them on Lupin's back. This took a little less time. Livia asked both to hold still and she released Harry. She wanted to know if Harry still felt him. He could, if more faintly. Harry expressed happiness at the connection and also pledged to help the man's son as if his own.

They moved on to Harry's mother, the figure Harry told her he had several times tried to touch. Livia steadied him and asked him again to feel her presence. Sight mattered less than a tactile, vibratory sense. This concept seemed to resonate well with him. Livia had to ensure he stayed calm enough to not lose contact. The others smiled to see Harry finally feel something of his mother that he could remember. Livia repositioned him to go from holding her hands to hugging her. He made a small stride in being able to become more sensitive, though possibly her contact with him had remained the strongest, allowing him to feel more. Nonetheless, he did learn from what took place. Practice showed some modest gain.

Harry felt extremely reluctant to let go of her. He asked a question about how Livia had been able to lightly kiss Sirius, since he wanted to try it himself. Livia thought he needed to use his hands as a guide to how to find her. Livia move one of hands to a cheek. He said he did it and felt amazed by doing so. Only then did he release her and desire to connect with his father.

Harry could nearly establish the tie himself. He needed a minimum of assistance. He expressed great happiness, given his desire to see them and touch them had existed for years. He almost became overwhelmed. Livia warned him to re-channel that in focused sensitivity because excessive emotion might complicate what he wanted to do. Livia had to vent some sentiment away from him in order to keep him on task. Harry told the group how badly he wanted to feel something and recognized that desire helped and hurt him, depending on how well he directed it.

Finally, he released his father and moved to reconnect with his godfather. Again, Harry needed only minimal assistance to start. His tie in life to the man may have assisted him as well as practice. Livia could not be sure which helped more. Harry said he felt Sirius's energy better. He could hug Sirius even more strongly than his parents. Livia offered both theories as to why. Practice could help but a bond he had established in his own memory assisted, too. After a few minutes talking and embracing the man, Harry let him go, thanked them all for sacrifices he hoped he would honor for years to come and then let them all go. The session ended.

Harry returned the stone to Livia. "You hold on to that until we can agree upon a time that George can try to manifest Fred."

"No problem," Livia stated. "Will you be keeping the stone afterward?"

"I think not," Harry answered. "You may know the legend behind this stone. I have the cloak mentioned in that tale already but have surrendered Professor Dumbledore's wand. I don't want to have the three. To me, no one person really should. I don't want the temptation, even. You should keep it, since you found it. As far as I'm concerned, I lost it in the forest on 2 May, and it got trampled into the ground."

"Okay," Livia responded. "I understand. Your clear vision speaks well of you. I'm glad you got the chance to make contact with those you love." Livia had recalled something regarding what he said – when the former headmaster had discussed his will with her, though Livia had not thought it worth remembering then since it had not applied to her. It explained much about the stone, however, to recall then.

"Do you think the book I want is retrievable?" Livia wondered.

"I have no idea," Harry replied. "There was a great fire in that room that you didn't see. Those in the room with me were lucky to escape and the doors ultimately closed behind us. The book, if it survived, may simply be beyond locating. Of course, surviving that fire itself would be remarkable. I don't know what happened."

"Fire needs oxygen to continue," Livia said. "Could closing the doors have put the fire out, either as a shift in air pressure or just once the air in the room got used?"

"Either are possible, but I have no idea how long the fire lasted," Harry surmised.

The halls of Hogwarts were empty and the Room of Requirement familiar to both and thus easy to find. Livia went in first, as her need to locate the book guided what would take place. The space seemed vast, with debris everywhere. No one could repair it quickly; priorities had devoted resources elsewhere. Indeed, the building's exterior, colonnade and bridge looked great.

Harry wondered where Livia should start. She thought to herself how much help Sevy would be if there. Both produced light from their wands to counter the room's charred darkness. Livia and Harry discussed the situation logically. If the book survived, they needed first to search the part of the room least damaged by the fire. So they went to a corner on the left side of the door where stacks of objects seemed less smoky or only a little blackened but otherwise solid. Harry began going through things, but he remarked that much about the room seemed random and even challenging to traverse.

That some kind of creatures seemed to hiss upon disturbance verified for them that the fire did go out not long after the door closed. Livia knocked down a few piles and almost waded in various objects. She closed her eyes and visualized the handwriting she wished to see and focused on her connection to the person who wielded the writing utensil. Livia knew every particularity of that book, since she could remember it in her mind. Harry gazed at her, puzzled about her quiet search in her own brain, but said told him what she tried to access. Livia opened her eyes and looked about. She had to feel her way through a pile she seemed to randomly select. She pulled out various objects, like chairs or shelves. After about 10 minutes had passed and they cleared much in the area, Livia got her hands on a book. It was not what she sought but looked readable, which gave her hope. Another minute or so later, she pulled out a more dilapidated book that possessed only a little smoke and soot damage. The title indicated it to be an advanced potions textbook. She opened it. The pages she could read. She found his book. She sighed, almost equating it with the last time she cradled him. She felt very thankful to have located it.

"I'm awestruck," Harry stated. "I never thought for sure it survived or could be found. This must be meant to be."

"I'm very happy to have it," Livia declared. "It almost seems protected. The damage looks superficial and can be corrected, since the book remains legible."

"Congratulations," he asserted. "Professor Dumbledore once told me that help will always be given here to those who ask for it, specifically for those who deserve it. You surely have earned this, if not today, at some point."

"I didn't need the substance of what he wrote – I just wanted this as a keepsake. This means a great deal to me. I'm sure you can guess why, though I doubt he ever fully understood."

Livia and Harry exited the room and made their way out of the building. Harry found her very unusual. She came across as a warm, kind-hearted person, smart and most talented. He had no idea how she had developed a loyalty towards a man everyone found so cold and difficult. She exuded quite an opposite character. That she felt more than simple fidelity knocked him sideways.

"Forgive me for asking," Harry began, "but I can't say I understand how you managed to feel as you must. It seems strange." They had entered the grounds on their way back to town.

"I know," Livia responded. "Having _any_ sentiment towards Severus Snape is like trying to love a brick wall. I guess it begins by the fact that I never saw him as others did. I knew from the second I met him that the surface _did not_ tell the story at all. Of course, I was merely a curious child then, looking for an intellectual challenge after two years of having to test myself through books I read. He sure laid down a mental obstacle course for me – many times over."

"But you devoted yourself to him – why?"

"I guess part of that comes from the fact that, as I was bound to silence, I became bound to him. Not in the servile sense, but that circumstances compelled me to become familiar with him and to protect him. Befriending him, I think, became a byproduct. He could not fully alienate me, either. I think the fact that I could mimic your mother's voice gave him a reason to treat me differently, even as I argued with him about the masochism of his requests to hear her."

"When did you begin to hear her?" Harry asked.

"I did first in sessions where I successfully recovered his memories. I never spoke her name, but I knew it. I eventually saw your mother singing 'Happy Birthday' to him and I could do it, too. I think the first time I intentionally ever used something signifying his first name related to that. I wrestled with the issue a little then but opted to go with the authenticity of what she sang."

"But how and when –" he began.

"I think I know where you're going. I think I first became attached to him owing to Christopher – even after I knew who that really was. I have often stared at photographs of attending my brother's wedding with him, which is quite a story in itself as far as how that happened. He didn't volunteer to go exactly. Of course, I recognized how ridiculous it was, too. He didn't have to tell me. The fact that no one wanted me to stray too far from here threw me into some very bizarre situations. These likely were rather uncomfortable for him as well. I needed to lean on him a few times and he, well, I guess, tolerated it. No one action seemed hugely farfetched in itself but the whole of them seems quite incredible – I have no idea what term he might have used."

"How did you first meet the figure you and he call his nephew?"

"I was weeks shy of 17," Livia disclosed. "It seemed that he wanted a neutral way to evaluate how my behavior and skills related to how I controlled my emotions. He knew I had uncommonly strong skills, given my emotional sensitivity, but he believed his position impeded independently assessing them. He didn't count on how I responded that night to someone I accepted as being what he appeared to be. He tried to maintain a distinctiveness until I found a way to confess to him that I knew. And really I wanted him to have an outlet to experience something other than holding on to a bitter reality from sad outcomes from his past. I suppose that was very selfish on my part, since I benefited. I don't know what was worse to him – letting the deception continue or confessing I knew as I still encouraged him to show that side of himself."

"I don't know," he mused. "Seems to me there is some unselfishness, also. He hid himself so well, it became like breathing. Other than the constancy of his love for my mother, I can't say much, like tell you how deeply he regarded you – he must have, though, no?"

"I can't answer that honestly," Livia replied. "I figured that I need some sort of narrative I can live by and that I can repeat, as the most loyal thing I can do. In fact, I could have asked you about his view of me, except I thought you might tell me something that I dread hearing."

"No, I wouldn't do that – I frankly think that is a question only he can answer fully, and he took his answer with him," Harry maintained. "I believe the fact that he never made himself clear to you means he did regard you very highly, at the very least. Did he love you? Perhaps he couldn't admit it to himself. I've wondered why, if he so ardently loved my mother, he became swept up in a cause that denigrated her. It made sense in terms of his own family – he hated his father and wanted to distinguish himself as important. I don't think he did it because he resented my mother over what happened here. I think he did it from his own ambitions but also in part to cover up his true feelings. So I see a pattern of him concealing his deepest emotions."

"That's very perceptive, as perhaps only someone on the outside looking in can see," Livia asserted. "I don't know what I should think. I believe he knows how I felt – and still feel. But I never learned a lot. If he said anything in January, I don't recall, which bothers me a lot. In any case, we should give the Weasleys a chance to say goodbye to Fred. When's a good time?"

"How about Sunday, maybe early in the afternoon," Harry replied. "What do you think?"

"That would be fine," Livia stated. "I'm helping with that event on Saturday. You are too, right? At least the information I've been given suggests that."

"Yes, I'll be there," Harry affirmed. "I understand you know some of the principals."

"Indeed," Livia agreed. "This will be fun for me. Stephanie and Rhonda Wayne helped to bully a friend of mine. The latter became part of Rodrick Spence's scheme to unite his family with the Waynes through his son. I have a history with Rodrick Spence. I dated his son, Ben, during 1989-90. He essentially broke us up. You will see a _very_ different side of me tomorrow. They all hate me, and I'll be returning the favor." They had just paused in front of Uncle Jack's residence.

"I'll see who can assemble Sunday – probably at the Weasley family home."

"Just confirm it. Fred was lovely. I can't imagine how badly George feels."

"We all cope somehow, but this gift will give George some peace – and everyone else. I know it helped me. I look forward to seeing him. Until then, thank you." Soon after, Harry left.

Livia paused by Uncle Jack's door to learn how the owls and crows got on. The crows liked some extra food now and again and loved the attention. They greatly loved hearing they had participated in finding the right stone and that it had worked, though they had less of a stake in the outcome than Sevy. Sevy still was ready to dance at hearing the news. He just wanted to know when Livia planned to use it. Livia didn't give an immediate date. She wanted Sevy to concentrate on his coming owlets. She could wait. They had to come first. He accepted this, though he wanted one to carry her name. He also considered Sevia and Sevte, for his two best girls. Livia smiled. She would accept and rejoice at whatever he liked, so long as he had healthy owlets. He twittered in agreement. Mel and Sydney also celebrated with Brontë and him.

Livia entered and told Uncle Jack everything about her excursion with Harry and showed him the book she obtained. He found the marginalia impressive, though Livia said she knew everything that he had inked – she merely wanted it to have something more with his writing. Uncle Jack found that curious but did not know what to say about it. She never revealed that she kept his academic robe and resized it for herself. That she might meet Renee pleased him greatly. He could not wait to tell Anne, who had gone to visit her children. He told her a ministry official wanted to see her to go over their activity tomorrow. Livia opted to meet Hadrian Stone in her own residence. Percy as well as Ron Weasley would participate along with Harry Potter. Stone would attend and pair with Livia. She told him to hang back, hidden, and let her take the primary role, whilst he looked for a chance to disarm someone. He agreed, since he did not think raids were his strongest suit. Livia told them she looked forward to seeing whoever attempted to get by her.

Livia told him that they shouldn't go easy on her. She needed to get her hands dirty, especially given she knew many of the people holed up. Livia gave what information she knew about each's skills. Both Rhonda and Stephanie Wayne would be there, along with their father, Wallace. Percy best knew Wallace, a balding light brown-haired, though still-vigorous man of some skill. Also in residence were Rodrick and Aldrick Spence. The dwelling, looking like a grey and white, country barn, had a large, singular entrance in front and a smaller one in back.

The group assembled in outside the barn in a wooded area around 08:00 on Saturday, 9 May. Livia activated her necklace and took up a position in back with Hadrian Stone. The three young men blasted the front door away and entered. It looked like a typical, modest home on the inside. Aldrick did not fight and Stephanie easily was outmatched by Ron, leaving the three to subdue a cagey, desperate Wallace. Rhonda and Rodrick fled to the back exit. With Hadrian behind her, Livia met both – and started singing the chorus to "The Bitch is Back" right after she disarmed Rhonda. In time with the tune, Livia put Rhonda into a type of burrito that might have made Persephone Rodriguez jealous – or so Livia thought. She smiled. Rhonda fell to the ground, harmless. Hadrian seized her wand whilst Livia eyed up how to duel Rodrick. Overconfident, he found some nails near the barn that he transfigured into sharp razor blades that he sent to her.

Livia, still singing the chorus repetitively and infuriating him, immediately created a type of magnet that attracted every object and harmlessly gathered them near her knees. She lifted it up and fired them back at him as the magnet became a type of flare gun. A few hit flesh and caused Rodrick bleeding and immense pain though he conjured a fire to melt most into blobs that dropped to the ground. He then tried to direct the fire towards her. He then started to utter the killing curse, but Livia put a bar over his mouth stifling his voice before he finished the first word. She wondered whose life she spared, though she had acted reflexively to stop him.

Livia also blew the flame back at him, burning his mouth as the metal melted, then sealed him in with a massive waterspout. The water essentially weakened his grip on his wand. Hadrian disarmed him just before Livia rendered the water into a massive cloth that wrapped him up the same way Rhonda had been rendered helpless. Livia supposed she thought about food as she finished her fourth month. She chuckled as she stopped singing and called out to those inside. She gave each burrito a handle and wheels, and she and Hadrian dragged each back into the barn.

Percy, Harry and Ron had affixed their disarmed three to chairs, even if Aldrick froze at the sight of Harry. Rhonda and Rodrick got chairs, too. Percy, who said her singing and a surprisingly evasive Wallace kept them from checking on her, read the charges. Rodrick and Rhonda faced accusations of facilitating various raids and supporting the Death Eaters. Stephanie and Wallace Wayne faced the material support charge. Wallace faced one about persecuting muggles, too. Livia had Percy add an attempt by Rodrick to use the killing curse on her. Hadrian added that he had heard it. The others were stunned to hear her say this so casually.

"If I seem blasé, it's because I don't know whose life I spared in blocking that curse," Livia stated. "I didn't give my necklace a chance to rebound it. I just reacted as if it's not there."

Rodrick Spence made a dismissive snort. "Another lie from you, no doubt," he responded.

"No, it isn't," Harry answered, incensed at his gall. "That was a protective gift from a deceased man who still defends her, like my mother shielded me. Given what I know, I believe she spared you, and she is being modest about the father of her children, as well as herself." Ron, Percy and Hadrian found his claim shocking.

"And _your_ son made it, Rodrick, as a custom order. He's become very successful _without you_." Livia added.

Aldrick faced none of the charges Percy announced, having mostly aided the fugitives. He then admitted to being suspected of fathering Livia and asked if he could look at her better. Rodrick expressed shock. He never had suspected his brother possibly could have fathered Livia.

"Aldrick is not my father, Rodrick – no, my father happens to be a pureblood wizard, unlike _either_ of you," Livia taunted with venom. "That makes me a full-blooded witch, Rodrick, and you are going to have a nice long stay in prison, you miserable piece of excrement. I'd call my favorite crow, Alastair, to defecate on you right now, but it'd be redundant."

Everyone else looked at each other. Harry gave them a sense that he expected Livia to unload on Rodrick Spence in a way Severus Snape would have prized. To the rest, this Livia seemed quite unknown, by reputation or experience, though Spence had tried to kill her. Harry whispered something to the Weasley brothers. They realized how personal subduing him was.

"I doubt you are," Rodrick retorted, trying to act proud in his embarrassing state. "You have lied about your background for years, I'm sure. Someday everyone will know."

"It's true," Aldrick revealed. "Severus Snape visited me. I found a way to look at his list and saw the other names: Blake Hall, Lucius Malfoy and Paul Marlborough. I know it _could not_ have been Paul. He went home. Given what I remember, I would guess Lucius before Blake."

"Seen Ben Spence lately, either you or Rhonda?" Livia continued to Rodrick Spence. "Well, I have. He does _not_ send his regards. I'm having dinner with him tomorrow, too. In fact, Harry and Ron met him last Sunday."

"We did," Ron said. Ron saw the picture even more clearly with her last remark.

"Right, that's who your Uncle Jack stood by during the service," Harry stated.

"And, to clarify your confusion, no, I _am not_ carrying his child," Livia spat at him. "The _last thing_ I want is to have any sort of biological tie to _you_. You're a monster. My brother, Tom, is at least twice the man you could _ever_ be, regardless of your disdain. I don't care whether you think my father is Blake Hall or Lucius Malfoy; either would represent a significant step up for you in status. Choke on it." Livia understood him, and they all knew that she had accessed exactly what ran through his mind. She had impressive skills even when lacing into someone she despised.

All got conveyed to the Azkaban prison by officials who arrived at Percy's request except for Aldrick. Aldrick Spence had the chance to bargain for a house arrest and fine with his information on the Sons of Slytherin group's activities. He reunited with survivors in his family and had a friend stay with him during his confinement. He never saw his brother again and lived quietly thereafter. He wanted a relationship with his nephew, Ben, instead. Ben saw him only sporadically, however – often alone.

Before separating, Ron, Percy and Harry lingered outside the farmhouse and confirmed the time when they expected Livia at the Weasley family home. Percy expressed great horror yet also confusion about why Livia had snapped at Rodrick Spence beyond his attempted curse, though she clearly performed well. He didn't recall why she loathed him. He vaguely recalled it involved school.

"Percy, remember how my roommates nearly came to blows with both Ben Spence and Rhonda Wayne during the spring of 1990? Rodrick Spence had demanded his son break up with me and date – with an eye to marrying – Rhonda. Rodrick Spence treated my family badly early that spring and gave me the third degree over my parentage, which he ironically found unsuitable for his son. I think he eyed a ministry post and a Wayne family alliance for some time before then. As you know, Ben Spence played along but ultimately broke the engagement, resigned and fled from all of them."

"I remember now," Percy Weasley said. "Your friends went after the Head Boy and Head Girl of their own house for trying to degrade you at that dance. Who broke up the fights?"

"I think Harry and Ron know," Livia stated. "I carry his legacy."

"You told that story last Sunday," Ron Weasley recounted. "Professor Snape got his nephew to show up. Outdueling and arresting Rodrick Spence must be very satisfying for you."

"As fun as taunting him," Livia admitted. "That's why I sang a song I knew he'd hate. Turning him into a dumbass would have worked as well but may have been too personal, I think."

"I remember that story, but given what he tried, I doubt it," Percy Weasley asserted. The others nodded, too. All but Hadrian wondered how she stopped him. "So is Blake Hall or Lucius Malfoy your father, Livia?"

"I rather not answer that for too many people," Livia replied. "I hope you don't mind. Only a few know, like my Uncle Jack. He told Ben Spence, since he was potentially my cousin. Harry may know. You hearing two remaining names is very exclusive company. I don't want this to become public, though. I did inform the prime minister, on condition that he tell no one. I have no claim to make, so it doesn't matter to me. I stand on my own merit, not a bloodline."

"I see what you mean," Percy stated. "It also could get messy for you. You already dealt with one. The other participated in the Sons of Slytherin. You will likely encounter him soon. If you treat Blake Hall the same way as the Malfoys, I can't even guess, which speaks well of you."

"I did see Professor Snape working on that list," Harry pronounced. "I think I know, but I won't say more. In any case, see you tomorrow, Livia. Glad we took them all down."

"Yes, see everyone then," Livia responded.

Livia later spent a quiet night in her cottage. A lot had occurred that week. It remained difficult for her to process. Sure, she did as expected – and beyond. She decided to tell Tom and Alice she had helped capture Rodrick Spence but would avoid mentioning his attempt on her life. No need to upset them. She would tell them about her inheritance, to minimize how much she said about trying to comfort the Weasleys over Fred, too. She hoped to see him and be helpful, but she still felt guilty that she had failed Cathy. At least, she had a formula to try. She wondered who all would participate.

The next morning, Livia quietly went about her business, taking some time to tell Tom and Alice where she would go. She did not fill them in precisely about her role, given her lingering feelings of inadequacy. She doubted she could produce Cathy herself for Tom or Doc; she had no idea what either would or wouldn't see. So Livia told them it was a memorial service arranged by friends of a deceased young man who had enjoyed a great deal of popularity. To avoid saying too much more, Livia then disclosed the inheritance waiting for her in London, which stood at about £3.5 million. Both were shocked.

"How does a schoolteacher leave that much?" Alice asked. "Even college professors are rarely paid well, unless one has achieved senior status and probably an international reputation."

"Tom?" Livia began. "Looking at how the man lived, I think you know the answer. Much of this money also came from a sizable insurance policy."

"Livia makes a fair point," Tom admitted. "He lived modestly to the point of asceticism. Did he ever spend much of anything on himself?"

"I don't think so," Livia responded. "Maybe on books. I never saw any variety in his wardrobe or any great amount of personal belongings. Compared to him, my musical expenditures were extravagant, and you know I could save very well."

"It still sounds astounding," Alice maintained. "Did you see a statement or the assets?"

"I saw both," Livia replied. "The former included the deductions for various things, such as his funeral. To see the account where I am the trustee shocked me – not the amount exactly but the physical presence of the total. I try to block it out, since I'd rather not have it."

"We understand, Livia," Tom reassured. "The man died only about a week ago. I still can't believe you prepared him. Sure, Dad would respect it, but you must have ice water in your veins."

"No," Livia began, "I just had a sense of duty and focused on that. Today will be about duty, also, though not the same caliber. I'll see you after my dinner with Ben. Should be interesting to tell him I helped capture his father and ex-fiancée. They're both jailed now."

"I like hearing that, I must say," Alice stated. "Meeting that man was brief, but his scorn seemed just way too obvious. You tried to give him a graceful exit, but he was not remotely civil. The meal is a good way to see if Ben sincerely has broken with them." Tom nodded his assent.

"I agree, also," Livia affirmed. "In fact, I suspect this will become obvious to me."

Livia said goodbye to Adelaide and Abby then returned to her cottage to retrieve the stone and travel to the Weasley family home. The matriarch, Molly, greeted her first, very interested in Livia's progress carrying twins. She fussed some, expressing horror at what Ron told her about the raid. She offered herself to be available for any advice in terms of having or raising twins, since having two children at once with wizardry skills could be challenging. She liked thinking about them as a future, since she had lost one of hers. Talking to Livia about them as babies made both seem alive again. Livia appreciated her knowledge, given Livia knew neither what to expect nor how having such children would differ from her sister's or sister-in-law's experiences.

"Oh, that's right," Molly Weasley said. "You were raised with muggles."

The patriarch, Arthur Weasley, found this conversation fascinating. He wanted to know all about the differences himself. The fact that Livia spent time being raised by a clergyman also piqued his interest. Livia knew a lot about church history, too, and Arthur could have spoken to her for hours about that. The idea that a bishop of Durham had his own army and flag amused him greatly, since it showed how locally muggles had lived. Still, he found ample time to thank Livia for lending her abilities to what all hoped would occur. Just then several other members of the family entered the kitchen to greet Livia and thank her for coming, including George, Ron and Ginny. All wanted to hear why Rodrick Spence tried to kill her, which Livia quickly dismissed. They had gathered for Fred, not for anything or anyone else.

Everyone gathered outside in a clearing not far from the house. Ten people stood in a long row two feet behind George, the surviving twin. The only sibling unavailable was Charlie, who sent a letter. He watched a sick baby dragon, who he had named Fred. Livia and Harry spoke to George, with Harry providing some directions and Livia ready to emerge from behind him. George posited that he might get business ideas or that Fred might be too busy telling stories to show up. Yet Fred did find time to see his brother. Emotions remained high among everyone even as Fred smiled and kidded George that he should know better than have anyone feel sorry for him. He suggested that his family had taken him away from a great party, too.

Livia smiled and stepped forward. She expressed happiness at seeing him and sorrow that he could not stay longer to amuse everyone. He eyed her curiously but only asked if she had come to sing for him. She laughed, then took his hands and told him she would do her best to eradicate every vestige of the evil that took his life. In the meantime, his family had assembled to say farewell to him as best they could. He understood that the living benefited from this more than he would. She hugged him, told him that she would miss him, though she only served to help everyone there reach him. He nodded, if slightly taken aback.

One by one various people approached. Harry went first, to set an example for any feeling self-conscious about approaching Fred. He required only minimal help; he continued to improve with just a little guidance. Fred seemed startled again at this type of contact. Ginny went next and ably studied what both Harry and Livia did. She held a fairly tight bond with Fred, which aided her. She called the experience intense. Ron followed and also proved a good study, if not quite fully as successful as Harry or Ginny. He became helpful to Hermione Granger by telling her to close her eyes to feel something before she looked at him. She seemed taken aback. Her immense logical skills often dominated her outlook, and she expanded her mind to succeed thanks to both Livia and Ron. Next came a distraught Percy, who needed the most help because he had seen Fred last before his death. Fred told him that he still laughed thinking about the last thing Percy said – a resignation to the corrupt ministry head he dueled. Livia tried to get Percy to put his emotions aside long enough to focus on feeling Fred's vibratory presence. Then came Bill and his wife. Bill first read a letter from his brother Charlie. Fred liked the idea of being a dragon. Livia then helped Bill grasp his brother. Bill proved quite capable of understanding what he needed to do. Whether he had studied the others or had an innate focus, he became accomplished at reaching his brother. He even gave some advice to his wife as Livia connected her with her brother-in-law. She did not need too much help, either. She definitely had an innate understanding of feeling for Fred's presence.

Fred's parents both preceded George in saying goodbye to their son. They both experienced a cathartic release, though Fred whispered something to make each laugh, so as not to get swallowed up by their bereavement. Livia thought it had something to do with knowing one son from the other first or that they could look at George and think of him being there, too.

Finally, George walked up to his brother. He almost needed no help whatsoever. The bond they shared nearly transcended death. Fred gave George some ideas of things their shop could do or some feedback regarding recent decisions George had made. He even told George he should get a new partner, perhaps a brother. George pledged to live for both of them, which Fred appreciated. A few words only they understood, a kind of twin-speak. They both could find something to laugh about, too. Fred said he did not missing living as much as he missed his twin brother, especially, and the rest of his family. That constituted the only wholly serious thing he said. He may have said this to prod his brother to finish the meeting, as George did not wish to dwell on the remark. Everyone said a final goodbye and the session ended.

The group then went inside to chat over some tea and discuss what they saw and felt. Each person went up to Harry, then Livia, to thank them for making what happened possible. Harry said he did it for his own benefit, also, a point to which Livia agreed. Livia wanted to see Fred as well as assist them with this closure. She did not purely act altruistically, given her additional survivor's guilt. They deserved some gesture, and Livia only too happily supported the effort.

Bill, like Fred, had that afternoon noted Livia's condition but opted to say nothing. He sensed others already knew and only later heard about the raid. Fleur asked her about the unusual ring she wore, and Livia let her examine it. She told Bill and Fleur that the bank manager could not believe a goblin hadn't created it. Livia told her exactly who made the ring, a one-of-a-kind item. Bill whispered that he knew what he had to do for Fleur's next birthday. He asked if Ben Spence ever did a fleur-de-lys. Livia thought it well within his ability and a great idea for a custom-made piece. She thought it could make a great hair accessory, pendant or brooch. She told Bill she would see Ben later and give him time to brainstorm ideas, though he liked the customer to choose ultimately what he created. Bill hugged her before she left, thanking her for helping them and for giving him the idea. He also whispered that he hoped she had found happiness akin to himself.

"It can't quite be all that right now, but it will suffice," Livia stated.

Livia then took her leave and returned to Cambridge. She had a little time before she met Ben. She felt relieved that she had something to discuss besides participating in capturing and hauling his father and ex-fiancée to prison. Livia had no idea what they would talk about otherwise. She could not help but think of the last time they had gone to that tavern alone. He remembered. Only then did she contemplate that he knew about her broken engagement, but she could not figure out off-hand as to why. Did he know Nils? Did he make her engagement ring? Livia did not recall how Nils had obtained it. She only had it about a month, after all. How long had he made jewelry there? For that matter, when and how did he find out about Christopher? Fortunately, before she got too involved thinking about him, Uncle Jack showed up and they switched residences. He would dine in Cambridge whilst she headed to Hogsmeade's inn.


	51. A Dinner, a Farewell & an Upcoming Raid

Livia kept a tight rein on herself as she walked towards the tavern in Hogsmeade. She reminded herself that she wasn't the same person Ben knew in 1990. She had seen Ben just the prior week, in fact. She did not even see him alone that evening, either. She ate for three. She merely had to prove to herself that seeing him changed nothing – though she wondered why he wanted to see her. She dated him for at most 7 months when both were 17 years old. Why should he matter much more than speaking earlier that day with the married Bill Weasley?

Livia liked contemplating that question to insulate herself. She wanted to preserve the sense that someone else held a primary claim to her love and loyalty – and Ben knew it. Just because she wore things he made did not detract from the fact that he had not given them to her himself. She would never remove anything she wore, regardless of the intent in giving her these items. She had committed herself to that narrative, at the very least, no matter what. He could not hurt her.

Livia walked in and saw Ben at the same booth she had shared with Christopher when she won that bet in 1995. She leaned heavily on Sev'rus that night, even if he never believed it. She walked up to Ben and extended her hand. He took it then clasped it with his other hand, too. When Livia realized that he really wanted to hug her she pulled her hand back and sat.

"Thank you for coming, even if you do not exactly trust me," Ben said.

"Frankly, I don't know what to make of this entirely," Livia stated.

"I know," he admitted. "I haven't spoken to you alone in about eight years. Let's just order something and relax. What did you do today? I just worked on a few items." A waiter came over and took down what each wanted and left.

Livia told him exactly what she had done and the outpouring of emotion over bidding farewell to a young man lost far too soon. Ben seemed rather disturbed about it, for many reasons. She observed that hers merely mirrored the grief of others, though. She also revealed that on Friday afternoon she thankfully had found Severus Snape's old potions textbook. Ben still could not wrap his head around the clear allegiance Livia felt for a man who had tormented so many for so long.

"He never really did that to me, unless for show," Livia asserted. "I protected him in terms of how he needed to be seen, but he did things for me, too. No one saw it but me, though."

"Why?" Ben asked. "I can understand you having a unique perspective. You tend towards that. How could he have reciprocated? No one saw that, certainly, which is why it baffles me."

"His loyalty to his childhood love," Livia answered. "Once I saw and heard her, I could mimic her voice, one that had not reached his ears in a long time. He lived in his childhood home; he wanted to live in that past forever. Bringing her to life, basically, gave him a very different view of me. I think that is why he cared that night. He could not bear to have that voice silenced for him a second time. Looking back, I think he was grateful, though I only saw how her voice pained him."

Ben accepted that assessment for the moment. Love motivated many to do unexpected things. Of course, people had other motives, too. He had dealt with that more often. Ben then turned to the elephant in the room: what Livia did on Saturday. She held back a little at first. She had helped take into custody Stephanie and Rhonda Wayne, their father, plus his father and uncle. All went to prison except Aldrick Spence. Further, she taunted his father, telling him that a crow launching excrement on him would be redundant, calling him not nearly half a man versus her brother.

"Yes, I can see that," Ben stated. "He essentially insulted your brother with his dismissive attitude, drawing your ire. You would kill for Tom. I know it. My father probably even realized it at the time, in fact, when he did that. He's said worse to me. Did you tell him who your father is?"

"Actually, no," Livia disclosed. "Aldrick somehow saw the list of the last four names. He recounted them and eliminated a name after I did so to him. Having it down to Lucius Malfoy or Blake Hall sufficiently demonstrated that I have a better wizardry bloodline than he does – and I told him to choke on it. He earned more than that, honestly, since he tried cutting me with razor blades then began uttering the killing curse. He didn't even get the first word out, though. I anticipated it and muted him. I cut him with his own blades, too. I had Percy add the curse attempt as a charge." The waiter then left their dinner and drinks. They had ordered the "Albus," a special named after the owner's brother.

"Blimey, he tried that in your state – he obviously deserved it all, then," Ben admitted. "Many times I wish I had confronted him rather than remained cowed, walking on eggshells around him. That was hard to do – he intimidated me as a child. I'm glad I got away. I finally may reestablish a relationship with my mother, too. I had tried to find her for years. I suspect she feared being found by me so long as I remained under my father's thumb. It was a credible fear. Early on, I tested Rhonda by telling her my mother fled to Italy. Rhonda repeated this to my father. Contacts in Italy told me that he inquired about her. My mother actually escaped to Sweden after I graduated. I think what happened to me accelerated her executing her plan to flee."

"Really?" Livia inquired. "I did not know that." Livia put her fork down for a moment.

"It took me some time to learn what happened," Ben responded. "In the process of tracking her, I grew enamored of the twinflower, Sweden's unofficial national flower, in her honor. I developed this into a line I sell. I discovered a lot about your ex-fiancé and his former wife, too." He resumed eating.

"What?" Livia queried, dumbfounded.

"I think Ted told you that I had a rather checkered ministry work history," Ben recounted. "Part of it involved apprenticing with all sorts of craftsmen, be they muggle, wizard or goblin. I took the best from each and slowly began offering items for sale here, devoting more time and resources as the demand increased. Another aspect involved searching for my mother. Her travels intersected in 1993 with the former wife of your ex. I got curious and knew about her behavior even before he admitted it to himself. It started almost immediately after he left their residence for his new post. Do you recall how you got that _New Miserable Experience_ disc in 1994?"

"It was put outside my door, but I never knew who or how – no one told me," Livia replied.

"I gave it to you," Ben admitted. "Apprenticing for different people exposed me to lot of things. At least one jeweler consistently used a radio or music player as he or she worked. Anyway, I thought you should know what I learned. Not sure what my goal was beyond that. Did I prove anything? Did it make you feel more sympathetic towards him or more disgusted with her? Maybe it showed that you were better off as far away as possible from that drama."

"Hmm – you?" Livia asked. "Why?" She almost dropped her fork as he spoke.

"Well," Ben began, "I guess I hoped I could be a guardian angel for you, since I couldn't be anything else then. I did it once earlier right after he visited me. I tried to get you to apply to be Potions Master, too. I didn't know the headmaster wanted the former one to return."

"But you were still with Rhonda," Livia observed. "In fact, you got engaged to her after I received that Gin Blossoms CD, right?"

"Not that I wanted to be," Ben stated. "I never became fond of her. She was petty and demanding, among other things, for a woman lacking much going for her. Her loyalty to my father just confirmed my view. I don't even want to discuss what dating her was like. Once I accepted that I let you down and uncovered more from my contacts, I tried to look out for you. I knew you deserved better than what Nils did. I spotted him coming here to see you in 1995, after seeing you wearing a butterfly choker I made. I believe he co-designed the dress you wore, actually. Anyway, if you had not come here with Christopher, I might have broken my cover to try to stop him."

Livia recalled that Nils got cut off speaking, perhaps about her dress. She did not wish to ponder it further. "That probably wouldn't have gone well," Livia surmised. "For me or you."

"I did not think or care about that," Ben said. None of this bothered him anymore.

"You sell items shaped like butterflies?" Livia questioned, puzzled. "Why?"

"Not only did I remember your hairclip, I have long been haunted by those lyrics you essentially sang in my ear," Ben revealed. "I heard it, and it chewed me up. That told me I threw away something special. I would have preferred being a rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbass, I think, to realizing that. All I could do to live with it was make pretty things out of my pain. Moreover, I had to save myself, like my mother did, so flying away like one became imperative to me as well."

Livia opted to change the subject, as both had reasons to feel uncomfortable. "Would I be correct in surmising that you made his engagement ring?" Livia inquired. "Is that why he saw you that August, and you know what happened?"

"I did – and yes," Ben admitted. "It was in my infancy of doing commissions like that. We knew a few common people. He has a good eye. He sold artwork he made in town and designed other items. He showed an interest in working with me, but I couldn't risk it. I dared not reveal my identity to him. I knew I was right when he commissioned the ring. He told me enough that I was able to confirm through Uncle Jack who Christopher really was. He was gloating, basically. Anyway, Nils later tried to get a refund on the ring after he married that Elise. I couldn't believe that he came here with it just before your birthday in 1993. He claimed the ring was hexed, but I couldn't find anything wrong. In any case, I couldn't resell it. Through a clerk, I reimbursed him for the materials, which he accepted. I used the metal and stones for other things."

"I did hex the ring – but only if she tried to wear it," Livia disclosed.

"He claimed that it broke the finger she put it on," Ben revealed.

"Well, that sounds like a small measure of justice," Livia admitted.

"I thought so," Ben agreed. "I was so upset for you. I don't know how he could have done that, given how he gushed when he ordered that ring. It also made me reflect on how you felt in 1990. I couldn't sleep well for months afterward. He drove the point home. Before, I usually considered how awful it was for me. I know why you can't easily forgive me now. You would have expected Rhonda to pull a stunt like that, not me. That's why I regret it so much, just like Christopher said."

"No, I never imagined that you could act that callously," Livia agreed.

"I guess I did it because I couldn't defy my father, much as I hoped I could," Ben revealed. "That took time – and only when I could live away from him. I was afraid of him for years. He stole my childhood, really. My mother plotted an escape, as did I. I'm so sorry, Livia. I look at the things you wear and, though I didn't give them to you, I tried to make them perfectly as a gesture of penance. The fact that another man put them on you serves as some sort of payback, I suppose."

"I don't wear them owing to you – one way or the other," Livia stated.

"I know," Ben affirmed. "Still, you having them both pleases me and pains me."

"I understand," Livia responded. _Sounds familiar_. "Speaking of things you make, I spoke earlier today with Bill Weasley. His wife Fleur took quite an interest in my ring. He asked me if you have ever made anything shaped like a fleur-de-lys. He thought he might like to give her something like that as a gift, since she found your work impressive. I told him I would let you know so you could brainstorm some ideas, though you would want him to make the final choice."

"Thank you," Ben said. "The shape does interest me. I could do a lot with it. Did he indicate what kind of piece he wanted? Ring, pendant, pin, what?"

"No," Livia told him. "I suggested a few, but he didn't seem committed to any item."

"This should not surprise me," Ben disclosed. "I have encountered such indecision before. If he sees me, I will have to determine what works with the amount he wants to spend."

The rest of the meal included a dessert and a few more drinks. Ben mostly discussed innocuous things after that, like the school's reopening or how the acting headmistress would address vacancies there. He asked her nothing about Christopher or any inheritance. When she observed that he had avoided such subjects, he simply said he had no interest in upsetting her. If she wanted to discuss those matters, he would wait until she felt ready to divulge anything.

"Those topics must be very personal and sensitive," Ben stated. "Just because you spoke well at your uncle's funeral doesn't mean you have put any of that behind you. How can you, given your condition? I am here if or when you want to talk. I will not force you. I can't imagine how you feel. I fear you'll walk a very lonely path, and I wish it could be different. I also dread the possibility that my father contributed to your husband's death, given his behavior yesterday."

"Don't torment yourself about how Christopher died; your father didn't cause it," Livia responded. "I know nothing that suggests otherwise." She paused for a moment. "You really don't think children will keep me company?"

"Sure, they will," Ben answered. "But they may not do so immediately or forever. It's not the same as a romantic attachment or friendship. Kids will go their own way one day."

"I see," Livia responded. "Still, before I forget, I need to ask you whose life I spared in not giving my necklace a chance to rebound the killing curse? Harry told your father that I spared him, not me."

"You didn't need it? Blimey. I agree – probably his, since those who gave you it have died. For all his posturing and ego, I doubt my father is a better wizard than Severus Snape was. Given what the latter did, that's an easy call. Yet I lacked enough time to test if the necklace itself rebounds that. So you shouldn't test it with your life if you don't have to do it. Still, as you get asked to go all over to do various things, don't forget I remain here for you. I _will_ endeavor to earn your forgiveness, if you ever let me."

Livia knew that he meant that last part sincerely. That goal had become a central point. He did not contemplate much beyond it – not yet, anyway. "Why?" Livia inquired. "We aren't together. In fact, I made a point of informing your father that, not only do I not carry your children, I have no desire to have any biological tie to him. I tried to insult him as coldly as possible. I would have done that even if he didn't try to kill me. I didn't learn just to mimic the voice of Uncle Sev'rus."

"That probably hurt because I feel it, too," Ben revealed. "Still, wrong is wrong, and if I had a problem with us, I should have cited that in separating from you, nothing else."

"You had a reason?" Livia queried, confused given previous statements of his.

"No, I had none," Ben replied. "In fact, I felt quite the opposite. I shouldn't say more than I have, lest it annoy you. I may have crossed that line already. In any case, I couldn't fight him or flee. It may have been a lot to ask of a young adult raised by him, but there it is. I had to become stronger. At least I can say that much at present. I'm glad others truly will see him now."

Livia did not have an immediate reaction, which felt strange to her. She could often make a snap judgement and feel confident about it – but not here. He made her contemplate a great deal. Sure, it sounded touching, but what did it really mean? For the first time, she considered if she could ever forgive him, though she thought that she couldn't do it. She remembered that night like it had occurred yesterday. She also still recalled who really showed concern for her then, too. Why had Ted ever changed his mind? She hardly could think about it the previous week.

Ben insisted on paying the tavern bill, even having gone to the bar to settle it before they saw the tab. Livia told him that she could handle her own expenses quite readily, but he did not acknowledge the point. He had wanted her there, so he would take care of it. Besides, his company had made him quite successful. She asked him about it as they left the inn.

"I formally started Living Gems just after you graduated," Ben stated. "I was still learning through people I met at trade shows. I had begun to make a few things well enough that I sold the simple items. I began with peddlers, then an existing shop's space. I operated here because it was away from my father. The company name means a lot to me. It represented a life I wished I lived, for one. I meant it as a homage to you. You probably guessed that part. It came even before I fully took responsibility for what happened. I didn't want to admit that to myself quite then."

Livia didn't know when he had a conscious intent. He clearly did, eventually. Though part of it seemed a bit creepy in terms of following her, he also quietly carried a torch of some kind for years. In fact, he did so for far longer than they had dated, which at most lasted seven months. His company covered parts of eight years. Was he unrealistic given his focus on an alternative to a life he did not want? Was it obsessive? That is, did he have an actual grasp of the person he helped, or did he assist an unreal entity who resembled her? Livia went back to questions she had put forward in a different context to Severus Snape. They still resonated.

Livia said goodnight to him in front of Uncle Jack's property. He grabbed her quickly, before she protested and threw his arms around her. Maybe she had let him do it because she slightly hesitated. He whispered to her: "I disrupted what may have happened between us, I know. I recognize that I cannot erase that past. Given your future, I shouldn't try. Perhaps this is as it should be. But don't mistake me. I genuinely worry about you. I never stopped caring, even when I tried to make excuses. Goodnight, Livia. Don't forget that I'm here and will be for the foreseeable future." Livia only could nod at him and walk away.

Livia realized that she needed to find out more regarding Ben. She had to ask Ted what had changed his mind and when had he changed it. Did Ted feed Ben's unrealistic assessment of her, or had he prevented it? Livia decided she had to write to him and Athena and get a full account, since they likely had something to do with his continued interest in her. She did so before she returned to Cambridge. She didn't know who should take the note, given both pairs started having eggs. She thought the journey too long for Ardith. Sevy volunteered to take it if Livia fed Brontë and Mel checked on her, which occurred. Livia explained her note to Sevy and the strange parallel she found in the way Ben spoke to her and his namesake referred to his childhood love. She found the latter a bit idealized and wondered if that applied to Ben's attitude as well. Sevy found the whole thing fascinating, though he stuck to his owl roots. Livia told him she did not have to worry about providing for a family. He accepted that but wanted to know how she would nurture herself, a question both essentially put to his namesake. She nodded. Sevy had become quite thoughtful. Sevy believed he should act for his namesake in watching over Livia during this difficult time, too. She told him that he could give Uncle Jack their reply if she was not there. He agreed and left.

Livia then returned to her own residence. Everyone sat at Tom's oval, mahogany, lace-covered dining room table, laughing. Tom relayed a story Gary told him about a strange request to make a snack to feed the swans who graced the shores of Lake Windermere. Gary never got mistaken for a wildlife specialist before, Tom said, though he knew enough to tell this guest that bread was not the appropriate way to feed one. Still, no one told a story like Gary, so to duplicate it worked perfectly. "We all have to call Gary the swan whisperer now," Alice asserted.

Livia felt a little sheepish to interrupt the story until Tom finished speaking. They all told her how glad they were to see her. Abby even came downstairs to inspect the scene for herself. Uncle Jack told them that Livia had experienced a few hectic days. Tom and Alice nodded their heads. Everyone wanted to know what had happened with Ben. Livia told them a few things she discovered: he had made her engagement ring, which Nils returned to him; Ben anonymously sent her presents, before becoming engaged to Rhonda; and he would have revealed his presence then when Nils went to confront her there had Christopher not gone with her that same night. Further, Nils co-designed the dress she wore whereas Ben had made the choker.

"So he essentially shadowed you to some extent – before getting engaged?" Alice asked.

"He admits that, yes," Livia answered. "I don't know what to make of it. It's either flattering or stalker-like, though he says he found some things out about Nils, too, in the process of looking for his mother. She had fled his father shortly after he graduated and wound up in Sweden. She apparently hated how Rodrick Spence turned their son into a family marital pawn. She realized she couldn't prevent it, so she had no reason to remain under his thumb."

"So he tried to relieve his guilty conscience?" Tom inquired.

"I guess," Livia replied. "Apparently, he really reexamined his own behavior more after Nils returned what was my engagement ring to him. My hex on the ring worked, at least. That shrew broke her finger trying it on. Still, Nils went ahead with her. I got the impression that Ben figured out what she was really like before Nils finally saw it because Ben's mother crossed paths with her at some point that fall."

"What is Ben's purpose in all this?" Alice queried.

"Unless Uncle Jack disagrees, it seems to me that he wants me to forgive him," Livia responded. "As he says, he wants the opportunity to earn my forgiveness."

"I think he means it," Uncle Jack stated. "Beyond that he leaves to Livia. He feels a bit responsible for what Nils did as well as for what he himself did. He definitely has changed from the boy who made excuses for his choices. How did he react to you bringing down his father?"

"He voiced no regret about that at all," Livia said. "I told him honestly what happened and how I taunted his father. I let him know that, not only did I not carry his grandchild, the last thing I would want is a biological tie to him. I actually said if I asked Alastair to defecate on him, it would be redundant." Livia left out his effort at the killing curse, again. Later, she would make sure Uncle Jack did not tell them, either. They would worry unnecessarily, if ever they understood it. No need to upset them, Livia thought. They had worried enough that year.

Everyone's eyes widened and Livia heard some shrieks of laughter. "Livia, I'm not sure Alice or Tom recognize who exactly Alastair is," Uncle Jack asserted.

Livia nodded. "Alastair is a crow who likes sending 'messages' like that if I ask him."

"Tell them that story about your uncle," Uncle Jack suggested. "It's funny to me."

Livia told them that she relayed this story at her uncle's funeral to show that he had self-awareness and a sense of humor, even if no one really saw it. She perfectly captured his voice in recounting what he said. Tom and Alice found the whole thing rather wicked and, yes, humorous. Gary would love that anecdote as well as having Alastair's services, Tom asserted. Both recalled her use of crows but did not remember Alastair's name.

"What I didn't tell them is even better, if just to me," Livia recalled. "When he begged off me sending Alastair after him, I told him that was the most cowardly thing he had ever said to me and I laughed and laughed about teasing him. He could not stand anyone calling him a coward."

They nodded and seemed amused. They also understood that Livia preferred to talk about him as if alive than to confront whatever Ben intended.

"He is an easier subject for you than Ben, I gather," Tom asserted. "I think I get that. But I'd like you to confirm my assessment by explaining why."

"I understand my uncle's motives, even if I did not consistently agree with them," Livia maintained. "In fact, I accused my uncle of having an unrealistic adoration of his unrequited love. She could remain perfect for him because she remained in his head. I wonder if Ben has idealized me. We dated but it was seven months at most and that was almost eight years ago."

"You will find out, Livia," Alice said. "You are a real person, and you clearly are expecting. It's hard to idealize that. So I don't think you have to worry. If he has unrealistic views of you, those will clash quite quickly with the present. It will be exceedingly difficult for him to hold onto the past or something in his imagination. If he shows concern for you, he must really mean it. Not many men could do that."

"Except my uncle did," Livia stated. "His childhood love had a child. He did not alter his feelings towards her – of course, she also had died and he believed that his actions led to her death."

"Seems to me those are crucial differences, Livia," Tom responded. "They sound complicated, too. Your uncle never dated the woman he idealized, either, did he?"

"Not that I could tell," Livia answered.

"Let it go for now," Uncle Jack suggested. "I think the ministry has more work for you, anyway. They are supposed to move on that group Ben's uncle gave information regarding. They have another informant, too. The file lay on the kitchen counter in your residence."

"Good. I also want you to hold onto any letter Sevy brings. I asked Ted and Athena how they wound up on better terms with Ben. Sevy and Brontë have started having eggs and will expect owlets in a month or a little more. Sevy's absence makes Brontë hungry and a little vulnerable."

"Sevy?" Tom asked. "Is he from your uncle?"

"No," Livia answered. "Sevy is a wild Barn Owl who named himself after my uncle. He told me he thought his namesake would make a superb owl and that he liked how the man flew."

"Flew?" Tom and Alice inquired at the same time.

"Indeed," Livia replied. "Uncle Severus had the ability to fly unaided. Quite a skill. I once asked him to show me, but he refused. He later told me he could not regret that because it might be too high profile of a skill if I learned it." Tom and Alice could not recall hearing this and found it most bizarre that Livia and Uncle Jack seemed almost nonchalant about it.

"How he learned was not so good," Uncle Jack recounted.

"The person who killed his childhood love taught him that," Livia revealed. "I think he would have made that trade in a heartbeat, even if she remained with the bloke who bullied him."

"Oh, I see," Tom stated. "That does sound difficult."

"That wizard killed him, too," Livia declared. "I guess he paid off his debt directly."

Livia and Uncle Jack started to say goodnight, but Tom and Alice insisted on seeing this thing Uncle Jack had used so they followed Livia and Uncle Jack to her cottage. They saw Uncle Jack leave and found the whole action unbelievable. Tom stuck his hand in the fireplace to ensure that Alice's Uncle Jack had left. Tom and Alice both looked at each other in wonderment.

"I can't say for sure that you can or can't use this yourselves – I don't know the precise risk," Livia claimed. "Only one person can use it at a time so there could be a serious danger if it didn't work properly. Also, such use by you might be frowned upon if the system is monitored. I need to ask. I don't know how anyone would figure if I went to Uncle Jack's house versus you."

"I'm not sure if we need to find out," Alice stated. "It'd be nice to visit, though."

"I'm curious, especially if Uncle Jack actually went to Scotland in a second," Tom offered. "I would have taken the risk years ago instantly but not right now."

"Well, I hope this addressed your questions at this time," Livia asserted. "Goodnight."

After they left, Livia took what Uncle Jack left for her to review. The Sons of Slytherin would try to maintain some semblance of legitimacy, hiding behind the assertions that they had not joined the Dark Lord's campaign outright. Still, they had spied on various "undesirables" in terms of people of wizardry skills lacking any tangible bloodline. This information ultimately served Dolores Umbridge and others particularly well. Members excelled at surveillance. In fact, Livia found that several had tried to learn about Livia's ties to the muggle world through her friends and Uncle Jack, hoping to find something amiss with her background. The fact that Tom and Alice had moved and friends as well as Uncle Jack possessed little information had proven useful. They couldn't track down Ben as the secret-keeper, as he operated in stealth, anyway. Aldrick, via his brother, could have told the group to look for Alice and Tom Woodcock, though the report didn't indicate that he had. Aldrick perhaps hesitated, thinking if Livia was not his daughter, she was that of someone he knew well. Livia realized that Rodrick may have told Umbridge himself, and she shared the information. Since it did matter to the case against Umbridge, Livia would find out.

Livia found a few names on the Sons of Slytherin membership list that didn't surprise her, including Cliff Grand, Loki Loth, Bryan Stoddard and Tim Yew. Apparently, Thor Thornton had attended a few meetings but became more distant from them as soon as he realized the punitive and surveillance focus of the group. They gathered materials just in the hope of finding a figure like Dolores Umbridge who would act. Thor gave them a minimal amount of support, kept tabs on them and turned over all he knew to family acquaintance Hadrian Stone, which helped raise Stone's stature at the ministry. They would meet on Tuesday night and Thornton's family agreed to host them, giving Stone the opportunity to amass a force to ambush them. Thornton did so on condition that they arrest him as if just another participant and let no one there know he had talked. Stone and the rest of the committee in charge of subduing all vestiges of the Dark Wizard's allies had agreed. The ministry also would go easy on his ill father and would arrange to make it look like both earned a house arrest and fine, taking into account the lesser severity of their sporadic activity with the group since its 1993 origin. His sister, Tessa, had already married and left home.

Before Livia could travel to the ministry to go over the plans for Tuesday evening, Uncle Jack forwarded to her Ted and Athena's letter. He also let her know that Ardith and the Barn Owls fared well. He looked forward to being a surrogate Barn Owl parent again. The letter read:

 _Dear Livia,_

 _We figured you might ask about Ben at some point. It is an interesting story._

 _Ben contacted Ted shortly after both of us took posts at the paper. Ted was not eager to talk to him, but Ben begged more than once for his help, as potentially his only friend outside of his father's influence. Ben clearly felt unhappy with where he worked and especially with Rhonda. He called his life a trap and he needed aid getting out of it. He also apologized to us both for that stunt of Rhonda's._

 _We weren't sure how much he meant it, since he spoke little about you, but we saw his desperation. Ted knew what his father was like, based on his own, too, so we gave him a chance. We did it because he had no one else who would or could. Ben hid tools and materials, and we gave him a place to work. He experimented making things for Athena, for the opportunity we gave him. We both gave him feedback._

 _He was so pleased to have anyone on his side that he tried to be as helpful to us as possible. He located caterers for our wedding. He got us tickets for events. We handled communications for him when his company became active and as he searched for his mother, who had run away. We managed his secret life, though we only hinted at it, merely repeating rumors and stories others told us._

 _We kept this secret during our own wedding, though he made us keepsakes for it. He knew we had seen you, but he still had not figured out his own feelings. We knew he missed you, but he dared not confront himself about it, let alone you._

 _He barely had started selling custom pieces in Hogsmeade when he got the commission to make your engagement ring. That gave him we think some regret and jealousy. But he only fully confronted himself over what had happened after your ex-fiancé returned your ring. He told Ted that he understood how Ted felt that night in 1990 because he wanted to punch Nils – and not over the money._

 _We think he had some nascent understanding of what happened but wasn't ready to admit it until then because his father overshadowed him. After Nils returned the ring, he profusely began apologizing again. We told him that we did not warrant the apology nearly as much as you. He agreed but did not think he could face you. Yet he clearly had started thinking greatly about you. He told us what he learned about Nils's former wife and that he had seen you in 1995 with the same bloke as at that dance in 1990. He never took his engagement seriously, since he had plotted fleeing and almost left in 1995 before his promotion and engagement. He thought he might move there then, which is why he became tempted to reveal himself._

 _He moved by you about when that ministry fell or just after. We knew Rodrick Spence would redouble his efforts when Ben resigned and disappeared. That's when Athena took charge. He and his friends did grill Ted, who remembered nothing since 1990 by then. She also learned Ben had befriended your Uncle Jack and received special orders to make two items for you, including a wedding ring. The ring took a lot out of him. Athena thought he wanted both to represent a love for you he could never express because he had surrendered his ability to do so._

 _He did suffer greatly, just like Christopher told us he would. If we were to guess, what he ultimately learned from that night onward did bring him a world of hurt._

 _We thought we did the best we could – hope you agree and that we see you soon._

 _With much love and cheers,_  
 _Athena and Ted_

Athena wrote the letter that both of them signed. Livia could not really fault with what they did. Ben figured out that he needed to escape his father. He put a plan together to achieve that without becoming vulnerable to him. Livia might have done the same in their shoes.

Still, she had to focus on another task that day. Unlike the effort to bring down the renegade Spence and Wayne group, the effort to round up the Sons of Slytherin required more planning and far more numbers. Livia traveled to the ministry on Monday, 11 May, to meet with the coordinators of the raid. Livia gave the committee the letter mentioning the dementor in her room and even got asked to suggest people to bring on board to assist, as they would need at least 20. Livia quickly contacted Shelley, Liam, Ted, Athena, Terence, Selene and Ben to see who might be ready and willing to contribute. All said yes, given that group's members had harassed many of them in searching for Livia or Ben. Several also wanted to stick by Livia, believing that the best place to be. Horace and Filius, waiting to finish the school year, agreed to participate, too. Uncle Jack minded Ben's shop and closed it up, facilitating his participation. Ben wanted the ministry to figure out that he had intentionally sabotaged his career owing to his father and Rhonda.

Members of the Weasley family also would come, including the patriarch, Arthur, many of his sons, his daughter-in-law, two sons's girlfriends and the famed Harry Potter. The valiant Neville and another of Ron and Harry's friends, Seamus, also participated. The prime minister himself decided to make the group an even 24, though he and Arthur watched exit doors. Hadrian Stone briefed everyone about the home's layout, potential members in attendance and how they would secure the perimeter then move on the occupants. Percy would read the charges once they subdued the accused. They knew to stage an arrest of Thor, at his request. The inside information provided a great tactical advantage. Thor and his father planned on holding the meeting where members had a limited ability to flee, a dining and meeting space below ground level. Thor also made sure none could simply disappear whilst he claimed that he secured the property from outsiders. Thor wanted them to believe that his precautions backfired rather than he had trapped them. Livia thought it highly valuable that Thor's duplicity go unnoticed.

The senior members of the raid, besides preventing escape, also would process the accused before being sent to jail. The only exceptions were Thor and his father, Theo, who may have earned an allowance owing to his relative frailty – he was not expected to fight hard. Given the width of the two points of entry to the meeting room, two groups of three would go into it as larger groups would pick off those fleeing from either exit. The groups entering included: Bill, Fleur, Neville and Harry, Ron, Hermione. Livia formed part of a group waiting at the top of the stairs of the exit heading to the front door. Ted, Ben, Terrence and Liam joined her while Shelley, Athena and Selene took cover in positions hidden from those trying to flee. They would cover or attempt to disarm anyone attacking those in front. A smaller but equally impressive lineup including George and Percy Weasley would take a position against those trying to use the slightly narrower rear exit.

Livia thought the plan looked good and, whether staying or trying to fight their way out, the Sons of Slytherin would get picked off quite readily. Once people in the meeting room gave up, the lead groups could attack from behind, too. Bill Weasley seemed to look forward to this raid a lot. Livia suspected he either knew someone or had a move he wanted to try. Livia contemplated how to stage a fight with Thor, if she saw him. Hadrian indicated that Thor thought the same thing. A few participants wondered if Livia should risk herself in her condition, given particularly what happened at the previous raid, but she dismissed the notion. She told everyone: "It's not a problem. I was born to irritate such people. I owe it to my brother, also, since this group tried to find him." Placing a hand over her stomach, she added: "Moreover, their father expects nothing less." No one could argue against that last sentiment.

Livia looked forward to the raid. Being with friends of hers just offered one great benefit. Arresting those who destroyed the music collection and turntables she essentially had given Hogwarts added to her glee, since they curtailed the ability of the school to hold social events for years. That morning, she had breakfast with Tom and Alice. She seemed excited about something. She told them she might get to participate in the arrest of those turds she turned into "rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses" later that day. Tom smiled. He preferred feisty Livia to mournful Livia. He was glad she could do something else than wait for her uncle's property to be sold, too. He knew she would spend a lot of time there, searching for God-knows-what.


	52. A Signature Move & a Former Fiance

The group raiding the Sons of Slytherin meeting assembled late in the afternoon at a safe house near their target. The Thorntons had a nice estate in a rural area of Norfolk east of the muggle town of King's Lynn, not far inland from the North Sea and close to some of its distinctive broads. The raid participants waited for nightfall and to ensure no one could use any waterway to facilitate an escape. In addition to the Thorntons, 28 Sons of Slytherin members attended. Livia wondered if the ministry would need more jail space given the numbers they set upon to arrest that night. Over 20 people moved in on the house and split up to cover both ways of exiting the meeting room. Percy Weasley gave the shout announcing that a raid on behalf of the ministry had begun as the lead group of six accessed the meeting room from both sides. Livia's party held firm in their position, in the main living room. The wide doorway opening offered the most sizable escape route, so it required a good number to block the use of it.

The sumptuous room included a wainscot, a sea green patterned half wall, an area rug, overstuffed chairs, a large couch and a working fireplace. Selene, now with thick, medium-length auburn hair and small glasses, took the interior side of a rectangular entrance way with a cutout shelf, while Athena took the opposite side. Shelley hid behind the couch. Livia, no fan of bending, stood in front of the entrance to the hallway with Terence, Ben, Ted and Liam. A stairway descending to the meeting room stood before them. Everyone waited to see who would come up first. Those initially emerging were quite careless and Livia's group picked each off in succession, with everyone in front disarming and disabling a suspect. Terence, seen to have the quickest reflexes followed by Livia, took down the first to emerge. Once down, Livia ensured each got wrapped up tightly, disabled, after Shelley had grabbed their wands and returned to her position.

Then Livia saw it. Four figures practically galloped to the room. They were asses and had the faces of rats. Livia figured out what Bill Weasley had done. She laughed and laughed. Incensed, they charged her. None got remotely close. Livia knew what a horse trailer looked like and manifested two of them to put a pair of "dumbasses" in each. Terence helped her "load" them, too. Just then Bill emerged from the top step with their wands, which he gave to Shelley. Livia resized the trailers and contents to a size anyone could cart through the front door.

"Well played, Bill," Livia called out, still laughing. He had climbed most of the stairs in case any needed to be brought down from behind.

"I thought that would amuse you," he replied, smiling, then returning downstairs.

A final group fled the duelists in the meeting room. Whilst her partners dealt with most of them, Livia called out that she would handle Thor Thornton herself. A few seemed puzzled over that, as they subdued the rest, but remembered Thor's condition that he be taken as if fighting. Thor and Livia traded what lookied like near-miss hexes and at most grazing blows. They made various sounds as if working quite hard. In the midst of one, Livia spun and pulled out her trick move, of losing her wand and recovering it to score a knockout blow. At first, the others worried that Thornton had changed his mind, but she subdued and restrained him like the rest. The raid perhaps lasted 15 minutes. Liam and Terence were about to ask Livia about what happened, but she raised a finger to her lip and mouthed "wait" to them. Percy read the charges and Hadrian with others pulled the prisoners outside. Those taken away included Blake Hall and Paul Marlborough, too. Only Thor remained behind on the floor. His father already had gotten led away from the meeting room.

"Thank you, Livia," Thor said. "Don't know how much they saw, but whatever it was looked very real. I have to ask you about that move of yours. I have never seen anything like it."

"Indeed," Ted agreed. "We thought you changed your mind, and Livia was in trouble."

"Nah," Livia responded. "My necklace would have deflected something if I were in trouble. I do a few things as part of what I call a rope-a-dope strategy. Faking being disarmed has to be precise. Thor just gave me a chance to practice it, since the others couldn't fully see it."

"Wait, you have practiced that?" Ben asked.

"More than once, but some time ago," Livia answered. "Albus Dumbledore saw it first. When he could anticipate me doing it, I lost the element of surprise. So I tried it on Severus Snape. He bought it entirely. That was so satisfying to see him shocked. I had him at my mercy, and I just laughed. Then he said to me 'don't show anyone else' so I didn't do it. Albus had stated that, too."

A few mouths stayed agape. Bill and a few others heard part of this and wanted to know what had happened. Livia told them she could show them. She had Ben try to disarm her. She blocked him whilst faking the loss, then disarmed him. It was a deft, quick move, even faster the second time she did it. Since Ben had seen it, she sped up.

"It's all about timing to look authentic but also that you still have control," Livia asserted. "Of course, if I didn't block you, I wonder if my necklace would have done it for me."

"It should – in fact, I believe the necklace greatly amplifies whatever it blocks and rebounds," Ben stated. "I should know. I made it, after all."

Percy returned for Thor. Percy led him out in a more dignified manner than the rest. Livia told Percy that, given the value of Thor's intelligence, she wanted an authentic "dueling" of him to maintain his ability to do it again, if necessary. He should be on the ministry's payroll, even. Percy said he would discuss the matter with the prime minister but thought the idea had merit. Thor thanked her once more. Before leaving, he told Ben: "Don't mess it up again with her."

Livia tried to ignore the comment. Instead, she wanted to know more about the power that existed in her necklace. Ben told her to activate it and let him try something simple to see how it rebounded to him. He nearly got pummeled through the house's exterior with a stunning spell.

"It's ex-extremely potent," Ben stated, rather dazed. "Was Christopher a strong wizard?"

"Not as powerful as his uncle," Livia responded. "That is why they both put it on me."

"I can see that," Ben said, still shaking off the effects. "They both must have invested in it heavily to protect you. It is charmed by love and a fierce, protective willpower. I can't tell you which matters more since I sense both strongly. I'm still almost surprised at Professor Snape's intense involvement but I feel it. Both honored you greatly. I don't know how much of a hand I had in it, compared to that."

"Does this change your view of its ability to return a killing curse?" Livia asked. "I probably should know if this test alters your view of its performance potential."

"No, that is a unique case," Ben replied. "Obviously, we can't test it with it on you. I still think its performance depends some on your opponent. Christopher was right not to rely on it working automatically whilst he lived. Their deaths greatly increase the chances that it will save you now. Still, I wouldn't relax your reflexive responses going forward, given you have shown you can anticipate and neutralize that yourself."

Everyone met in that main room, recounting who got sent where as well as any other details they needed to discuss. Percy did much of the talking. Some of the detained individuals would require inquiries, if they did not confess. This likely would occur after Livia's potion matures. Then the prime minister asked if any participant needed to discuss anything.

"Is this where I get to thank Bill for making me laugh at seeing Cliff, Bryan, Loki and Tim all turned into rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses?" Livia inquired. "My twins thank him, too."

"I knew you would like that," Bill replied. "Yet I think you did something far more impressive than me imitating you."

Not everyone assembled had seen it. Livia explained that she had worked on a move to fit an overall strategy she called rope-a-dope. She asked Filius to try to disarm her and repeated it a third time. He had never seen it. He only knew about how she could wear someone down, not fool a person into thinking he or she had scored a serious blow and nearly had won.

"I first tried this on Albus Dumbledore, but I lost the element of surprise as he found he could counter it," Livia explained. "I attempted it once on Uncle Sev'rus and owned him. That was a good day. It's all about anticipation and timing. They warned me not to show people, but I can't see this applying to you, so I've demonstrated it. I say this in case I need to use it for real. Don't fall for thinking I'm in a bad situation if I resort to it. I'll fake this before it's ever real."

"How do you get your wand to come back to you?" Ron Weasley asked.

"It's essentially tethered to me by an invisible type of elastic cord," Livia answered. "That gives it a boomerang effect. Hitting my hand to dislodge the wand has no effect because the cord is in my other hand. I worked on this with a mirror and at times the advice of Helena Ravenclaw."

"I did not know Helena could give dueling advice," Filius said. "I underestimated her."

"Ten centuries gives her a lot of knowledge," Livia asserted. "I just tapped it. Dueling may not be her favorite subject, but she knows so much. She also lives through the successes of others. I am but one beneficiary. Hey, who's up for a celebratory drink or two, even if mine is tame?"

Everyone under 30 liked the idea.

"I'm buying – don't anyone try to talk me out of it," Livia announced.

"You?" a few asked.

"Oh yes, I'm sure you don't know – well, maybe Harry does," Livia answered. "If I want to be precise, I should tell you that the drinks are on Uncle Sev'rus."

"I never heard a more incongruous statement than that in my entire life," Ted asserted. "Despite what you revealed last week, I _cannot_ imagine that man ever buying any of us a drink."

Livia, Shelley and Athena laughed hard, giving others permission to do so. "Ehh, at least his money gets to live a little," Livia told him. They all laughed.

Ginny Weasley met everyone at the Leaky Cauldron. Livia had a conversation with the innkeeper, giving him money up front and telling him she would settle the rest after visiting the bank the next day. He seemed surprised, thinking 20 or so people would incur a sizable tab. She reminded him that she had never steered him wrong. She asked him if he wanted her ring as collateral. He looked at it. He found it stunning and, realizing its probable worth and uniqueness, opted to trust her. She kept her word and returned after the bank opened on Wednesday.

Those assembled somewhat fractured into a few groups, but Livia made sure everyone was happy. If she had opted to drink something potent, she would have become incredibly drunk from all the table hoping and shots she had. Tom would have greatly appreciated how she basically hosted the party, even if she did not push herself to inebriation. She wondered how many people knew everyone there other than her. She provided the introductions but made a point of ensuring that Selene met Percy, Harry and Ron, telling them this was the person the Wayne sisters had bullied with another girl. Selene thanked them for bringing in those two. They all said how glad they were to do it and happy she persevered. They and Ginny noted a fair resemblance between the two women. The two practically looked like sisters. Both enjoyed discussing Quidditch, too.

Those who had set schedules, such as Ted and Athena, Percy and his new girlfriend, peeled off from the group first to go home. After saying goodbye to the last of them, Livia was left in the tavern with Ben. He didn't want to leave her, since both of them could get home almost instantaneously from there.

"Ben, you know I don't really need a guardian," Livia stated.

"Oh, you have proven that many times over," he responded. "That does not mean I ever want to leave you alone. In fact, I wish the power of your necklace even slightly had to do with me. He must have loved you very much. I'm so sorry, Livia."

"I thought you said you could not tell whether love or strong wizardry was more responsible for its power," Livia said.

"I did," Ben affirmed. "Yet I'm not going to fool myself and say that Christopher did not love you immensely. You don't have to be an extremely strong wizard to endow a piece like that with intense love. I can't see how he didn't love you greatly if he gave his life for you."

"I can't wallow in it, or I'll never cope well," Livia asserted.

"I know," Ben acknowledged. "That's one reason why I want to stick by you."

"One reason?" Livia asked.

"Yes," Ben answered. "Another reason is that Thor, though presumptuous, wasn't that wrong. If I get a second chance to be part of your life, I promise I _will not_ mess that up."

"That is premature, Ben," Livia agreed.

"Well, Thor said it, so I'm saying it," Ben maintained. "You carry Christopher's children, but that won't deter me from seeking your forgiveness. I was too weak to stand up to my father, and I ended our relationship over it. I gladly would start over. Just say the word. For now, I should get you home, so you can settle with the barkeep tomorrow, since you insisted on it."

Ben followed Livia to her residence, glad that her connection worked. He had seen the place once before but never told her how much he liked it. He hoped it would suit her needs for some years, though he had no idea if it would. He suggested that she might have to put an addition onto it or add some sort of sizable room below ground. She did not know if the river made the latter feasible, though he thought she could make it work somehow, if she needed to do it. Before he left, he hugged her and told her how well she had done.

"You practically held a master class with some of the most talented witches and wizards around watching you," Ben asserted. "They all found your performance amazing – seriously. Shelley was right. Even in your condition, you _are_ badass, Livia – and it's time people knew it."

"The credit doesn't go to me," Livia stated. "I was well trained. All the praise belongs to them. Both made me who I M. And Filius deserves recognition, too. I needed the wand work. Still, I hope I improve when I feel more myself after October."

"For now, Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape live through you," Ben confirmed. "Not just you, of course, but you do them both justice. It's an awesome responsibility, too, that you carry well. Goodnight, Livia."

After he left, Livia pondered over the latter living through her. She longed to hear him say the things he wrote to her – in his voice, not her imitating him. She wondered about Ben's other assertions. Who knew how much he flattered her, if unknowingly. Regardless, it served her for Ben to think that Christopher loved her deeply. Her body gave ample testimony to that, fact or not. She didn't know what else to think, but she clutched her bobcat and played some music as she slept, with their picture at her brother's wedding looking down on her.

Once she took care of the bar tab at the Leaky Cauldron, Livia visited Uncle Jack to get a sense of when he would like to try to contact his late wife. He wanted to move forward immediately, though he relayed what Ben had told him about the raids. He was impressed but concerned. She confessed to him that, yes, Rodrick had tried an illegal curse on her; he promised not tell Alice or Tom. Whilst Livia checked in on her avian friends, he sought out Anne to ask her if she was ready to participate. He came back, saying she would come shortly. She definitely wanted to see Renee.

Uncle Jack told her that he figured it would work. He told Livia that he regretted that Alice likely could not meet her. He knew it would distress Alice to be left out. He thought it more possible that Alice could see his house. If he tried with Alice, it had to occur in his yard, he knew. Eventually, he would try it.

"Do you think I could get permission for Alice and Tom to see your house?" Livia asked.

"It's worth asking, especially if you attempt it when they're pleased with your efforts," Uncle Jack answered. "I would guess it would work but get their authoritative say and approval."

"So noted," Livia responded. "I've never mentioned this stone to my brother because he or our brother-in-law would wish to use it to contact my sister, Cathy. I feel bad that it probably wouldn't function for them. I don't want them to feel cheated."

"I understand," Uncle Jack asserted. "That is far more unlikely than visiting here."

Anne came shortly thereafter. Uncle Jack used his backyard to try to contact Renee. Livia and Anne stood behind him as he held the stone and spoke the incantation. Then Livia saw the woman practically come to life, if older than the pictures she saw. Renee had only a vestige of light mahogany brown left in her hair, as it had lightened over time. She seemed rather slight, though far from frail. She told her husband that a shift in wind had made a ladder move and she fell. The action dislodged some boards that crashed down, also. He seemed so relieved to see her that it seemed wrinkles on his forehead, eyes and neck almost disappeared and he became younger by at least a decade just by gazing at her. He could not help asking why she had used a ladder at all. She told him that her abilities faltered a little on occasion if she felt stressed. Her physicality seemed the same to her, which led to a fatal mistake. Uncle Jack's grey hair seemed to darken, too, and they both went backward in time, growing younger by seeing each other.

Anne cried at seeing her and told her that she wished she had called for her help first before trying to fix her own roof. Renee nodded and revealed that she had done something similar twice before and thought nothing of it until she had fallen. Every now and again, Renee liked gardening or doing something else with her hands, so she underestimated the danger. Even doing dishes physically could work out something that irked her, say if she helped at Jack's shop and a young customer treated her rudely. Livia introduced herself and asked Renee if she did things physically to exorcise things that disturbed her peace of mind. That is, she used physical labor to release stress the way that Livia used listening to music and singing.

"Hello, young lady," she said. "That's incredible. You described me better than I just did."

"Not exactly, but thank you," Livia responded. "I just understood because I do the same thing using another means."

"Show Renee what else you can do, Livia," Uncle Jack stated.

Livia nodded and approached her. She told the woman not to be scared and just not move. Livia reached out her hands and clasped Renee's. The woman expressed great surprise. Livia closed her eyes and opened them. She told Renee that she was there to enable her husband and friend the chance to do the same thing. Renee smiled broadly.

Anne approached, telling Renee how much she missed her and doing various things, like shopping together or swapping stories or recipes. Livia positioned Anne's hands to hold Renee's. Livia recommended that for a second Anne close her eyes and feel before she gazed at Renee. It ultimately worked. Anne expressed great joy and wanted to hug her friend, which Livia got her to do. Livia backed away at that point and let the two longtime friends have something of a private moment together. Both briefly laughed at something. Shortly thereafter, Anne released her and walked behind Jack.

Jack then stepped forward and Livia repeated the process. He apologized to Renee for not being able to prevent what happened. She said she was sorry to have not met his grandniece Alice or his great-grandniece, but that she would remain close to him wherever he went. Livia repositioned him and backed away, so they could talk for a few minutes privately. Uncle Jack seemed most visibly moved by the encounter. Livia started chatting a little bit with Anne, who said something about how enduring and enviable the bond between Jack and Renee was. She said her own marriage had a lot of bright spots but nothing like theirs. In fact, she probably loved Renee more than her own spouse. They had acted like the closest of sisters though they did not share that genetic tie. Some minutes later, Uncle Jack returned and Renee disappeared.

Both thanked Livia profusely for the opportunity to see and touch Renee again. Uncle Jack said that he thought about her every day for about a decade. Anne nodded her head. Livia smiled and said doing something like this gave her a great sense of purpose. It served to make up, if only partly, for the time she did nothing as others sacrificed their lives. They recognized themselves in that comment, having been in the background mostly for two rounds of wizarding wars. Uncle Jack thought of something he wanted to ask, giving all he had witnessed there in his life and how Livia had mentioned what had transpired in recent years so carefully, without using the name of the wizard so many feared for so long.

"Livia, I had this talk with Filius not long ago. In all the time I have known you, I don't believe you ever referred to the person responsible for so much misery by his name, either the one given to him or the one he gave himself. He killed your uncle. He killed many others, or followers did – likely your husband. It had been taboo to use his name. Some may presume you acted with discretion, yet you do this now, too. So I did not know how to answer Filius about it."

"Yes, I have never used his name, and it has nothing to do with discretion," Livia revealed. "I despise him and, in my view, he does not deserve a name of any kind, let alone my brother's name or a self-bestowed title. I don't even like 'Dark Lord' much for its implied deference. To me, it's disrespectful, not impressive, to refuse to name him. At times, I avoided using the name of the sister who tormented me for the same reason. Some say he was brilliant, if evil – as in evil genius. That's fine, I guess, but he's too foul for me to name him. I'd call him pond scum but that would insult actual pond scum."

"That sounds like you," Uncle Jack maintained. "I knew it wasn't fear-based."

Livia checked in on the progress on repairs at the school and to see how plans went for the staff to resume teaching. She learned she could move her stuff into her old room as of Monday, 18 May. They also had held a reply there from the resuming union leader, Glorianna Gardenia, discussing how the union had nullified the work imposed by the previous, corrupted leadership. Gardenia invited Livia to help her further expand the union's presence by becoming a more official representative of the group at the school, whenever present. She also wanted Livia to attend their meetings with the ministry, which she wound up doing for some years.

Still, before assenting then, Livia had to gauge the official head tutor's view, since the Carrows nullified the union representative position by the end of 1997. Hideki expressed no concern with Livia's closer tie to the union, so long as she kept him informed, which he said for the sake of formality. He still thought it strange that she ceded authority to him, even if her schedule might become even partly unpredictable. He wanted her at least to take up teaching the entirety of one of the Carrows's schedules. Livia accepted doing the less demanding Muggle Studies classes. She would teach a few to correct the garbage articulated by the sister of the duo, then allow students uninterested in the material, or overburdened, to drop it. Livia then could scale back the work or leave specific plans that another could fulfill easily, if she had a conflict. If she planned well, the course could run itself at times. Her chosen role drew a few whispers since no one could remember a member of the faculty, even temporary, in Livia's circumstances. Yet Glorianna Gardenia would broker no open challenges to it. She remembered her own difficulties with this issue and thought it ridiculous to question Livia's qualifications because of her situation. Besides, no one ignorant of her status would notice it by looking at her in a full, billowy academic robe. Livia sure had one of those – but she would tell no one about whose robe she wore. She just had to ensure she either never removed the robe or wore something equally loose beneath it.

Alice loaned her a few items in anticipation of this issue. At present, Livia could disguise her situation, and Alice well knew the desirability of doing so, as old-fashioned as that attitude was. Alice found it puzzling that anyone could marginalize Livia's immense talents over this concern, though she experienced a similar problem herself. Of course, she had not needed to attend university then. It seemed people everywhere possessed unexamined assumptions about gender roles, at least on occasion. Alice just shook her head at it.

As Livia organized clothes in her cottage to take to her room for the remaining school year, an official from the ministry came to give her information about another interview they wanted her to lead. Hadrian Stone told her the subject, recently a professor, had recruited for the Death Eaters but did not join them. Owing to the deaths of many, he had resigned and returned to his hometown and took up doing something different. He had started to work with a local wand maker, for one. He wanted to give evidence on who he had directed to support the cause, who resisted and how he had evaded being a target for one side or the other. The meeting was exploratory but mostly about tying up loose ends. No one expected him to have knowledge of anyone who seriously wanted to mount a threat to existing authorities anywhere. Those people had gone underground and sought to preserve certain cultural or familial values, rather than challenge anyone to create a caste system or registry of undesirables.

Livia expressed a readiness to participate. Stone told her she would need to do some travel but might find the subject personally difficult to meet. Livia looked puzzled until she opened the file. They had asked her if she would interview Nils Nilssen.

Livia rolled her eyes. She would make yet another trip down memory lane. She supposed that she had become strong enough to face him. Hadrian Stone eyed her closely. He knew there was some possible conflict, but no one had told him the exact nature of it. He asked her if she was okay and accepted the task yet confessed to his ignorance over why she might refuse it.

"Hadrian, you really don't know why anyone thought I might refuse this?" Livia asked.

"It seems personal, but no, I only gathered that," he answered.

"I dated Nils when we both tutored at Hogwarts," Livia began. "We were engaged for about a month. It ended very badly. Nonetheless, I accept the assignment. He tried to see me a few years ago. He may as well know that my life has changed, and I have closed that door."

Hadrian and she would meet him on Friday. He chose his residence, his parents's former house, as the place to meet. He had taken over the home and remodeled it. They had taken an adjacent, smaller location for themselves.

At the appointed time on Friday, 15 May, Hadrian came through and they went over a few last details. He reached the large kitchen of Nils Nilssen's home first, then Livia. They proceeded to the living room and set up a table to begin the inquiry. Nilssen saw her from another room and initially approached the two a little gingerly. He put his head down after he noticed Livia's ring and gathered what her slightly bulging stomach indicated. Ilsa Nilssen observed the scene from the converted space where Nils emerged. She decided to remain there when Nils lowered his head.

"Hello," Nils stated. "How far along are you, Livia?"

"I expect twins in early October," Livia answered. "Please be seated."

"May I ask who?" Nils inquired.

"Severus Snape's nephew, Christopher Prince," Livia responded. "Unfortunately, neither of them have survived these last months."

"My heartfelt condolences," Nils said.

Hadrian Stone commenced the formalities of the interview and read the agreed-upon parameters, including the allowance for Nils Nilssen to make an opening statement. Stone covered the goals of the fact-finding inquiry and that Nils voluntarily gave information and accepted the agreed-upon terms, which included a limited form of house arrest or curfew. In doing so, he acknowledged that his activity gave a measure of support to the recently dislodged ministry based in the British Isles, including its persecution of various "undesirables" in violation of basic, acknowledged human rights. Further, he admitted giving limited support to those seeking to root out any who objected to these positions at the institution where he taught.

Nils Nilssen agreed to everything and made his statement. He recounted that he had attempted to walk a fine line between supporting the positions and goals of the Death Eaters and resisting them. To defy them openly, especially where he taught, did not seem possible, given the spies and sympathizers hired even before Igor Karkaroff became headmaster. He showed that he did not carry any vestige of a mark of support, which Livia could verify. She recognized how that appeared. He only spoke with students with views that made them inclined to join that cause. He felt he never convinced anyone to do so. He only supplied contact information. Nonetheless, when three blond brothers – Jan, Mats and Fritz Hedberg – all wound up dead, he resigned. Nils very recently took up work supporting future witches and wizards by learning wand making, hoping to make better wands. He revealed that he had constructed an art studio there for his house arrest. He had apprenticed in many artistic endeavors for years, in Hogsmeade and Ulmana.

Livia, before setting upon a chronology, specifically wanted to ask what he considered resistance, since Durmstrang never had gained such a reputation. Livia picked at the most glaring problem. Nils drew a breath and wanted assurance that what he said would not become public. With that, he discussed efforts to inform various students or staff anonymously when they said or did something potentially incendiary that would attract attention from various ardent supporters, who he listed. He had also given some material assistance to his former headmaster during his months on the run, though he pulled back on this when his one-time wife seemed to take up with him. In fact, he tried to warn the man about her before he ceased contact, but Igor Karkaroff paid him no attention. That Elise Piersaan betrayed Karkaroff did not surprise Nils in the least. Livia merely confirmed what he suspected, though he did not know the same people had killed her, too, to tie up any loose ends. He only mildly regretted her death, compared to the brothers who triggered his resignation.

Livia then led him through a chronology regarding what he taught, who he taught and how he got on with various instructors and headmasters. He stayed behind during his school's participation in the Triwizard Tournament to cement his value to the institution, as expected of him. He felt caught off-guard when the headmaster fled, though subsequent correspondence and meetings quickly revealed the reason. He found the man knowledgeable and, if difficult, useful in instilling discipline in young men. For a time, he had felt loyal to the man who hired him, which made all that happened afterward very difficult to stomach. He decided the loyalty he needed to respect most remained with himself and the students he could protect, if imperfectly.

The inquiry lasted well over an hour and Livia extracted much about all the students from Durmstrang who actively supported the Death Eater cause and either died at Hogwarts on 2 May or had fled once it became obvious no easy victory had come to pass. Those who died overnight included Jan Hedberg. Others had gotten mortal wounds by the end, including the youngest Hedberg brother, Fritz. Nils had supplied a lot of confirmation, a few leads and testimony that would aid in some reconciliation with those such as himself, who collaborated on the surface, if not enthusiastically so. His distaste prompted many forays to Ulmana as well as Hogsmeade during 1997-98; he avoided deep involvement with the Death Eaters. Still, the issue of what to do with such people who appeared to conform proved controversial. The fact that Nils had done some modest work undermining the cause and no longer instructed students seemed sufficient to most, justifying his limited punishment. Satisfied, Hadrian concluded the proceedings.

Nils attempted to ask Livia something, but she either partly ignored it or failed to hear it exactly. His question related to her current position. Her response seemed appropriate, though.

"Has it occurred to you why I could never live here whilst you taught at Durmstrang?"

"What do you mean?" Nils countered.

"Durmstrang would have put me in danger. In fact, if your former headmaster knew anything truthful about me, he could have dangled me in front of the Death Eaters to save himself. I wasn't even allowed to read your letter until he learned that someone checked it for hexes."

Nils's jaw dropped. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "The previous two Hogwarts headmasters didn't want me leaving them, for my safety if not theirs. They hardly had to tell me, though they did. That's who I consulted after you proposed, but it wasn't exactly about my post. I sought their advice."

"That is why you wouldn't come here? I wanted to live in Ulmana. Elise figured it out."

"I gave you reasons but not _the_ reason. What I'm doing now is what they expected of me. I likely would have faced a 'join us or die' ultimatum or a 'join us or watch your brother die' ultimatum if exposed here. They knew it, even though they didn't want to act like my parents."

"Oh!" Nils exclaimed. "When I saw you in that dress I co-designed, I only thought to tell you it looked better than I thought possible. I knew you were talented but failed to appreciate that."

"Of course you didn't know," Livia responded. "I needed Sev'rus to back me as faculty; I didn't need his diagnosis. You didn't fully understand that. I couldn't risk it. For all I knew, you could tell Elise or Karkaroff. What happened proved a danger existed in confessing this. I couldn't entirely trust you, despite wanting to do so. It justified me saying that you never loved me enough."

Nils hung his head sadly. Elise so fogged his brain sometimes that he could have told her the day that she scoffed at Livia's abilities. He even could have told Karkaroff in an attempt to get her a position or just to show her off to him. He could have risked her life. Her death would have pained him more terribly than the Hedbergs, but Elise would have destroyed her in a heartbeat, without a care. "I am so sorry, Livia – sorry you could not trust me fully and sorry that my actions seemed to prove this. If you had told me, I don't know what would have happened. I never overtly would have wanted to betray you. I hope you recognize that, at least."

"What's done is done, and we are done here," Livia stated. "Good luck to you. I hope you find someone you love enough who is worth your time." She shook his hand. Livia recognized his shame and mortification as well as his honest assessment of himself and what he disclosed.

Hadrian Stone also shook his hand, collected his things and began to walk to the kitchen with Livia. Nils first wanted Livia to see his studio before they left. Hadrian followed her to where Nils had begun painting something he called "Nils's Regrets." It featured three blond young men, the Hedberg brothers, conjuring a woman emerging like the birth of Venus. The woman looked exactly like Livia, in the emerald gown she wore to Shelley's wedding and wearing the jewelry Nils had given her. He added the engagement ring he had returned, too. Nils told her that he considered depicting her in the dress she wore in 1995, but he wound up encouraged by the dressmaker of the emerald gown she wore in 1993 instead, which worked with a seascape. He recalled that the event essentially marked the best birthday of his life, too.

His pursuits explained his absences and familiarity with Hogsmeade, though he finally settled on painting, having first rented an art studio there. Ultimately, this finished work would make Nils famous as an artist. He would have a hard time letting go of the original, though, since painting Livia and the brothers was all he could do to deal with his sorrow. Hadrian found the work, even unfinished, most impressive. Livia could only gasp at the effort and the care he took in representing her. Ilsa Nilssen expressed her condolences regarding Livia's lost spouse and wished her well, asserting that the image signified the only thing her son could do to cope with all that happened. Ilsa still deeply lamented these events, also. Livia only could nod.

Hadrian and Livia then took their leave. First, they returned to her residence. Hadrian expressed great shock and horror at what he saw and heard, even as he admired Nils's painting. Hearing what happened pained him, so he couldn't imagine how Livia handled it all so well.

"Hadrian, it's an old story," Livia stated. "I made my peace with it. Now I suppose he can and will move on. Maybe he'll paint it out of himself and let it go. Years ago, I told him he didn't love me enough. Christopher had a confrontation with him and later called him weak. He _chose_ to fall for Elise's lies and, if I had gone there, it's anyone's guess if I could have prevented him from placing me in great danger. It almost certainly had to be as it was. I just wish Christopher was here." Livia meant that last statement, convoluted though it really was. Hadrian had no clue.

Hadrian told her he would file everything and if there were questions, they would summon her. From what he had heard, many of the residual supporters of the Dark Wizard, even recalcitrant former ministry officials, came forward and confessed versus await capture, given the ministry's record to date. Therefore, after what he presumed had drained her, he thought it best to let her recuperate and have the rest of the day and weekend to herself, since nothing pressing existed at that moment. Livia smiled faintly and told him that she appreciated his thoughtfulness. She would be ready for whatever they required of her, she assured him. He left.

Livia decided that she needed a nap and put on some soft music. She knew she spoke her truth and in a way it also constituted the truth, especially where it concerned Nils. She wouldn't become flattered by the painting because, as pretty and accomplished as it seemed, it held a lot in common with his pretty words, too. His sorrow and regrets were genuine, certainly, but that did not translate into him ever becoming remotely trustworthy to her again. Still, she wished she had someone to lean on, like the night of her birthday in 1995 when Nils confronted her. _See, Sev'rus, I did need you. I still do, though you never believed it then and probably would not even now._


	53. Planning a Return to Hogwarts

Livia woke up after her nap in Cambridge feeling a little better. She found or figured out a few more items she could transfer to Uncle Jack's house before installing them in her room at Hogwarts. She also contemplated various contingency plans for days when a trial or interrogation would disrupt her teaching, though she expected to have no issue that first week. She considered how to make seemingly fun or innocent things seem instructive, like building a mini-lecture or questions on values instilled from a board game a class played. She also considered who she could invite to speak on a specialty, like asking Gulliver "Goldie" Goldinger to compare muggle political systems or perhaps E.P. Sanderson to discuss various muggle sports, like his favorite, baseball, or its quasi-equivalent, cricket. Livia drafted letters to them and a few others to see if they might bestow their knowledge on students desperately in need of factual information. Livia had learned that many such scholars had hidden during the past year and several journals had incurred raids that destroyed their operations. Perhaps writers and editors might have a lull in work whilst waiting for publications to resume. Some novel visibility couldn't hurt them, given the need to re-establish a readership.

If a few guests would teach a day on occasion, Livia could relieve the pressure on the rest of the support staff to deal with their shorthandedness. Of course, the school had little idea who all would return. The youngest likely needed to do it, since they had many years ahead of them and much remained for all to learn. A transfer seemed an impractical option and having a deficit compared to other classmates could last long afterward. Would the older students come back? Livia did not know. She felt it a shame that anyone a month from finishing failed to complete a degree. Of course, the need to do so depended on what one planned to do afterward. For some, it might not matter. For others, it likely appeared necessary. If Livia was in her sixth or seventh year, she could not become a tutor or an instructor without finishing. She had never heard of it. A guest lecturer could have alternative credentials but not a permanent employee. Such a guest probably possessed merit for a different set of reasons, anyway, and not want to teach full time. That person likely earned a lot more money than a teacher, ironically, despite the fact that full time instructors usually had to demonstrate having academic skills and credentials.

Livia had to venture to Uncle Jack's residence to review what she retained that students in Alecto Carrow's classes would have read. He was glad to see her and that she had a clear purpose undeterred from the encounter with Nils she described. She realized her first task involved shredding that ridiculous assigned book. Her memories offered one text, her music another and even her brother's wedding album offered evidence. The quickest way would be to destroy everything with an encyclopedic account of what actual authorities said in materials previously used, including when Livia had taken such classes herself. Yet the best way would involve them doing it. She found she had everything, including her own papers. Livia saved everything, cataloged by course subject, year and topic. Few people could prepare like her. She also located a vendor through Uncle Jack to buy copies of older, age-appropriate textbooks and later took a trip to various Cambridge shops for muggle materials she could use. Depending on how fast she dispatched with the book used that year, she would end that day by students tossing it into the trash.

Livia simply had to gauge what to use for what age; her papers offered good clues. Of course, 11-year-old students did not have to take the class then, so pictures and visual evidence or play might need to dominate class time. It depended on the curiosity and intelligence of a group, too. Alecto Carrow had not cared much, since she gave a singular message, never fully considering how a progression from first year to last might run. Livia had to scramble to find things useful for the first two years if any young pupil wanted to keep the course. She penned a quick note to the acting headmistress as to her preference to either dismiss the first and second year students after about a week or if she wanted Livia to try a type of educational play with all remaining. Ardith took it, as it represented a short trip. Professor McGonagall liked the play idea, as a mental break for students, so long as it did not involve violence. Even checkers or chess featured a type of death, so Livia had to use something like a card game or a board game. Livia understood. Students had faced more than enough trauma and school needed to feel safe again. For that reason, the faculty wanted to finish the year. In fact, Livia contemplated play as a necessary component at all levels, just incorporating more of it and less complex tasks for the youngest students. Livia loved board and card games, which Tom seemed usually to have, so she knew what to get.

Livia thought seeing the school reconstructed carried a good message, despite the fact that a number of students had died and left the school reduced in population. Indeed, the acting headmistress wanted a memorial service to take place as the first collective event of the resumed schedule. They needed a somber way to come together first. Livia requested a chance to speak, in a further note with the acting headmistress, specifically to say something about her uncle. Livia doubted the population at large appreciated the sacrifice he actually made. Given where she had perched for the prior four months, she needed to disclose this. Initially disinclined to approve it, Professor McGonagall, having thought it over, decided Livia deserved a chance. If he had not earned it for himself, she did, and if she credited him for her achievements as well as her life, she had a case to make. The acting headmistress already had heard that Livia impressed quite a few people. Filius could not get over her rope-a-dope move and found it hard to believe that she only had shown the prior two headmasters before Tuesday last. He beamed about it. She could become quite the secret weapon, should anyone need her or truly test her, he said.

Having squared away these things, Livia could enjoy a semi-quiet weekend. She knew exactly what to do and expected no ministry requests. She checked on her avian friends, who remained reasonably well. Ardith expressed joy in getting to deliver messages; the other owls still had about four weeks to go before their owlets hatched. Livia contemplated when to return home or when to take her first survey of the place Severus Snape called home. The latter appealed to her as a way to discover anything unknown about him which she could reveal at the memorial service.

The only items in Sev'rus's house that truly interested her were his books, though she later decided that she also wanted his desk and an antique couch in her cottage. She could not imagine that his father had built his library collection, unless he cultivated a phony image for his neighbors. She figured Sev'rus spent his time there reading. His library likely said more about him than any other room. He must have lived in his head, in his imagination, where such material could reach him. She wanted to know what he read, since he possessed so little else that seemed personal.

Livia entered Uncle's Jack's kitchen when Ardith started emitting a soft tremolo sound. Livia realized he had just gotten a visitor: Ben Spence. Apparently, Ben liked stopping by on Fridays after being at his shop. He had not come there to find Livia but sounded quite happy to see her again. He asked her how she fared. She told him she just had conducted an inquiry earlier that day of her ex-fiancé. Ben expressed great regret that she had to see him again.

"Well, I got it out of my system," Livia stated. "Anyway, it's old news, for the most part. The only thing he learned from me is that I hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the biggest reason why I didn't want to live with him near Durmstrang."

"How did he take it?" Ben asked. Just the parallel idea of seeing Rhonda again made him sick, so he wondered how Livia would fare. He had issues from the start with Rhonda, however.

"He seemed shocked and horrified," Livia answered. "Shocked that I didn't tell him that the previous two headmasters didn't really want me to go there, owing to the potential danger, and horrified because his actions wound up essentially justifying their caution."

"How did they size up the threat?" Ben inquired.

"They believed if Nils tried to get me a post there or just compelled me to interact with his employer, I would be unprotected. Death Eaters could try to recruit me and attack me if I refused. If not that, the headmaster there might dangle me in front of them to save himself. Either way, I and/or someone in my family would attract attention that could prove fatal."

"You may have been more vulnerable then, too, I suppose," Ben asserted.

"Possibly so," Livia admitted. "I was never told that, but it was almost five years ago."

"I thought he was smarter than that," Uncle Jack said. "Yet if he hoped to keep you close by or impress his employer, he could have exposed you inadvertently, no matter what you said."

"Exactly," Livia agreed. "It never occurred to him. I don't know if I could've told him; our relationship fell apart before I figured out how to frame it in a useful way. His former wife may have betrayed me, anyway. She did that with his former headmaster but still lost her life."

"Did you learn anything useful about him?" Uncle Jack posed to her.

"The ministry got what they needed," Livia responded. "All I saw personally was that he decided to use his house arrest as an opportunity to paint. Apparently, he tried a number of creative outlets when here. He built a studio there. Now he is translating his pretty speeches and letters to me into a painting that features some version of me. I suppose I should be flattered but, given what has transpired, I would rather dismiss it. His behavior explains how his former wife conned him – she picked a place to live where he wanted to go. Why he didn't want to remain here or even stay there now I decided not to ask. It's a moot issue for me and irrelevant to the inquiry."

Ben tried to entice both Livia and Uncle Jack to dine with him. The latter begged off until he saw that Livia refused to go unless he did, so he opted to go. The three of them enjoyed eating at the local tavern, though Uncle Jack considered finding a reason to leave early. Livia could make up her own mind about Ben; she was a capable, grown woman. To him, she had suffered the worst loss of her life ever, though he could call at least some of the others rather nasty, too. As soon as Uncle Jack finished his dinner, he "remembered" he needed to check on something for Anne and left. Livia, not quite done, wound up sitting alone with Ben – again.

"What was that all about?" Livia pondered aloud.

"Either your uncle did me a big favor, or he thinks you're a big girl who can make her own decisions," Ben responded.

"If you don't mind, I'll presume the latter," Livia declared.

"I'm just happy you're here with me," Ben said. "The reason is less important. Are you returning to the school soon?"

"I can reclaim my room on Monday," Livia replied. "I don't believe I will be needed by the ministry urgently next week from the deals I've heard about, so I'll try to reacquaint myself with the union head and prepare to take over one of the former faculty's schedules."

"Whose schedule?" Ben asked.

"I opted for the Muggle Studies classes," Livia answered. "I figured I could get some experts to guest lecture if or when called away, and it might be less burdensome after I take down the garbage Alecto Carrow forced onto them. The course will resume being an elective later, I think, and students will be able to drop it if they wish. Between guest speakers and a possible drop in enrollment, I think it'll be easier for me to manage than her brother's schedule."

"They probably should have you to teach a master class in rope-a-dope dueling, if they really made use of your talent," Ben claimed. "I still can't get over that. It's pure genius."

"I'd settle for Potions Master when this is done," Livia maintained. "Professor Dumbledore once joked that I would succeed Professor Snape someday. I like the idea now."

"Why was that a joke again?" Ben queried. "Remind me – it doesn't seem like one."

"Because he told Professor Snape this when I was 13-years-old," Livia recounted. "He was about my age. Hard to believe, but there it is."

"Blimey, why did he say that then?" Ben asked.

"He was trying to annoy my uncle," Livia answered. "I think he succeeded. Later, I believe Professor Snape accepted the statement, but I was older by then. He conceded the point."

"I notice that you talk a good deal about Severus Snape but very little about your late husband," Ben began, "Does it remain too hard to talk about him?"

"I guess," Livia replied. "You didn't know him well, having only seen him a few times. I would be lying if I told you that I don't stare at his picture a lot."

"We first collaborated on how to make your necklace, though I concealed my face," Ben revealed. "We spoke more personally when I gave him your ring. That was odd at first, given we saw each other then, but he somehow made it work. He seemed to know exactly how I felt. I was shocked when your Uncle Jack told me he was gone only days after picking it up. I kept saying to myself: 'But I _just_ saw him.' Sure, I can admit I felt very jealous, and I had a hard time making that ring as perfect as possible. Still, I never wished the man harm. I hope you know that. The fact that he went all-out for you and was so precise in how the ring should look made me know he had a fine eye that I could appreciate. Some men don't think enough about that. He didn't demand more of me than I did. He could have been a designer or a craftsman himself. I found it admirable that he wanted it so precisely right. He impressed me, actually, as hard as that may be to admit."

"Thank you," Livia stated, looking down. "That means a lot to me." Livia exhaled.

Shortly thereafter, Ben settled the bill and the two walked uphill back onto Meade Meadow Lane, towards the outskirts of the village where he and Uncle Jack lived. He did not wish to part from her but knew he never could convince her to see his own humble abode, even though it had a great outdoor swing and the same connection to get her home that her uncle had. She had to trust him, if not forgive him, for that. Livia still grieved and likely would for some time. Ben still felt shocked that both men died; he couldn't imagine how she felt. She also hadn't made up her mind about her future. He simply asked her when he might be able to see her the following week. She chose the evening of the following Friday, 22 May. He accepted. He could wait a week.

Livia retreated to her own place and finished identifying what she would return with in addition to the things left at Uncle Jack's place. She looked forward to resuming some semblance of normalcy. She checked in on her brother, sister-in-law, niece and their cat. They all relaxed after a busy week. Livia asked again if she should give them something more regarding the property. Tom could only imagine Livia possibly creating another conservatory space at some point.

Livia thought about it in terms of a potential to use such a space to create a loft above part of it, accessible from her space, for future needs. She contemplated the design of such a thing. Perhaps it could partly offer shade below it, though it would not have to protect against rain. Livia might have to take measurements or even hire someone for the planning aspect. She thought about two linked parts, one with a flat roof for an addition on top and the other with a glass peak if not a cupola. If shaped like a T or backwards P, the longer end could finish with French doors going to the garden. She just could not do it right away and take up the entire open space, or Adelaide would lose her outdoor play area. The girl wouldn't attend a school for a few years, and Livia had to think about other kids, too, including her own. She considered that the outdoor furniture could go into her portion and perhaps a sitting room useful for hors d'oeuvres and a cat tree would work best for Tom and Alice's part, so long as some of it offered fresh air for Abby. She just had to figure how her portion would connect to her own space. Maybe she needed some partitioning on her own side, like a sliding door, since at times she would need some privacy. Such a task required some building expertise. Tom would need a permit, too.

After her shopping in Cambridge, Livia decided to pay her first visit on Saturday to the house she inherited from Severus Snape, which would likely not survive the summer. The first thing she considered was eliminating any room or furnishings she would leave behind to a demolition crew and any worth having. She quickly went through the parlor, the master bedroom, a rudimentary lavatory and the kitchen. After assessing the larger furnishings, she saw some cookware and a few glasses and dishes worth taking. She lacked these herself. They provided a function and had just enough charm to seem worth saving. She also liked a decorative tea kettle. As expected, she found only a few items of clothes he wore. She did find some childhood school clothes, including his first school gown. She liked the idea of keeping this, even if she could afford new things for her own progeny. Maybe one of them would want this, even if not to wear. Given how few keepsakes they would have to remember, she did not want to discount such a possibility.

Livia would say that these items belonged to both men somehow, which essentially was the truth. She did not if or how she would explain their existence beyond a truth, rather than the truth. She left his bedroom; she expected to need much more time for the library, since the former seemed stuck in a time warp. Livia could not imagine an adult inhabiting his room, let alone doing it for years. She knew why, and yet it never ceased to bother her. He refused to let go of the past. Visiting that house left her with a deep sense of grief. The place was dark, dingy and depressing – a representation of the albatross he gave himself. He had grown indifferent to the fact that he suffered there, as if he liked it or felt he deserved it.

Livia slept in on Sunday and felt glad she had a day to rest up from that experience. She was glad she had given Sev'rus some measure of relief whilst he lived. How much so she could not measure. Looking over that house again eloquently told her why she had experienced so much suffocating pain that first time she inadvertently touched his hand. She still hardly could imagine how he could think straight living there as he did.

Alice and Tom worried about her taking ill until she explained where she had gone the day before. Tom had shown Alice the photos he took, so they both realized what such a trip took out of her. Tom stated that he would be glad when Phillip Beckford completed the sale and the property no longer concerned Livia. Alice agreed, adding that the dustiest archive held more life than the house Tom described and showed her via his photographs. Livia nodded.

Livia decided to take more time talking to Alice about Adelaide. Alice played some music, too. Livia thought that she could make use of some downtime by learning something about being a mother, rather than an aunt pushing a swing or reading a story. So Livia shadowed her some that afternoon, to get an idea of what constituted typical, be it Adelaide's past or present. Molly Weasley already had told her a few things, but as Livia incrementally grew, she thought about it more. Livia felt lucky her academic robe and clothes wouldn't create much conflict for the next seven or so weeks she would fill-in as a course instructor. Livia also ensured she had some copies of games or other useful items to preoccupy students, in case she could not find enough experts to occasionally substitute for her. She had to find out if Hideki or the acting headmistress had a specific view or policy on her desire to feature a few speakers when she needed to leave. Given the unusual circumstances, she thought it might work. The only potential issue might involve Livia missing any mandatory meeting. She hoped she could submit things in writing. Of course, the acting headmistress might not consider her more than temporary faculty, she might not require or want her to attend those for faculty. Livia would need to find out. She also had to ensure she didn't overstep Hideki in anything she did.

Livia calculated exactly what she needed to do when she reached campus Monday, in terms of meetings, who to contact and issues she should resolve. It briefly passed her brain to ask if she remained categorized and paid as a tutor or if they considered her faculty. She dismissed the concern regarding the money in itself. The ministry paid her some and the amount she earned from school would provide sufficiently, no matter what. The only notable aspect for her involved if she should deduct an additional amount for the school's scholarship fund. She had no need for additional income, certainly not then. She already gave Tom money every month for his mortgage and already made up for the three months she couldn't do so. She had no other sizable expense.

Livia turned in thinking about returning to a building that she associated with someone no longer there. Perhaps she would feel a bit closer to him at school. Certainly, wearing his robe would help. Again, she put some music on softly and drifted to sleep clutching her bobcat and for a time staring towards the framed picture of herself with Christopher. She thought about what she needed to do to make him proud, even if he didn't overtly value the subject she chose. She knew he didn't support Alecto Carrow's malarkey, either.

Monday morning came around, in a way too soon and in a way not soon enough. That is, Livia looked forward to the work, but did not feel entirely rested. She took the new things and the various belongings she traveled with, including Sarah and her bobcat, fit them into a bag and a few things she borrowed from Alice and showed up in Uncle Jack's kitchen. He wanted to help her move, but she did not need a lot of help. Sure, no one could call her music collection small. She had papers, lesson plans, books and clothes and various items for writing or correspondence. Livia felt lucky she knew a few tricks to make this much less of a chore. Many magically-inclined people carted things with greater difficulty than she did. A cart and shrinking a few items helped a great deal. Traveling like this had become familiar to her.

Livia asked Ardith if she wanted to return to the school or remain with Uncle Jack. No one ever asked Ardith what she wanted, and it had taken her off-guard. She had expected to return. Yet she also knew that Livia had many things to move and Ardith would stay there just about two months. She figured she would just as well remain with Uncle Jack until Livia made a more lasting residence at school. Livia told her that might not be for a year or more. Yet Ardith didn't need to go back, so she accepted waiting. Uncle Jack liked as well as needed the company.

By mid-morning, Livia had transported everything and started distributing what she brought into drawers, on shelves or on hangers. Her room looked entirely undisturbed from the last time she saw it fully occupied some six months before. In doing so, she finally spent a few minutes thinking about Sarah, who she so often traveled with, as well contemplated the note attached to her baby basket as she filed it away. She had not read it in years. So much else had changed that Livia liked seeing some vestiges of stability. She started mailing out letters but resorted to finding other school-based mail service owls, given the status of her own. She inquired as to their names and how each got on working. She asked them if she could do anything to improve their lot. The Great Horned Owl Odin had a few ideas and ate before he left with a letter for Goldie Goldinger, whereas the Tawny Owl Ophelia, delivering a note for E.P. Sanderson, could only agree with him and eat. She said Odin was the wisest owl and all others respected him greatly. Livia asked Ophelia how they were organized and given care. Ophelia claimed they lacked an organization but had caretakers who fed them and tried to ensure they served only when healthy.

Livia then attended her first meeting with Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle. Some of the individual house tutors also came, given the particular challenges of ending the year under such unusual conditions. Hideki paused a considerable amount, though ran the meeting well. He seemed to wait as if Livia would add something or need to contradict him. Livia expressed full confidence in him, however. When given a chance to ask questions, Livia first wanted to know whether she should consider herself temporary faculty or a tutor filling in or what. Hideki didn't wish to choose. In a sense, he saw her as both and wanted her to make use of them as her schedule required. She told him she endeavored to get some guest lecturers to help if she needed to fulfill a responsibility for the ministry – in order to take the pressure off them trying to handle filling in for the other Carrow sibling and grading for the acting headmistress. Hideki appreciated the gesture that she wanted to keep them informed but only needed if facing a dire emergency.

Isabelle opted to ask Livia about her health. Livia figured no one else dared to ask. Livia stated that she felt fine and saw no conflict with her duties in that regard. Livia didn't want anything to get in the way of her responsibilities. The only other issue Livia broached concerned what to expect in terms of the returning students. Hideki had heard good things particularly about the younger students. Parents had appreciated the measures taken to get them out safely and many of them expressed confidence in returning. Livia smiled, since the school would collapse had that not happened. Of those in the 5th, 6th or 7th levels, sentiments seemed mixed. Some wanted to wait till the fall, and many students in their final year either wanted an alternative means to finish their degrees or to drop out. Livia understood but thought they still needed to come together again to say goodbye to all those lost. Hideki said he would speak to the acting headmistress about notifying parents of the upcoming service, whether they wanted their children to finish the year or not.

Livia sought out the acting headmistress about her status, specifically if she should attend faculty meetings. She also wanted to know if she needed approval or to follow a protocol to feature any scholar in her subject, especially to cover for Livia, as needed. Professor McGonagall ceded the authority to her once she found out who Livia wanted to invite to speak. If Livia could get such authoritative experts, the acting headmistress couldn't object or have cause to worry. Livia clearly possessed more than a practical knowledge of the field. She decided to make faculty meetings optional for Livia. That is, if she needed to attend or could attend, she should do so, but she wouldn't be obligated. The acting headmistress wanted to balance Livia's responsibilities. Livia wanted to know whether she should consider herself faculty or staff.

"Are you expecting something?" the acting headmistress asked.

"Not really," Livia answered. "I plan on keeping the tutors informed, hoping that I can cover the schedule without much help from them, but I wanted to know what you ideally would like from me. I don't want to seem disrespectful of anyone. I already have reassured Hideki that he should consider himself head tutor, not me, even if the union wants me involved more strongly now as they reestablish their standing. I think Glorianna Gardenia was the one most adamant that my life situation not factor into my employment status."

"Yes, she was," the acting headmistress confirmed. "It is unusual. We don't often have married women present, let alone mothers or expecting women. Glorianna is a pioneer in wanting to maintain her position whilst having a young child of her own. Yet you seem to have done a number of things without regard for your circumstances, which shows that you can handle this."

"I only do what the previous two headmasters asked of me," Livia stated. "Nothing less."

"I heard all that you have said and what Harry has said, and I admit it still surprises me," Professor McGonagall revealed. "Severus fooled everyone. No one understood him."

"Except his predecessor and me," Livia responded. "It had to be so – but neither planned on me figuring it out. It was dangerous. Frankly, Severus preferred that absolutely no one know."

"How did you?" the acting headmistress inquired.

"I recovered far more of his memories than he thought possible," Livia replied. "Neither expected that I'd become accomplished enough to do that. He trained me, but I think he would admit I exceeded him, at least sometimes. We knew each other extraordinarily well, uncomfortably well, even. That's why I want to speak next week as I did at his burial service."

"I understand," the acting headmistress acknowledged. "It is very strange given how you once crossed swords with him so much."

"I think we had common skills and other similar traits," Livia disclosed. "Some of that was also staged. I needed to stay inconspicuous, and he needed to be seen as a petty tyrant. If those two clashed, I picked maintaining his image over mine. That is why I transfigured his students, which he oddly found amusing. Moreover, he couldn't really tell me things in front of anyone. On paper, or by privately or silently communicating, we had a different relationship."

"You could speak to him wordlessly?" the acting headmistress queried.

"Absolutely," Livia affirmed. "He could hear anything and everything. I once tried to quiet Shelley Silver in his class this way, but she couldn't easily pick up my thoughts. He did. That is why students believed that he had eyes in the back of his head."

Given Livia's agreement that she both figured as staff and faculty, the easiest maneuver they could make involved reinstating the same salary she earned as head tutor. It represented a middle ground as well as a simple payroll resolution. She no longer carried that responsibility and only received about 80 percent of what a new faculty member made. Being a mere tutor would have reduced her earnings but being faculty would have increased this. Livia signed an agreement accepting her status. She had to formally agree, as it marked an exception outside of normal faculty wages. Livia saw no problem, especially given the fact that she might need to fulfill other tasks and not teach every class for the rest of the year. Moreover, the guests would receive honoraria. The unprecedented situation made the compromise acceptable. Glorianna Gardenia felt the least enthusiastic about it, but she admitted that the school's flexibility had value, and let Livia decide. When Livia told her that a pay increase would've only prompted her to allocate more to the school's scholarship fund, she accepted Livia's priorities. She relegated the circumstances to a one-off product of the situation rather than a precedent to address in future negotiations. Otherwise, Gardenia would have insisted on Livia being considered entirely faculty, including her salary.

Livia settled into her room for the night, pleased to have returned but mindful of the changes. She didn't have to wonder if anyone heard her singing, though she missed him being aggravated at her swearing or repetitively playing something. She wished he would knock on her door again, just to reprimand her. She grew fond of bothering him, she admitted. Annoyance was practically the only emotion she ever saw in him. So she played something in his honor, which she also borrowed from Alice. She wondered how he would pick on her over this:

 _Oh days go by I'm hypnotized  
I'm walking on a wire  
I close my eyes and fly out of my mind  
Into the fire...*  
_  
Sure, Livia had come home in a sense; much had been repaired, except for the person not there. That this somehow represented "as it should be" did not sit well with her. Still, she could feel satisfied to be the one to take down the garbage Alecto Carrow "taught." She had other duties that would come and go, with two that would remain for the rest of her life starting in October. Nonetheless, a shadow loomed over her. Only 16 days had elapsed since her life had changed completely. She began to distinguish herself but at a cost she would never cease to regret intensely.

On Tuesday, Livia decided to visit Helena Ravenclaw before she did anything else. Helena cheered her up, as a familiar figure, the only one who really knew the thoughts that occupied Livia's mind. Helena was glad to see her and asked how she fared. Livia told her that she had her ups and downs but mostly kept them to herself. Helena observed that her increased desire to keep her own counsel had started making her a lot more like Severus Snape.

"I know it," Livia admitted. "I doubt he ever considered how much I would miss him."

"No, he had an idea, though not fully," Helena responded. "He did try to soften the blow, once he realized how everything would end. Yet I'm not sure if he honestly tried to save himself."

"I doubted it, too – he had no defensive wounds, really," Livia stated. "To me, it was half-hearted."

"I still think he watches over you and will at least for the next five months or so," Helena asserted. "He wants you to succeed in every way. He takes great pride in you."

"I can only hope so," Livia maintained.

"You possess the ability to see him, don't you?" Helena asked.

"Yes," Livia answered. "I'll try the Resurrection Stone once Sevy's owlets have grown. He wants to see his namesake, too. I just hope he will."

"Don't doubt it," Helena insisted. "He really has no one else living to follow closely. No one knew him like you did. I can't imagine him abandoning you. Just speak your truth next week. The students will appreciate it, though some may find it as difficult to accept as various adults here. You have much remaining to accomplish. Do it for him."

Livia thanked Helena for years of listening to her. Helena took it in stride, since she did not intend to leave. Livia also could not resist telling her that she showed Filius one of the dueling moves Helena helped her perfect, and he was surprised. Helena laughed. "He never thought to ask me," she said. Livia nodded. Livia added that a bunch of people found a new respect for her knowledge, which pleased Helena. They shook hands before Livia departed.

Livia found a few messages waiting for her. One concerned a Thursday afternoon meeting of the union and the new ministry, requesting Livia's attendance as the official school liaison. Livia accepted but made a mental note to ask Odin about being a delivery owl. Livia got her chance when both Ophelia and Odin came in with letters from Goldie Goldinger and E.P. Sanderson. She initially tried other scholars but only those two had accepted the opportunity to talk about their research and how it affects what the students knew or should understand. Goldie, a well-seasoned lecturer, only required a few days lead time, since he had completed his most recent book. Going into hiding just gave him time to write, once he found a remote location. E.P. wanted a week to prepare. He had done some presentations but lacked the same comfort level with public speaking as Goldie, especially to varied young audiences. Livia acknowledged both notes, making sure to reassure E.P. that his topic likely would interest a great deal of kids who wanted to know how non-magical, athletic children played sport. E.P. had developed a new love for an event comprising multiple tasks called the Winter Olympics, so he wanted to show some examples to illustrate that lacking magical ability could lead to some very creative outlets for daring contests and feats.

Livia also engaged Odin on his ideas and concerns about their service. She got some concrete ideas about their terms, whether or not they could see family members or how long or far each could expect to work. Odin essentially wanted owls to have some union representation. Livia told him of her own use of owls and how she disliked burdening them overly with work expectations. He liked this but stressed that people using owls rarely gave attention to such things. He wouldn't reject the relationship, since it guaranteed his survival. He just wanted it to have a little more consideration of them as sentient beings with only so much endurance and range. Livia could have said something similar about house elves. After their participation in a battle on the grounds, they felt more inclined to state their interests. Livia would bring up both issues.

Livia also found she was wanted for another interrogation. Though the Carrows and many defendants caved owing to many witness statements, the ministry had former officials predisposed to remain evasive. In preparation for the Dolores Umbridge trial, the ministry wanted to grasp the relationship between herself, Wallace Wayne and Rodrick Spence. They asked Livia to unravel how the Sons of Slytherin got involved with finding her brother, too – who asked and who all did they pursue. This group of former officials wanted to find something "on" Livia to render her ineligible for her post, if not press charges related to it. They never discussed her paternity with the minor officials who reviewed the list of four names because they had no desire to accept the story. They only knew no singular name existed. Aldrick Spence didn't wish to tell his brother, either, and suggested in his confession that Umbridge wanted to assert that Livia had conned Severus Snape and her parentage involved a fraudulent claim. After Livia left, Rodrick Spence still wanted to investigate Livia and convinced others that she lied. The ministry had a lot on the ties between Wallace Wayne and Umbridge, among others, but this issue might add charges or sentence time, especially if they tried to make affiliating with muggles a crime. Moreover, Livia needed to learn how much involvement each had in the attacks on Glorianna Gardenia's office, residence or other raids. Stephanie and Rhonda Wayne gave only a bit of information, suggesting they hadn't done much. At least no one thought so. Documents suggested they played little role. Yet Severus Snape's disclosures to Ardith indicated to Livia that she should explore this matter.

Livia, therefore, would need to conduct Legilimency first on Rodrick Spence and Wallace Wayne. Seeing how Livia performed in a test situation, they decided not to wait till her potion matured. Since they could not move Umbridge's trial date, and the ministry wanted prosecutors to review Livia's findings, they needed to proceed soon. Livia requested the morning of Friday, 22 May. Livia figured she could check back in later, as needed, and have dinner with Ben. She smiled at having yet another fact to use against Rodrick Spence.

Meantime, Livia sent responses to both Goldie Goldinger and E.P. Sanderson. The latter she invited to teach in her place on Tuesday, 2 June. She suggested to the former she might need him later that week, depending on a trial, but opted to give Sanderson the lead time he wanted to make the one date she anticipated wanting a guest to fill in for her. Goldinger's flexibility gave her a luxury and she though it too valuable to give away because the situation at school remained uncertain. She confessed to not knowing how many students would return or how many might stick with the subject when it reverted to becoming an elective again.

Sanderson agreed to the date and to dinner afterward whilst Goldinger wrote more, expressing appreciation for Livia's position. The latter relayed his concern that the students there had suffered so much, and he thought it an honor to lecture. He promised to be ready that week or whenever Livia wanted him. Now a grandfather or two young boys, Goldinger keenly wanted to help, even hoping that he could inspire a young student to follow in his footsteps someday. Livia first thought that his nickname simply related to his name, but Livia started to wonder if the nickname stood for Goldie having a heart of gold, instead. She had told him she hoped to meet him, even if it would not be on the day he taught, unless he could stay long enough for her to dine with him at the local tavern. He thought it a brilliant idea – he could tell her how the day went and they could exchange information about a variety of things. Goldie knew, for example, that Livia had a strong attachment to the muggle world that he wished to understand.

* Author's Note

The song "Sunny Came Home" appears on the album _A Few Small Repairs_ by Shawn Colvin, released in 1996. It also appeared as a single in 1997. Author credit goes to Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal. The tune refers to a home burning for the narrator to escape her past, which has an interesting, if strange, parallel to Livia's life beginning anew after the damage done to Hogwarts.


	54. Scrupulous Responsibility & Vengeance

By Wednesday, 20 May, Livia made sure that everyone at Hogwarts knew her schedule. She also informed Uncle Jack, just in case someone looked for her. She ensured she would not take a full day away that week, at least as long as she could help things. She also reviewed her objectives and lessons with Hideki and the other tutors, just in case something came up suddenly. She gave them contingency plans for games of various kinds or short items to read and discuss in a class in conjunction with something they had seen already; it depended on the level being taught. She had one clear goal: she never wanted them to cancel a class or have a time where they did nothing constructive. She thought of administering a muggle IQ test, if out of curiosity. She wanted to know if witches and wizards possessed greater intelligence – and if so, how much. That is, she would openly discuss that people could construct pecking orders of many types. Whilst intelligence or magical skill held more merit than eye or skin color or gender, all comprised methods of ranking people. She wanted them to notice that a bias of blood status or national identity constituted arbitrary markers muggles could cite. Of course, she likely would have to open a vein and call herself a bastard child, too, but she didn't care since it served a useful purpose.

On Thursday afternoon, Livia finally got to see Glorianna Gardenia. She lived up to her name. Like the flower and many generations before her, she had the whitest or marble-like skin and medium length blonde hair. She wore a flower in her hair, a gardenia, as if no one could tell who she was. She even liked dark green clothes, which acted like the stems and leaves of a plant. She could have been a model, given her height, her slender figure and her large blue eyes. Yet anyone mistaking her to be anything but formidable and focused would make a most grievous error. She had a no-nonsense, straightforward attitude and a desire to make her mark by carrying her family's name forward. No one at the meeting treated her as anything other than a serious, passionate advocate for the rights her family championed and extended for centuries. Like with her own child-bearing, Gardenia saw in Livia the opportunity to ensure that working mothers carried no penalty for doing what they loved to do, if not what they needed to do.

Gardenia received information about the progress in rounding up anyone not yet punished for attacking her or her offices. Livia told her she would examine two possible key figures the next morning. Livia assured her that she would find out everything and apologized for putting some school business ahead of getting all the pertinent information. Gardenia held no grudge, since the accused were not going anywhere. The ministry officials summarized the order of events as had taken place by the prior administration and expressed confidence that Gardenia would never have to worry again about the decision she had to make the previous year in opting to flee rather than leave her daughter motherless. The ministry gave Gardenia the option of full integration with them. Gardenia said she needed to contemplate the idea and consult other board members not in attendance. Enticing as it was, she wondered if that made them a political group rather than a neutral advocate for employees. The minister said if she wanted to propose a different means of affiliation whilst maintaining their independence to let him know how he could assist them. Ultimately, they found what each wanted in rewording their affiliation.

When the meeting turned to new business, Livia brought up the two issues that came to her attention: first, the potential to ensure guarantees of membership or protection for house elves and, second, the possibility that such a thing should also extend to a consideration of postal-serving owls. Livia had consulted a few elves and two owls, one of which seemed highly regarded within the service. Livia had to clarify that yes, indeed, she could speak to owls – not exactly in their own language but not quite in English either. Livia found it hard to explain, since she had possessed this skill for as long as she could remember. The minister informed the group that he knew someone interested in the ministry who ultimately could work with Gardenia on improving the status and protection of house elves. She wanted to finish her education first, but the minister personally knew the issue concerned her. He encouraged Livia to get the school elves to talk about their concerns, but he wanted to temporarily delay formal action until the person he had in mind, Hermione Granger, would serve the ministry directly and all could work together on the same goal. Livia did not mind, having enough on her plate, including what waited her in the fall.

Since no one had discussed the owls and Livia had a talent for this, he encouraged Livia and Glorianna to see what they wanted and how they could be protected and serve happily. He did not want them overburdened. Owls, he felt, played too vital a role and they deserved protection, whether it involved sales or postal work. Gardenia pledged to work on this, also. No one else said anything derogatory about owls – ever. Livia wanted to have an agreed-upon language for a caretaker to recognize their condition and a code of conduct for sales, acquisition or training of them. Gardenia liked this, but Livia would have to establish this with Odin and the owls herself, since few could claim to "speak" with them. Livia would have to discuss this with the Owl Emporium staff, too. They loved owls but at times didn't understand them.

Before her Friday sessions, Livia spoke with Uncle Jack about what she faced. He thought she seemed quietly determined and expressed no doubt she would make mincemeat of both. He suggested she visit Ben in case he had any recommendations on deciphering his father. Livia recognized that he gave her a good idea, though Livia did not necessarily relish visiting him, owing to its potential complications. For the good of her fact-finding, she went, anyway.

Ben was overjoyed to see her and could not do enough, offering her tea or a snack or a tour of his modest farmhouse. He quickly recognized that she had something serious on her mind, and just gave her a cup of tea and sat in a simple wooden living room rocking chair. Livia asked if he possessed any key information that might be useful in decoding memories hidden by his father or Wallace Wayne. Ben nodded his head, assenting that he possessed information.

Ben mentioned that both liked calling Rhonda simply Rha and truncated Stephanie to Stephie. He revealed that Wallace had tried to get Bill Weasley interested in Stephanie, but it never worked. He considered trying Percy, but Percy had no interest in older women, much less her. Ben also affirmed that his father possessed a considerable, irrational loathing of Livia and transferred it to Wallace. Neither Rodrick's attempt to direct small razor blades at her nor even the killing curse had surprised Ben totally. Ben believed his father saw Rhonda as being much like him, minus any discernable talent, making her easily pliable. Yet Rodrick, as he grew desperate, tried to offer Ben both sisters. He had hated Livia as if she were some detestable muggle stealing his son from his desired alliance. Taunting him with her brother would cut him deeply. Ben also suggested that Livia bring Alastair, even if she deemed his activity redundant. Knowing his father and Wallace, both would be shaken terribly. Their egos were so large that Alastair alone might break them.

Livia thanked Ben for sharing this information, though she wondered how odd his situation got. Ben smiled. He wanted her to succeed, he said. His father knew that he would love her forever, no matter how he felt about that dance in 1990. It bothered Rodrick immensely. He counted on controlling his wife and his child, though he stopped pursing Zarwyn Spence after he found no discernable trail in Italy. He opted to rely on Rhonda telling him if Ben found her. In fact, Ben's mother had very dark hair, fair skin and blue eyes, much like Livia, if a differently-shaped face.

As Livia walked back to Uncle Jack's house, she called out for Alastair. He heard her and landed on a fence post in front of her within about two minutes. She inquired if he could be spared by his group for a few hours to appear at an interrogation of two subjects who she learned would take his particular form of "persuasion" very badly. Alastair could not contain himself and started making excited calls. His whole crew showed up. She put the question to all: would they allow her to have his services for a time? They agreed if Livia left food by her uncle's home. A few were jealous, though they all knew Alastair loved this the most. Benedict readily settled for the food. They all seemed to congratulate Alastair and set up a time for him to join Livia.

Livia made sure to leave a note at the ministry that she would come with him, as per inside information she received. Hadrian Stone would find the note upon his immediate arrival at his ministry desk. She asked Uncle Jack on the best means of transporting Alastair and he told her that she should go first then he would send Alastair to her, being safest for him. He suggested giving Alastair a cage to protect him, too, even though she preferred that he perch on her shoulder. Livia could not see asking him to sit in a cage – ever. He would be fine on her arm or shoulder. People disturbed by it could just get over themselves. When Alastair learned she had rejected the idea, he called out in happiness. He liked that she trusted him and believed others had the problem – she would not bend to them.

Livia showed up on Friday at Uncle Jack's residence to bring Alastair with her. She left the crows plenty of food, checked all the owls and followed Uncle Jack's directions, with the exception of a carrier. Once there, Alastair hopped onto her shoulder. A few people she knew as well as some she did not know stopped her in the hallway to ask why a crow perched on her shoulder. She introduced him as Alastair and told them, in lieu of an unready potion, he would help her interrogate two subjects because he would intimidate both. They usually said hello to Alastair but also asked what he did to intimidate people. Livia smiled and said they would have to watch. She also told them that the son of one of the subjects told her to do this – he sided with her.

Hadrian Stone already had explained to others to expect Livia to show up with a crow and that Ben Spence had suggested it. A few seemed surprised. Livia gave Alastair a small perch in front of the defendant's cage, gave him food attached on one side to the perch and then hooked herself up to the machine that would allow the rest of the tribunal to record and view the memories Livia uncovered. Another member officially recorded the scene via her memory. Percy Weasley, who had just arrived to preside over the hearing, had not learned of Alastair's attendance yet remembered what Livia told Rodrick Spence. What had changed her mind, he inquired. She stated that Ben Spence suggested he could break either subject. Percy nodded. He knew well where Ben Spence's allegiance lay, since he had orchestrated getting away from both. Livia's friendship with him made Percy aware that Ben Spence tried to look only vaguely competent there. Percy also knew both subjects and guessed the duress caused by both must have given Ben Spence a lot of trouble. He appreciated Ben regarding that family drama, given some of his own family issues.

Livia tested everything and found it functional. She actually displayed the memory of her brother meeting Rodrick Spence, which got recorded, too. Hadrian Stone asked her about it. Oh, that happened, Livia said. The chief prosecutor, a distinguished mustached brown haired, thin man of medium height named Davis McKenzie, laughed at Alice's summary of Spence's icy conduct.

Wallace Wayne entered the room first into the cage-like structure that restrained him as he sat. Alastair told Livia he would have no problem hitting him, whenever asked to do so. Livia smiled. They would have fun at Wayne's expense. Wayne immediately stared at both Livia and Alastair. Livia waited for Percy Weasley to open the proceeding and turn the session over to her. She then introduced herself and her assistant, Alastair. Immediately, Wayne scoffed and Livia knew it was directed at both of them, if more pointedly at Alastair.

"Alastair does _not_ take kindly to being disrespected – nor do I," Livia stated. Immediately Alastair "introduced" himself by hitting Wayne directly on his forehead. A few audibly gasped whilst Alastair started snacking near his perch. Hadrian Stone had to bite his index finger and close his eyes to keep from laughing loudly. Livia nodded at her crow friend. _Good boy, Alastair._

Livia first reviewed his arrest and life on the run, then moved to the questions Wallace Wayne had refused to answer. When she asked about his dealings with Dolores Umbridge, she got a mishmash that she easily unscrambled. She saw specific meetings, then specific people, trying to prove Livia's "actual" affiliation with muggles. Wayne even showed her that Rodrick Spence had gotten Tim Yew and Loki Loth, among others, to attempt to find her brother, more than once. The pair harassed Athena and Ted Tolleson, too. Umbridge wanted her fired and held meetings about proposing a "blood traitors" law to prosecute all witches or wizards who had family or romantic ties to muggles. Wayne connected the runaway ire of Rodrick Spence to the ambitions of Dolores Umbridge; the two thus worked together. Those witnessing Livia's interrogation were impressed that she learned so much so quickly and never let its personal aspect affect her even slightly. Maybe Alastair had softened him up as well as toughened her up.

Livia hit a bit of a brick wall again when she turned to his daughters's roles in the action against Glorianna Gardenia, which the ministry only lightly considered. Livia had taken a sledgehammer to his wall but got it to break when she directed Alastair to distract him by soiling him. It totally worked. Livia picked through his defenses and saw Stephanie agreeing to participate in one raid whilst Rhonda went to the other location, though neither were particularly strong contributors. No one had thought any Wayne had direct involvement, but his ties to various people led to the opposite conclusion. Wallace Wayne even personally grilled Ted on Ben Spence's whereabouts, which Livia inadvertently discovered in the midst of all of his activities on behalf of Rodrick Spence. By then, Ted said he last saw Ben in 1990, intimating his continued desire to punch Ben in the face over their last encounter. Livia also showed Wayne spreading false information about Hadrian Stone to further Dolores Umbridge's ambitions, well before 1997. Hadrian watched in wonderment as to the ways Livia used intuitive practices and the sheer power of her will to break Wallace Wayne's resistance of her. Even if Alastair had not worked him over some, she would have recovered his memories eventually.

Livia discovered that Umbridge herself, at the urging of Wayne and Spence, had endeavored to get Severus Snape to respond to inquiries about Livia's background, which he initially ignored or brusquely dismissed. He scoffed because they didn't even know what he had told other officials. This interaction was news to them, not Livia. It had come somewhat independently of the Carrows in Wayne's mind, through Rhonda, though the Carrows spoke with Rodrick Spence a lot. In fact, the idea for putting a dementor in Livia's room on 4 January derived from Rhonda. Professor Snape told Umbridge in front of the Waynes and Spence that he was busy with bigger things than Livia's alleged fraud. With great ire, he demanded respect for his due diligence. He stated that he risked his own reputation with his pledge, whether they liked it or not. Livia smirked at seeing him use his injured innocence and annoyance in such a righteous manner. Some observers saw her smiling but didn't know if she did so over what he said or the sight of him saying it. They noted that Snape did protect her, though officials knew he told the truth.

After confirming his ties to Umbridge in persecuting muggle witches and wizards, Livia turned to another preoccupation of Wayne and Umbridge – getting rid of all traces of scholarship regarding the study of muggle life. Wayne tried a blank sky and Livia put a crow in the picture just as she directed Alastair to disrupt Wayne's resistance of her. The synchronicity of the two actions gave both maximum effect. Livia found one Wayne sister recounting a raid on the offices of the Journal of Muggle Studies and the other discussing the Journal of Muggle Social History raid; both appeared at additional periodicals involving muggle politics or economics. They had engaged the Sons of Slytherin to find preeminent figures like Peter Schiama, E.P. Sanderson and Gulliver "Goldie" Goldinger, too. Schiama had died of an illness during the fall of 1997 whereas Sanderson and Goldinger successfully hid. The latter two later gave statements as to being tipped off by escaping editors at the journal raids, thanks to the mediocre abilities of the Wayne sisters.

Livia, with Alastair's help, had demolished Wayne in well under two hours. McKenzie was duly impressed. Given the time, he would have presumed that Wayne sung like a canary, if he had not seen the session. Livia asked both Percy Weasley and Davis McKenzie if they had additional questions or if they were satisfied with what she had uncovered. The two conferred and announced more charges against Stephanie Wayne, Rhonda Wayne, Wallace Wayne, Rodrick Spence and Dolores Umbridge. The last would have an amended indictment for her upcoming trial. They pronounced themselves satisfied and let Wallace Wayne return to his cell.

They gave Livia a short break to collect herself, perhaps eat or confer with her "partner." McKenzie especially had to ask Livia how she had gotten this crow to work with her. He figured Alastair must be highly trained. Livia shook her head. Since she was still hooked up, she let McKenzie see Alastair and his friends work over Gilderoy Lockhart. Livia further told him that Alastair was just a very smart crow with a fondness for this particular activity. McKenzie would not have believed it, but he had just seen it. Livia told him that, in lieu of a mature potion, she used Alastair, having been tipped off by Ben Spence that it would rattle Wallace Wayne and Rodrick Spence equally. McKenzie wanted Livia to convey to Alastair the ministry's thanks and asked her if he could get Alastair water or a treat. He asked for a few earthworms, which McKenzie gave him. Livia gave him a little nuzzle and pet after he ate. He had become the perfect partner. She put some water for him opposite his food. He seemed to feak his bill on the container's side and wash himself as much as drink from it. He informed Livia he was ready for his next victim and squawked almost mischievously. Livia had a little snack herself, which she ate sitting down near Alastair. She specifically told him that she stuck close by him just to take his protection seriously. She did not expect a threat, but had to guarantee his wellbeing for the sake of his crew. Alastair told her that he liked feeling special among people, like an honored guest.

When finished, Livia indicated to Percy Weasley that she would proceed when he deemed everyone else ready. The next session began a few minutes later when Rodrick Spence entered the same way as Wayne did and sat in the center of the room in his constricted cage. He seemed stuffed pretty tightly in it. He immediately tensed up. Livia could feel his rage as he laced into her for changing her mind regarding the crow she brought. Livia smiled.

"I did _not_ change my mind – rather your _son_ suggested I bring him," Livia snapped. Alastair immediately nailed the man dead center on his forehead. Since it was a rather profuse shot, several people laughed as the bird's waste trailed down the man's long nose. "Try responding to that. Alastair might hit you again for the heck of it." He said nothing but Alastair got him again, anyway, just to make Livia's point literally "stick." She said: "Told you so." _Good job, Alastair._

Everyone realized that this exchange would get nasty, even those unaware of their personal history, yet remain highly entertaining. Someone high up, Livia felt, decided the entire ministry must see this recording later, since Rodrick Spence had gained a reputation there as pompous, insulting and just plain insufferable, if skilled. Livia documented his period of hiding but soon got into planning of the raids on Glorianna Gardenia's office and residence. For all his bluster, Livia easily picked through his defenses. He had played the central role in both setting the plans and moving on Gardenia. Through the Carrows as well as Wayne, he enticed Umbridge to examine Livia's background. He even suggested a bluff to facilitate her employment disqualification and proposed a blood-traitor law to force her to disown her brother or face jail. He used his brother to elicit help from the Sons of Slytherin, though Aldrick Spence became reluctant to get involved after Severus Snape visited him. Roderick Spence used Livia as the catalyst to collaborate with Umbridge against many muggle-born witches and wizards found via his brother's group, which few besides Livia knew. He even floated the idea of treating Hogwarts headmaster Severus Snape as a liar unfit for his position, rather than a victim of a conniving Livia. He backed down in January, however, when more powerful people emphatically told him that the Dark Lord himself wanted Professor Snape there. Several people told him that his personal agenda had clouded his work.

Livia showed that this setback only made Rodrick Spence more determined to dig up dirt on her, even after an elopement he questioned. He believed Livia a liar who got some man to cover for her and initiated attempts to intimidate and harm her brother to disclose her location. Yet Tim Yew and Loki Loth, among others, failed to find him. They interrogated Uncle Jack, his neighbor Anne and Livia's available former roommates but got nothing. They searched much of London and Durham for anyone named Woodcock but found nobody. The Leaky Caldron's innkeeper said that he had never met anyone named Woodcock. Severus Snape also stated that he had never met Tom or Alice Woodcock, which in a sense was true. He suggested asking his nephew, but no one found a trace of him. When Umbridge asked Professor Snape why that was so, his simply said he had told the man to keep a low profile but had no control over how he managed his anonymity. He had no idea how Livia kept in contact with him at school, since he only saw the man occasionally.

Rodrick Spence thus turned his anger onto others he could pursue. Livia explored his role in terms of various raids on academic journals related to muggles. When he showed a bit of attitude and bad manners, she gave Alastair a sign to hit him again. Some sensed that Livia did it for spite more than strict necessity, but they could not argue with the results, so they opted to enjoy the show. Livia intuitively moved a screen and changed a focal point and got a meeting where Rodrick Spence planned these events and solicited help from Sons of Slytherin members Bryan Stoddard, Paul Marlborough and Cliff Grand to participate in raids with one Wayne sister and members Blake Hall, his cousin Dwight, Loki Loth and Tim Yew with the second sister. In total, they destroyed equipment in six authorized raids over about a four-month period. None had any luck finding Sanderson or Goldinger, though. Rodrick Spence even had them look for Ben Spence after Wallace Wayne failed. Other than attending a few muggle trade shows, which they theorized had to do with Ben buying jewelry for a girlfriend, they turned up nothing.

Rodrick Spence and Dolores Umbridge shared a zeal for discrediting Livia, if for slightly different reasons, and in finding muggle-born witches and wizards. Wallace Wayne just gave them a better means to find each other and work together. Livia got a full list of every person they pursued. Rodrick Spence proved that he persecuted muggles, those who studied muggles and union leaders. The present ministry had not known that he worked in all three areas or how closely these three officials jointly worked. Rodrick Spence attempted to persecute Livia, her brother, her friends, his son, many others and practically threatened Severus Snape. For the first time, it all came together.

Livia had gotten the memories of Wallace Wayne and Rodrick Spence to align closely, even without the details of their shared life on the run. She destroyed Roderick Spence in about an hour and twenty minutes. Again, Livia asked if McKenzie and Percy Weasley felt satisfied. They conferred again to see if they needed more questions or to add any additional charges. They did the latter. The undue pressure on Professor Snape brought a charge to both Umbridge and Spence. Rodrick Spence's authorizations against Tom and Alice Woodcock brought a charge to him, in addition to charges related to his role in planning raids on the union and journal locations.

When Percy Weasley announced that jailers could remove Rodrick Spence, Livia couldn't resist taunting him. "Enjoy you cell whilst I have dinner again with your son," she said. Even Alastair gave him a parting shot as he was lowered to a transfer location beneath the hearing room. Alastair did that on his own. He knew Livia somehow mocked the man. He wanted in on it.

Davis McKenzie then asked her about the parting shots she and Alastair had made. Livia said that she would dine with Ben, but Alastair acted on his own. _Good job, Alastair_. McKenzie laughed. Given the fact that Rodrick Spence's vendetta could have rattled her, she acted fittingly, if meanly. He asked why she avoided asking about her husband's death. Livia explained that her uncle told her that Rodrick had nothing to offer since he considered her a liar and doubted the story. Given what she uncovered, McKenzie hardly could object to her performance. Livia thought that Gilderoy Lockhart had repelled crows better, despite himself. _Go figure – well, Ben did._

Livia switched Alastair's food to something he would not need to expel quickly as observers discussed what occurred. Livia told them that Alastair just substituted for her yet-to-mature potion and that Rodrick Spence's son had suggested to her that he would prove effective in its place. She hadn't intended to make him part of a show, but if they wanted him to return, she would request his aid. No one took issue with it, though. Hadrian Stone found it entertaining owing to what he learned about Wallace Wayne. All present felt that Alastair just sped up Livia breaking the accused, which gave them more time to collect additional evidence. They understood how she saw him as an adjunct and substitute for her potion. They all gave Alastair a salute akin to Namaste, which he appreciated. Hadrian Stone also let Livia know that Thor Thornton's information entirely backed up what she had derived from Wayne and Spence, meaning that they could maintain his confidentiality and still convict either on any charge related to the Sons of Slytherin. Indeed, they had found a post for him that would commence once his contrived confinement ended.

Because they recorded her sessions, including all the memories put on screen, no one could doubt the veracity of the evidence. If Wayne and Spence were smart, McKenzie asserted, they would attempt to plea bargain and want to testify against Umbridge. Nonetheless, McKenzie wanted to lock up both for life, the same as he sought for Umbridge. He felt he would have more than enough to convict all three without resorting to make any deals, thanks to Livia.

Livia shook hands with all and asked Alastair to ride on her shoulder as she headed back to Uncle Jack's house to let Alastair return to his crew. She directed him first to use the chimney to return home, then followed him. Safely back at Hogsmeade, she let Uncle Jack know how well Alastair did. Oh, and she got new charges filed against several defendants, too. Livia pronounced it a good day. She brought Alastair outside and called out to everyone that he had returned. He spotted his team quickly, said goodbye and rejoined them. He would entertain them the rest of the day recounting the seven shots he got off against two accused former ministry officials. Livia further inquired about the Barn Owls, who expected to start having owlets in perhaps three weeks. She ensured they and Ardith remained well fed and content.

Livia headed down Meade Meadow Lane, noting that she had some time to spare. She returned to the school and visited Hideki, to see if she missed anything important. No, he said, they simply looked forward to her talk at the school memorial service on Sunday and her first classes the following day. Livia visited the acting headmistress, who repeated the same message. Professor McGonagall had held a faculty meeting to discuss expected attendance at the service as well as the resumption of classes. Students 11-14 would all return, thanks in large part to the actions taken by Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle. Many older students or their parents still contemplated their decision, perhaps waiting until after the service to choose. Likely, at least half of these students would return, but the final count may vary. Livia told her that she planned on holding a week or so of mandatory classes before making the subject optional so that students wishing to emphasize other things could do so. The acting headmistress accepted this entirely.

Livia briefly went back to her room, rested and changed before meeting Ben Spence again. Taunting his father over him had proven useful. She knew that Ben's suggestion of using Alastair really threw him off, too. It made her job easier and less time consuming, along with his other hints. Both Wallace Wayne and Rodrick Spence crumbled. Ben had made Alastair's job easy, as well. Livia didn't have to use him six or seven times; his presence had done plenty. Of course, Alastair preferred action to a threat, and she ensured he could perform as he liked. Some may have thought Livia acted out of vengeance, and she supposed to a degree that she had. Rodrick Spence would deserve it. Still, she wished for Alastair not to be idle. That would frustrate him. She wanted him to have a story. No one fully appreciated that she thought about pleasing him, too.

Livia set off at close to the appropriate time to meet Ben Spence for dinner. She found him already seated at the same table as before. At least he did not keep taking the side of the booth that Christopher had used. He stood up as she got close, threw his arms around her and asked how she felt, noticing that her stomach had grown just a little since he saw her last. She sensed that he really wanted an answer. She told him she had just been laying down for an hour or so after a busy day, which included taking Alastair with her to London.

"How did that go, as if I don't know?" Ben asked. They placed an order before she could respond to his comment.

"Well, I'd say," Livia replied. "Probably just showing Alastair would have been adequate but boring for him, so he got off three shots at Wayne and four at your father."

Ben laughed. "He probably made the job easy. Both think way too highly of themselves."

"He did," Livia admitted. "A few of your details helped, too."

"I'm glad," Ben stated. "I wanted those officials not to believe I'm that useless. I just acted like a zombie because I was so repulsed by the life my father compelled me to have."

"If they don't know by now, I doubt they ever will," Livia surmised. "Some of what I did relied on instincts I honed during sessions with Uncle Sev'rus, but your insights gave me access to shortcuts a few times. Speaking of him, I found that your father first pushed for considering him conned by me, then accused him of lying because your father didn't like that he found that my credentials checked out. Your father, Umbridge and Wayne spoke with him in person when I was in Cambridge as well as before, and they pressed him on the subject even after I supposedly left. As an attempt at interference as well as intimidation, they got another charge for it."

"This does not surprise me," Ben revealed. "Why he hated you so much really baffled me for a long time. He could never admit anything existed of value about you or your effect on me."

"Probably because he couldn't control it," Livia asserted. "Think about it. That's why he wanted an alliance with the Waynes. He wanted you under his thumb through Rhonda."

"Yes, exactly," Ben agreed. "Sad but true. My mother likely thought her gesture would wake me up to this. She helped, for sure. I finally have gotten a letter to her, and I await a reply."

"Good to hear," Livia stated. Just then, their food and drinks arrived. "I told your father I was having dinner with you just to rattle him, in addition to bringing Alastair being your idea."

Ben laughed. "I'd say both worked. I know that was not necessarily your reason for agreeing last week. Even if it was, I'm glad I helped. He really hurt my mother and me. I'm sure now that she had eluded me for that reason. She possibly saw that Rhonda was an issue, too."

Livia nodded but didn't know what to make of Ben. Could he really forget her present situation when few could mistake that unless she wore very loose clothes? Start over? How? Livia wouldn't erase the past nor the present. She supposed, given the distance of her friends, she needed one. Still, how could she tell him everything? Could she ever confess to anyone? If she never felt able to do so, maybe she needed to remain solitary. It occurred to her that an ability to reveal everything about her past didn't affect her having a future personal life, to some degree. After all, she had kept certain things secret much of her life. She kept secrets about Severus Snape concealed from family and friends. This didn't change – only what they involved had altered.

Livia had drifted off into her own thoughts, and Ben snapped her back to the present. He recognized a lot weighed on her mind. He asked if she was okay. Livia nodded. She told him she was just a bit tired and preoccupied about what she would say on Sunday. Ben told her to make the students laugh. They would need some levity to digest everything. Acknowledge it all, don't minimize it, he said, but if they could find something amusing, such as the anecdote concerning Alastair, they might deal with their grief better. He asked if only students and staff would attend. Livia affirmed it, though she thought some parents or relations of deceased alumni might come, too. He expressed sorrow he couldn't hear her, but expressed confidence she would manage well.

After they finished, Ben insisted on accompanying her back to her room. He said she looked tired and did not want her to fall. She needed to take good care of herself, he maintained. Livia appreciated the gesture, even as she found it somewhat puzzling to accept. As they continued, Ben told her that he had in fact seen Bill Weasley a few days previously, and they agreed on a pin Ben would make for his wife. He wanted sapphires, gold and diamonds to dominate the design. Ben hoped Livia would see at least the sketch he made of his piece.

When they returned to Livia's door, Ben hugged her as hard as he could. Livia felt too tired to resist. He whispered softly to her: "Someday, you will trust me again, if it's the last thing I do." Then he released her and asked if she would dine with him the following Friday, when she could tell him all about her week teaching as well as what she said during the school's memorial service. Livia agreed and said goodnight to him.

Inside the room, she couldn't help wishing that someone else had made a speech like that to her or that Ben had never let his father think he had won, even for a day, let alone for seven years. Thinking of him with Rhonda made her ill, so she opted not to try to learn too much about it. Many other things occupied her thoughts. She made an outline then began drafting what she would say on Sunday afternoon. Maybe a chronological discussion going back to her days as a student might help students relate to her as well as to Severus Snape, she thought. Going back to almost the beginning could resonate, if she handled it well. She pondered it as she clutched her bobcat and went to sleep, reading his letter to her before putting it back and closing her eyes.


	55. A Memorial Testament & Week One Teaching

Livia spent most of Saturday, 23 May, figuring out what she would say precisely the next day. She knew she would alienate the audience if they thought she bragged about herself. She needed to keep the focus on him and just humanize the interaction. She had to delicately balance what she said in order to do him justice. She thought she might accomplish this by discussing what she learned from him along with the mimicry that made her unique to him. Sometimes, she wondered how he would have handled her differently if she lacked that talent. Perhaps her abilities to recover his memories would have still dictated what happened, anyway. That, after all, had pretty much pushed them into some kind of friendship or alliance.

She contemplated discussing how she annoyed him – or the mutuality of it – too. Yet Livia wanted to emphasize his positive intentions. She drafted notes and tried to practice how she would address everyone. She worked in using his voice for an anecdote or two, keeping in mind Ben's advice. He seemed quite sensitive and sensible in perceiving what would work with her audience. Her sense of responsibility excited her as much as it filled her with dread. She cared so much about getting this right. No one else could come close, but she wanted to do better than that.

She still had time to dine in the Senior Common Room, which helped her exorcise her jitters. Public speaking never bothered her. She could maintain her presence well. Her sense of duty overshadowed it, though. Of course, no one knew what weighed on her mind exactly. They only knew she asked to speak and would do so. None of the tutors really knew how far back she could go. None even had heard her Professor Snape impersonation. She knew she would shock plenty of people. Her secret joy came with the knowledge that she would deliver her speech whilst wearing his academic robe, still, if imperceptibly, stained by his blood. No one there would know that particular fact. It was too personal and just too weird. She just hoped it would inspire her, however. Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle all wished her good luck. They somewhat had a stake in her success, since it spoke well for all of them getting a fair chance to teach.

Livia retired to her room at the end of the day, put on a Beatles compilation and looked over what she had written, making some final notations to emphasize certain words. She needed to make the speech connect with her audience through her presence, making the discussion relevant to them and amusing yet not ignoring the obvious losses of so many others. She thought she covered it all. She changed, then looked at his letter to her again and visualized making him proud. Finally, she turned in and awaited the moment of truth when she awoke on Sunday.

Livia got up fairly early in the day, dressed and had breakfast in her room, taking the opportunity to talk to the house elves and telling them how the ministry thought improvements would proceed. She thanked them for their service and trust in her. She hoped they would remain patient and work with the process that unfolded. The service would start shortly after the students settled in, at two o'clock. She gave herself an energy bar. She had to eat light and think about a meal later. One of the perks of the service and her opting to cover for Alecto Carrow came with her placement in front of the room, where the acting headmistress would introduce her.

Livia thought a little about her robe when Professor McGonagall finally began. She greeted everyone and expressed sorrow that such a somber occasion was necessary, but in all good conscience the school could not reopen or begin anew without honoring all those who gave their lives for this day. She read off the names of everyone who died there defending the school, be that person student or alumni. She saluted some members of the audience, like members of the Weasley family who attended, too. (Harry Potter, after much discussion with the acting headmistress, opted not to detract from the service and cloaked himself.) Professor McGonagall recited every name but one – their headmaster, Severus Snape. Then she introduced Livia, formerly head tutor, who would teach the Muggle Studies classes for the remainder of the year, to discuss him.

Livia approached the podium and audibly thanked the acting headmistress for the opportunity to speak about a person who clearly evoked mixed feelings among all present:

 _To everyone, I say, I understand very well the questions, the consternation or confusion you feel as I stand before you giving my testament regarding your late headmaster, Severus Snape. People who graduated with me and after me would say the same as you. Many also would note how odd it is that I stand before you, given a significant portion of my life since 1985 involved, frankly, annoying him. In one class incident, I actually argued with him as him. When he called me out for future failure because I wore a prefect pin, I said: "I am feeling rather peeved today because Professor Slughorn never chose me to be a Slytherin prefect." This started quite a little row, with me even scowling like him. A friend of mine later joked that Professor Snape might die of his own glare, since students deemed it lethal._

 _What no student knew then was that he intentionally picked a fight with me to tell me something directly – a suggestion to make me more competent elsewhere. That is, we shared similar skills, which gave him an insight into what I could do. I say this not because it involved a type of mentoring but because misdirections such as this comprised a significant part of his life. In fact, I staged fights with him last fall whilst he was headmaster. He did not actually support the Carrows's practices regarding discipline. He expected that I would expose them and alert the faculty and staff to minimize the possible harm caused by their cruelty. He believed I would teach you techniques that I have used to shield myself. Yet he let them see him arguing with me. He wanted to protect you. He kept others as bad as the Carrows out by putting the school on a virtual lockdown. Moreover, the necklace I wear which protected me during those incidents with the Carrows originally was his idea._

 _I am making the case that he was not what everyone thought he was. I had the opportunity to ascertain this whilst still a student myself because I discovered the abiding love he had for the late Lily Evans Potter, Harry Potter's mother. Indeed, I think he set up his teaching career to make his conduct from the fall of 1991 seem credible. How did I fit in? Well, by recovering some of his memories, I learned what she sounded like and almost every year he asked me to sing "Happy Birthday" to him like she had done. Resurrecting her voice was special to him, as well as difficult for him. Yet by extension he, if begrudgingly, appreciated me._

 _This was an equal opportunity uncomfortable situation, at least occasionally. I am sure many young ladies here would not enjoy having a male instructor retrieve the memory of their first kiss. And yes, it happened to me, and I told everyone I lived with then about it. He told me: "I can now say I understand why some girls develop a weakness for [that boy]. Seems he had quite an effect on you." I replied sarcastically: "Gee…I must have forgotten." Still, he also defended me – and not just through this necklace. External pressure was put on him to fire, harass or harm me or my family. That is why I lived largely since January as a Screech Owl in part of his quarters. His predecessor, as many faculty know, wanted to shield me. They did not necessarily know how long that edict would last. Professor Snape knew and respected his wish, just like he honored the death of Harry's mother by giving his own life, intentionally taking at least one vital secret with him._

 _He also had self-awareness and a sense of humor, but he rarely shared these. He later told me, in fact, that arguing with himself oddly amused him. My favorite story, though, concerns a crow I befriended that I call Alastair. I once, half-jokingly threatened Professor Snape not to go outside, lest Alastair find him and, um, soil him or his clothes. He told me: "If you asked him to do that, Alastair would become the school mascot. Everyone will start feeding him until he becomes too fat to fly."_

 _So I hope you understand why I feel as I do about him and mourn his loss along with all of the names that Professor McGonagall read. All are tragedies, each with a unique narrative as to why that individual's loss matters and stings terribly. We must carry on for them, so their sacrifices mean something. Professor Snape's loss pains me greatly, as one such story, and will for a very long time. Thank you all._

Livia poured her heart out, for once. The audience could see that she meant every word, strong and clear though she expressed herself. Her stories were also funny. Everyone there started rethinking what he had and had not done. He still rated as a tremendously difficult teacher in more than one way, and girls really felt for Livia regarding that first kiss story. Ginny Weasley knew exactly who Livia had referenced, thanks to her brothers Fred and George, and whispered "she means my eldest brother, Bill" to Luna and a few others. Nonetheless, Livia made a compelling case for Professor Snape and many did, if a bit tentatively, respect him a lot more.

Livia sat down, relieved to have finished but still a bit agitated because she couldn't fully judge her own performance. Oh, she did his voice perfectly. The rest she questioned. She knew she needed to preserve that speech and give a copy to Uncle Jack to share with the Board of Governors. She touched her robe at the shoulder and part of her necklace. She shuddered but hoped she had dispatched her duty honorably and appropriately. She figured that Hideki, Winslow and Isabelle could judge it well enough.

Professor Flitwick led a choir hymn and soon after the acting headmistress made a few remarks and dismissed the group, after reminding all returning students that notices were posted regarding how everything would proceed on Monday. The faculty stood as the student, parents and alumni proceeded out of the Great Hall. As they departed, Professor Flitwick congratulated Livia on her speech. He observed that if she taught as well as she spoke, they all would miss her in the fall, presuming she would return sometime after she gave birth. Livia thanked him profusely, as she had fretted about her performance. He relayed that he could not tell whatsoever.

After everyone left, Professor McGonagall also conveyed gratitude and compliments. She thought Livia had spoken with both wit and feeling, which likely worked with many students. Livia thanked her and hoped the levity functioned as a form of coping. The acting headmistress thought this concept had merit, though she would ask students what they thought of everything, including that. Professor McGonagall also stated that Livia had set the bar high for her ability to teach and hoped that she would meet it. Livia smiled and said she would do her best.

Livia made her way to the Senior Common Room where Hideki held a meeting with all of the tutors throughout the school. She tried to slip in, but did not get far before he drew attention to her, thanking her for making the auxiliary academic staff look good with her heartfelt speech on behalf of their late headmaster. A few called out "hear, hear," but Livia wanted Hideki to continue as he was. This was a time for him to shine, after all. He and the rest perfectly had executed a plan to evacuate the most vulnerable students. Livia then could only watch what happened after they left. Hideki told them the areas where they would find the most challenging. Winslow and Isabelle split up covering for Amycus Carrow, juggling it with a truncated version of their other duties, which for Isabelle included grading for the acting headmistress. Hideki would have to coordinate everything between the house tutors, themselves and Livia, who would teach for Alecto Carrow. Owing to their shorthandedness, Hideki continued the policy of orally reporting on students, rather than filing reports. He recommended reinstituting the written system that existed before for the following year, whether he handled it or someone else.

After the formal meeting ended, most of the tutors essentially lauded Livia for her speech at the service. Of course, a number found it difficult to know exactly what to say, given the circumstances. Typically, they expressed shock that the late headmaster played such a dangerous game – and Livia helped him do it. Some said she made a credible case on how to view him. Others also expressed great surprise at her anecdotes or just the fact that Livia could impersonate him so well, including his facial expressions. No one expected that in a female, for one, especially his deep, sarcastic, understated near-snarl of a voice. She told them it took her a long time to do it well, but it made her more attentive and detached in class to become preoccupied with his voice. Having no emotional investment, she said, made her a better student, since being upset by him detracted from learning. Livia strove to do that regardless of the voice, but the explanation worked.

Isabelle found the story she told about the headmaster finding out about an episode involving a boy particularly disconcerting. She asked how Livia got over that.

"Well, he could be embarrassed, too," Livia asserted. "I guess I toughened up and pushed some of his buttons in response. At times, it was a very strange relationship. Nonetheless, I owe him a lot and I hold onto that. I doubt I would be standing here otherwise."

"How did that work with his nephew?" Isabelle asked.

"I didn't become deeply involved with Christopher until I graduated," Livia replied. "I guess you can say we observed a certain restraint before then. Christopher wasn't who I meant in that anecdote. That happened to be Ginny Weasley's oldest brother. Ginny knows, I believe."

"Oh," Isabelle responded, eyes widening. "Still very odd."

"I remember," Livia agreed, nodding. "One of my friends told me she would have run out of the room screaming. She and another also considered they might have died of embarrassment. I used sarcasm. He knew I had a big crush on the boy, which to me was a bigger deal at the time."

"I can only imagine," Isabelle stated.

"Well, it paid off in the end," Livia asserted. "I just interrogated two accused former officials who despise me, and the ministry thinks I'm focused and unflappable. So it helped me."

"I see what you mean," Isabelle conceded.

Livia shortly said goodbye to everyone, returned to her room and put the final touches on her preparations for the following day. The key to success, Livia realized, lay in being able to discuss anything appropriately for the grade taught, remaining consistent to the proper degree yet not redundant, perhaps outside of the first week. She would focus first on how the classes would proceed, then why she stood before them. She did not want all to remain unwilling participants, but she first needed to provide corrective instruction. Livia just hoped she could still find and use the device that years ago allowed her classmates to see what she did when she attended Live Aid. She would use something else but vary it slightly, depending on the age of the students.

The next day she took breakfast whilst wearing a simple, rather shapeless, quasi-maternity dress. If she wore a decent size, she could vaguely disguise her state without her robe, but that would not hold true in July, not with twins. She reminded herself to get into the habit of wearing the robe constantly, as it would draw attention away from her situation.

Putting on what she considered her robe, Livia headed to her classroom for her first class, a time slated for the sixth-year students. She greeted them only when the time officially began, reminding them that they had not seen her in some months and explained her intentions. She would hold about a week's worth of classes that remained mandatory to correct what they had heard for the better part of the academic year. She would help spell out the misinformation spread by her immediate predecessor and further show how, in the future, they could distinguish quality, refereed and well-sourced material from opinion that had as much credibility as the author did or did not possess. The latter did not necessarily translate to unreliable but carried a much greater potential for being that. After that week, each could decide if they wanted to continue or needed the time to concentrate on other subjects. She as an instructor with professional rigor possessed a responsibility for offering them the most credible information rather than arbitrary or specious diatribes. She further articulated that she already had enlisted guest lectures from two highly respected authorities in this field to cover subjects of their personal interest and special expertise.

Livia then turned to her personal stake in the subject. Whilst biologically determined to be purely a witch, she first grew up outside the wizarding community and her main source of support often came from her adopted brother. She showed her memory of the hearing held where he petitioned a town council to apologize formally to her, giving some background as to how she wound up there and how he wound up becoming her guardian as well as a barrister. She explained that at least some considered her misfortune the product of not being believed as an "illegitimate" child. That is, the distrust the prior instructor had in muggle-born wizards echoed in a bias in that world that could judge someone unreliable or inferior based on other, unchanging attributes. Livia listed only some with birth circumstances, including the marital status of parents, color, wealth, national origin and gender. All of these and more constituted invented ways to rate one person ahead of another capriciously based on a characteristic other than character or merit.

Someone asked if her brother, who obviously had a career there, knew about her. She showed the class how that went. Livia confessed it was scary for her to tell him. They saw the scene the night before his wedding. Immediately, someone asked who sat in a chair observing but saying little. Livia raised her hand, with her palm on her shoulder showing her ring, then opened her locket to show them his picture inside of it. Most realized she referred to the headmaster's nephew. Many knew her Uncle Jack, who she explained was the bride's great uncle. She showed the bride's phone call to her and her brother and produced their wedding album.

Livia then got back to the task at hand, asking if anyone remembered her objections to the book assigned to them. Luna did. Livia showed the difference between a scholarly work and an unsourced opinion lacking data or any discernable objective or factual referent. Livia had them look through the structure of their assigned book as well as its basis. She wanted to see to what extent they could take down the book before she did so, having them examine the assumptions, arguments and proof (or lack thereof) in its statements.

The time soon ended and Livia told them she would resume this work with them tomorrow. She gave one assignment. She asked if they could find one supported fact in anything they had read, no matter how inconsequential. If not, she wanted them to show why something, anything, presented as fact could not count as such. They could limit it to one page long or less and use deductive reasoning or even the book against itself. They would review the papers in class together. She wanted to see who could organize a paper and support a fact or non-fact soundly. If anyone did that, she would let everyone see it as a model to writing papers in general.

In classes with younger students, Livia led them through aspects of their book more strongly. She still gave them the sense that she would only demand about a week and then let them decide if they remained interested in learning more, such as learning through play, or had more pressing subjects to review. Livia also tried to remain flexible to questions and allowed curiosity to dictate some variations, which had to take place among students of different ages. She asked the younger students orally to find a fact and allowed them to contemplate the difference between a researched assessment and an unsupported assertion. She let those students discuss matters with classmates for suggestions to be made the next day.

Over the rest of the week, Livia took down the student "textbook" plank by plank, often with the students's own skills. She compared that book with texts used previously, either during her own studies or by the late instructor who immediately preceded the ill-tempered and arrogant Alecto Carrow. She provided a preview to the class at the end of the week regarding her vision for how she would approach the remainder of the class, varying in subjects or amount of play based on age. In upper levels, she aimed to touch upon topics like history, religion, sports, politics, economics, and various forms of entertainment, ranging from music to film as well as games. She previewed who she had invited to speak on days she needed to be elsewhere and how she expected to evaluate their work. If an emergency arose, she planned on having someone administer a test of their raw abilities that she hoped to use as a pretext for a future class – the point being to measure them on a scale muggles employed, rather than for it to affect their class grade. If they took it, she would not name anyone for good or ill, she reassured them.

Livia herself obtained copies of some materials she wanted every student to have, like a gossip magazine, newspaper or copies of an older textbook from a former bookseller Uncle Jack knew. At the end of the week, she had them file out of the class by throwing each copy of their "textbook" into a trash bin and gave them one copy of the materials she purchased for a specific class. She asked them to look over the periodical first and simply be prepared to discuss what they surmised about the prospective typical reader based on what they saw and that world in general from examining it. If they opted to drop the class, Livia gave them instructions on what to with the items; she would take the book back but did not need any newspaper or magazine.

Livia met with the tutors in the Senior Common Room after her last class on Friday but told them she would dine out. She just stayed to meet with everyone and hear how everything progressed. Isabelle and Winslow had worked out a way to teach just a half schedule daily, with Isabelle taking those students in years 1-3 and Winslow years 4-7. They could still tutor a little, though Isabelle, especially, didn't observe many instructors, as she graded for Professor McGonagall. Based on prior knowledge, they felt it would work temporarily, since both knew the other courses, instructors and material well. Livia told them she hoped she helped everyone in a different way, since she had students do a paper designed to assist them write anything or just improve reasoning skills. She apologized for not holding hours that week or checking in with Professor Slughorn but trusted how that had gone. She would do so in future weeks.

Livia inquired if they had heard anything about her teaching or her memorial service speech. Hideki wondered aloud if Livia even needed to ask. He thought the students responded well to both owing to her thoroughness, straightforwardness and humor. Livia smiled but told him judging one's own performance can be tricky – not unlike him looking at her whilst running a meeting. He did quite fine on his own. Hideki nodded. He understood her point.

Livia decided to check out a faculty meeting held almost the same time before heading to dinner. She was curious, frankly, and wanted to see how one proceeded. She found it approximated the tutors's meetings. Professor McGonagall asked about various students, particularly those close to any of the deceased. She wanted to identify any that she or someone else should try to engage. A few spoke up as to how they handled a traumatized student or one experiencing great distress. The acting headmistress tried to figure out if they should call on any type of counselor, but the routine of classes seemed a tonic in itself, as well as just opening up to students. It seemed both Professors Slughorn and Flitwick, if in differing ways, found a means to connect to troubled students in exemplary ways. Students responded to both equally well. Livia made a note of this, though she excused herself for interrupting, because it occurred to her to wonder to them why none of the students had engaged her over such things.

"That's a good question as to why students would seek out one person and not another," Professor McGonagall observed. "Anyone have a theory about it?"

"Male students might prefer talking to a male instructor," Professor Slughorn offered.

"Maybe some are more familiar with me," Professor Flitwick suggested.

"These are credible explanations," the acting headmistress stated. "Livia, besides the familiarity issue, perhaps some students think their grief does not compare to yours. They may think it hurtful to you to discuss themselves, given your bereavement still includes a spouse."

Livia nodded. That did put her on a different plane, in their minds at least. More than one class had seen his image that week, also. "I didn't wish to alienate them but maybe I have."

"I would not call it that," Professor McGonagall asserted. "From what I have heard, the students thought highly of your testimonial, and they have no complaint about your teaching thus far. I think many of the students will stay with your course owing to the latter, in fact. I like that you had them render their former book rubbish, both figuratively then literally, especially since you gave them materials in exchange for it. Will you seek reimbursement for this?"

"I wasn't planning on it," Livia replied. "If I hadn't come along, Severus could have left much of his insurance money to the school, so I have just given a tad of it back to you indirectly."

"Thank you – every bit helps," the acting headmistress said.

Since they held an early meeting in the resumed term, few expected it to last long. Livia returned to her room early, where she hung up his robe, now hers. She had gotten through her first week and found correspondence waiting for her previewing next week's trial. The ministry did not expect to require her attendance for too long, given the evidence. Davis McKenzie and Hadrian Stone expected her to bring the truth serum and arrive promptly before the trial began. Livia sent back an acknowledgement and gave them an estimated arrival time on Tuesday next.

Livia decided not to change and headed to meet Ben Spence again for dinner. He already sat in the same booth, this time on the side Christopher had taken, sipping on a beverage. He stood up the second he saw her and once more threw his arms around her. He took a step back with his hands still on her shoulders and remarked that either her condition or teaching agreed with her, as she looked particularly fantastic, despite whatever fatigue she felt at week's end.

"I'm okay, I guess," Livia stated. "I do what I'm supposed to do. How about you?"

"I think so," Ben responded. "I enjoy creating beautiful things that please people. Does teaching or anything you do make you feel happy right now, Livia?"

"Just doing what I'm supposed to do well enough that no one complains," she replied.

"That sounds like being satisfied – I mean _happy_ ," Ben said. "Can you be happy again?"

"I'm not sure I can answer that currently," Livia admitted.

"This concerns me," Ben put to her. "I know a lot has happened that makes this a ridiculous consideration right now. But don't forget it. File it somewhere."

"Okay," Livia agreed. A waiter took their order. Livia's requests began becoming routine. She seemed not to deviate. Both the server and Ben took notice but said nothing.

"How did the memorial service go?" Ben asked.

"Professor McGonagall read out the names of the students and alumni killed, and I gave the best version that I could as to why the late headmaster's death needed to be considered a tragic loss along with all of them," Livia recounted. "A choir also performed. I tried to do what you suggested. Here's what I said. I'm going to give Uncle Jack this copy for the board members to read. It seemed to work, from what I've heard. Yet none of the students still struggling with grief says much to me about their losses. I asked the faculty and one theory given suggests that they feel disinclined to talk to me because my losses seem so much greater than theirs."

Ben looked at the speech. Livia mentioned everything. It worked. "This looks good," Ben asserted. "I'm sure you delivered it well, too. Who was the boy, Livia?"

"It wasn't you or Christopher," Livia answered. "I don't know if I should say more."

"I see," Ben stated. "I suppose it's someone I know. Hmm." He had an idea, actually two: Bill or Thor. Bill seemed more likely. "Anyway, I could have guessed that students don't talk to you. They miss friends, mostly. You lost a mentor and before that, to them, probably the best friend you might ever have. That could seem overwhelming and un-relatable."

"You think I should say something?" Livia inquired.

"Perhaps," Ben replied. "Only if it reassures them, of course. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. The waiter brought food and their drinks and both nodded to him. "Since when have you become so sensitive towards such things?"

"I can imagine how they feel because I can't entirely grasp what you have lost, either," he declared. "Like them, I feel like my childhood was disrupted and encumbered, if for a totally different reason. Ted was the only friend I could manage independent of my father. In your case, I can only think that the second loss just compounded the first, which you didn't have much time to process as yourself. Still, you are far too young to let your losses rule the rest of your life."

Livia nodded. She hesitated in speaking. She did not know how to react. She preferred being circumspect. Ben sure tried his best. Sometimes it did more to push her away, however. "You still have to work through your own issues, I would guess, though I've never asked you about them. Don't know if I should. Maybe you'd be better off if you just gave up on me, Ben."

"Not until you forgive me," he retorted. "I can't let that go. Otherwise, the guilt will haunt me the rest of my life, as it began doing years ago. I prefer right now to process the rest myself."

"Now who is letting something from the past rule the rest of one's life?" Livia countered.

"Indeed, touché," Ben admitted. "But I did that. You did not cause what you lost."

"True enough," Livia said. "That fact doesn't make me feel better, though."

"I suppose not," Ben agreed. "It does mean I should try to address what I did, however."

"We should talk about something else," Livia proposed. "How goes the fleur-de-lys?"

"Great, let me show you," Ben stated. "I just finished it. Bill comes tomorrow for it." He opened a small box, displaying a beautiful brooch, over 2" in diameter sporting an intricate array of stones against a gold base and pin to fix it onto a garment. The piece additionally possessed a gold loop so that it could be worn on a cord or chain as a pendant, too. The small sapphires were baguettes and the most enticing, robust medium blue. The small diamonds inside and around it, of a complimentary hue, looked like a water lily. At least part of the fleur-de-lys shape became the flower's pistil. Livia found it quite exquisite that he could do so much on that scale and told him as much. She wondered if it could be his finest work.

"Yes and no," he maintained. "For the intricacy, perhaps, but I do not think anything can surpass what you wear. I am exceedingly proud of those and glad you wear them. I'm also pleased to say that I've heard from my mother. I'll see her this weekend before my birthday."

"Congratulations." Livia smiled. "Sounds great. Where are you meeting her?"

"You may well be surprised," Ben revealed. "I'm meeting her in a village tavern you probably know. It's in a place called Skaa."

"Ohhhhh, yes, I know it," Livia responded. "I confronted Nils there about five years ago. That triggered me returning his engagement ring. Hope you have a better memory."

"I should," he confirmed. "I'd like to invite her to move here, unless she has found a reason to want to remain there."

They soon ordered a dessert and had a few more drinks, hers much less potent than his. Ben thought just perhaps she would slowly relax around him. He knew a lot around her stressed her and felt she needed some sort of balance. As they finished, he asked if she needed to check in with her Uncle Jack. Livia thought it a good idea. So they walked together up Meade Meadow Lane to his house. He wanted to go in with her, as he liked seeing Jack once a week or so.

Uncle Jack just had returned from seeing Alice, Tom and Adelaide. They had received word from Phillip Beckford that the property sale had gone through. Livia wanted to know how long she had to go through the house. He said the transfer was set for 1 July, but her brother wanted to get an extension, knowing the time crunch with Livia teaching, among other things. He aimed for either 1 August or, at least 15 July. Livia asked if she needed to talk to either herself. Uncle Jack indicated that she did not, since they knew her schedule pretty well. Ben offered to help Livia go through the house, if she didn't get an extension. She told him it likely wouldn't help, since she identified her major activity: she wanted to go through every book on his library shelves, to see who had obtained what and what he had read there. Ben and Uncle Jack looked at each other, since neither understood Livia's fixation with this. Livia sensed it.

"I spent a lot of time with him," Livia recounted. "Some things I understood but not everything. Going through this might add some context to a very complicated relationship."

"I guess I follow this, but it throws me for a loop when you call what you had a relationship," Ben revealed. "The man was unfathomable and brittle to the point of being brutal to just about everyone, particularly outside his house."

"Not to me, though," Livia maintained. "Still, that's why I want to know what went on in his head. I knew more than anyone and yet he mystifies me, at least about some things."

"I think Ben's question goes to wondering why you want to know," Uncle Jack asserted.

"I get that," Livia responded. "Maybe it will address why Christopher pulled back from me in 1991. I lost a lot time there, and it's never sat well with me, especially now."

"That makes sense," Uncle Jack stated. "It's a fair point."

"I also need to give you this," Livia said. She handed Uncle Jack a copy of her remarks at the memorial service. "When I further collect information, and you get something from Harry, you can give it to the rest of the board in terms of commissioning a finished portrait of Professor Snape for the headmaster's office." Uncle Jack nodded, scanned it and made a file for it.

They engaged in some small talk before Ben opted to head home and leave both of them. He still ensured that he hugged Livia. He whispered to her: "I'm not giving up on you because I will not let you get rid of me. Will you dine with me next Friday?" Livia agreed and he left.

Uncle Jack noted that Ben seemed quite determined and had grown up a lot since breaking free from his father. Livia told him that he planned on meeting his mother that weekend. Uncle Jack liked how Ben had taken charge of his life. Livia agreed. Livia checked in with Ardith, the Barn Owls and the crows before saying goodbye and heading back to her room.

Livia contemplated how she could best go through Severus Snape's library. She supposed a number of things she did seemed odd to everyone. Her ability to think quickly supplied a good reason for her interest. She never did appreciate him totally, except that he had gotten in over his own head, if not both of theirs, in 1991. He had not acted alone, but he initiated at least some of it, particularly that December. Did seeing Harry cause that? If only he kept a diary.

Livia admitted that figuring him out obsessed her to at least some degree. Indeed, she had become like him, but she wanted to know him, the person who eluded so many about so much. She knew he would find this ironic. Maybe he would laugh for once at the strange parallel. For old time's sake, she softly put on one of the first things she played at school, near his office window: "Once Upon A Time." She changed, clutched her bobcat and went to sleep, trying to reconnect with the girl who would have greatly objected to her preoccupation with an unobtainable, dead man.


	56. Juggling Duties

On Sunday, Livia confirmed with E.P. Sanderson what time he would arrive the next day, 1 June, so that she could acquaint him with the classroom set aside for the subject and whatever assistance he wanted. Livia could tell him a little about the students as well as about how to tailor his presentation to various audiences. She suggested the younger the students, the greater chance that hands-on demonstrations would help, if he had a bat or skis or something to show. The youngest likely preferred going outside for a game, perhaps splitting up the time in halves. Then again, since all were getting over a difficult month, they all might enjoy it. She let Sanderson ultimately decide. Livia did warn him that students might try magic to compensate for the lack of skill, so he should try to work on one task, like hand-eye coordination in hitting, if he wanted to get students playing.

Livia also contemplated the observations students may or may not make on the periodicals she gave them. She had obtained some circulation information, so she understood the readerships by age, gender, income, interest and a host of varying attributes. She asked for something the older students would think a lot about, whereas the young ones might sense things but lack a vocabulary for it. She would have to prod them as to how an intended reader differed from themselves. She thought of character or aspirational traits, too. She tried to see that them getting everything possible was somewhat less important than using their brains and thinking beyond themselves or their own experiences. That task also might put aside their grief, if temporarily.

Livia further contemplated how to introduce Sanderson the day before he appeared as well as gently open up a potential dialogue about bereavement. She did not have a pecking order about the latter. She decided to draw a comparison to lost parents versus parent(s) rejecting a child. Who can say which is worse? We only can share insights, information or emotions. Qualitatively ranking starts a dangerous race, in her mind – detracting from the need to acknowledge it, digest it and recover.

Livia devoted some time to leaving the grounds and popping into the childhood home of Severus Snape as well. She set an order to the shelves she would go through and how she would mark something that she had gone through by stacking the titles on one side to remind her of her progress. She figured she needed a system of some sort since she likely would not be able to go through everything in one visit. Livia also did a thorough search for any hidden spaces where she might find some sort of secret stash. She checked the attic, below floors, in the back of closets. She found nothing – no shrine to his lost love, no toys, no childhood time capsule and no secret money squirreled away for someone to run away. If any of these had existed, which seemed possible given the ease Livia had in discovering such spots, the adult left with the house had emptied these long ago. She had only found a few additional clothing keepsakes belonging to a schoolboy, his birth certificate and diploma. Livia would prize these.

Looking again towards the library, Livia pulled out an old turntable from an obscure corner she missed, under an end table. Blue, white and silver, it dated from the 1950s or 1960s. Yet she found no records. She examined the phonograph's needle, and it appeared operational. It seemed significantly newer than the device. Had his father or mother used it? Livia realized she needed to rummage through his small desk, too, before taking it, then behind a few objects to see if an album remained there. She had no immediate answers but felt she had accomplished something in finding a few things and ensuring she would not leave something behind in a cubbyhole she had missed. With that in mind, she brought the desk and couch she had set aside to her cottage and returned to her room at school. She needed a nap. Anything related to him and that house wore her out.

After sleeping for almost two hours, Livia checked over her notes for her classes Monday to ensure she covered everything she wanted to accomplish. She had received a few books, but she knew not everyone withdrawing would return them immediately, so she had no idea what she might face. She also considered that some might want to hear Sanderson or Goldinger and then decide to eliminate the class. The students could wait about another two weeks if they wanted to do so, until the deadline for dropping the course loomed. Of course, to wait that long did not seem entirely logical, since the students would not gain a lot of time back. Mostly, they would avoid an exam. Livia already had contemplated her testing. She had simpler tasks she wanted younger students to address, such as rules for a game, and more sophisticated tasks for formal exams, such as describing how and why their former "textbook" amounted to an unsophisticated, baseless tirade.

Monday finally came and Livia got her chance to accomplish everything she wanted. She first discussed why pecking orders served no one, be they biases of status or some ranking of victimization or grief. She used the example of a student who lost both parents to her case, at the time, of knowing neither and being categorically rejected. Which is worse, she believed, amounted to an unhelpful, rhetorical question. She should not choose. Livia couldn't know because she only experienced one, not the other. She could compare that issue with losing a beloved sibling versus losing a best friend or a spouse. Such attempts at categorizing divide people and close opportunities for sharing emotions, perhaps even growing and coping better with and through common bonds.

Second, she introduced the guest lecturer for the following day, telling everyone she would attend a trial of a former instructor who had persecuted various people whilst a ministry official. A few knew who Livia meant, which she confirmed, and that Livia served not as a witness. Livia did not elaborate on her role, given the confidential aspects of a trial. Livia said that she looked forward to this defendant being rightfully judged and sentenced.

Finally, Livia devoted most of her attention to often lively discussions of what they read. They discussed age, gender, intelligence, status, interests and a host of other matters. Livia had to suggest categories to the younger students to elicit responses, but she liked the overall input. About four of five showed up who had attended the previous week, perhaps a little more. Almost all who dropped out came from Slytherin house, not surprising to Livia. Actually, the fact that at least a few members from there showed up on Monday proved remarkable. The overall total would dip some but still seemed healthy. Livia gave a reading assignment from their new book for her next class and recommended athletic footwear to all for their session on Tuesday, given the potential that E.P. Sanderson would want students to try a skill from a muggle sport. Then she would dismiss her class for that period, if no one had a question.

Livia took her dinner in the Senior Common Room to keep up with other issues potentially affecting her. Despite being shorthanded, everyone made the best of it. A number of the house tutors made great contributions. Hideki already figured out the strongest among them that he thought the acting headmistress should consider promoting to academic or general tutor. He also disclosed that he may return to Japan to teach, as the school there expressed interest in having him back. Nonetheless, he would leave only when their own situation became settled.

Livia did not have time to contemplate the matter, as she had to meet E.P. Sanderson that evening and give him a tour and access to materials he could use for his lectures. Sanderson seemed about 40, reasonably tall, athletic, with spikey brown hair and light brown eyes. He confessed relief that Livia would run through everything so that he could expect his demonstrations to go well. He created a batting cage outside to use the following day, also. Setting up his ability to show film or video seemed a bit more challenging, but Livia got it working, thanks to what she had learned about her own equipment. He got class rosters and everything he needed to have a productive day. Livia then ensured he settled into agreeable accommodations for the evening and that house elves knew when to wake him and deliver breakfast on Tuesday. With that completed, Livia wished him and them well and arranged to get transported to the ministry from the school the following day.

Livia then returned to her room. She would wait for the last possible moment to collect her potion. That 31st day of May should have ensured that it would work fully, but Livia knew the defendant gave airs as if she was extremely powerful. Then again, so did Wallace Wayne, Rodrick Spence and the Carrows. They had been easy enough to take down. Livia had heard some rumors about Umbridge's background, too. Given the possibility that she lied about it whilst asserting that Livia conned someone, Livia figured out exactly how to break her. Livia slept well that night.

The next day, Livia dressed carefully, ate, collected her potion and headed to the ministry. The prosecutor would call her to examine the defendant after presenting documents and testimony that he had collected earlier, including from Livia. Umbridge, a small, brown-haired woman dressed entirely in pink, attempted to deny everything, despite the fact that several people unaffiliated with the previous ministry gave affidavits about her behavior over a number of years, though she had those earlier charges adjudicated already. Here, among other things, she claimed she never met with Severus Snape nor worked with Rodrick Spence and only had minor dealings with Wallace Wayne. She attempted to blame them for everything. She merely agreed with that supposed rogue group that Livia was a fraud. That marked her entire defense.

Thus Davis McKenzie asked Livia to cross examine her. Livia hooked herself up to the apparatus allowing the jury and everyone present to see as she did. Umbridge was immediately unpleasant and arrogant. Livia wanted to know why, given her mania for blood purity and there being only one pureblood witch in the conversation: Livia herself. Umbridge tried to deny that.

Livia was granted permission to treat her as hostile and uncooperative and administered the serum. Livia asked again who her parents were and got the answer that demonstrated that she had a somewhat dodgy father and a muggle mother. Disowning her mother did not change her biology, Livia reminded her. She also revealed and castigated Umbridge's sloppiness in not even learning what Severus Snape reported about Livia's paternity, let alone attempting to disprove it. Livia further showed that the defendant's brother possessed no magical abilities, then requested to be treated with more respect for her own status. Between the serum and some perfunctory resistance, Dolores Umbridge cracked entirely, with her exposure being the catalyst for it.

Every witch or wizard she persecuted was named, even her harsh treatment of Harry Potter. Livia documented every endeavor to work with Wallace Wayne and/or Rodrick Spence, plus others, to go after presses, scholars and individuals, including Livia and her brother. Indeed, Umbridge had signed off on the use of a dementor against Livia in January, working with the Waynes, Carrows and Spence. Spence ensured she interacted with the Carrows. The effort of the rogue group to harass or discredit headmaster Severus Snape received intricate detailing, giving just one small reason why few at school saw him much during his tenure. Umbridge only possessed a cursory involvement in the union raids, but she never discouraged them. Though more closely affiliated with the Sons of Slytherin as an honorary member, Umbridge had completely served the goals of the Dark Wizard. Livia even told McKenzie to call her an apparatchik and collaborator. With her defense in shambles, the trial ended quickly. The jury simply matched testimony to charges to ensure their diligence would withstand an appeal. McKenzie told Livia that he and Hadrian Stone would take it from there; she had made their jobs easy. They likely would not need her again until Tuesday, 16 June, since the Carrows, overwhelmed by witness statements, seemingly had folded completely. So did numerous others. Hadrian asked if Livia was okay with that, since they never connected the Carrows to her husband's death. Livia said her uncle also had told her the same thing as she perched in his quarters. They never revealed anything substantive. The ministry still got them to accept 60 year sentences. They settled to avoid life sentences.

Livia then headed to the prime minister's area to inquire about the potential that her brother and sister-in-law and their daughter could use her connection to visit their great uncle. She explained the situation in detail to his assistant, first confirming that it would work and they could in theory use it. The assistant, a cheerful young, long-haired blonde witch named Sophie, said she would get the minister's position for her and let Livia know. With that, Livia returned to school.

Livia got a chance to have dinner with E.P. Sanderson before he departed and got a run down on his day. She asked that his batting cage stay up. She wanted to see if anyone could hit. He showed some daring moves on skis and ice skates from a number of athletes and gave students a chance to try hitting without magic. Some got frustrated but a few showed promise. He showed how a game appeared as well as a recent, epic performance by a young Panamanian baseball pitcher he could imitate. Sanderson showed them what hitting against that man would look like by speaking a little about the physics and getting himself to throw like him temporarily. Then he gave volunteers a chance against each other or a machine. Livia liked what she heard. Though they did not have time for dinner at the inn, they had a great time.

Livia wanted to see some of this the next day as well as start her discussion of what they read, a chapter that concerned various athletic events and achievements. She knew that hitting a baseball with a rounded bat counted for one of the hardest feats. A flat bat could make contact often, though not guarantee much beyond that. Sanderson said baseball was an especially useful sport to watch because he had a lot of time in between plays to talk about various things related to what they viewed. Livia would keep that in mind. Owing to Sanderson enjoying his day, he expressed interest that Livia would call on him again, if needed. He liked that he got more comfortable with teaching and hoped doing so would make him more versatile as a writer and scholar going forward. Having two young children himself, he especially appreciated the opportunity. Livia thanked him profusely, given the fact that the trial she attended went well, also.

Livia spent time inside as well as outside seeing how the classes got on in her absence. A number liked it and saw connections between what they read and what they did. They appreciated the required physical skills more. Livia even took a few swings against the seventh-year student considered the best pitcher of the bunch, the medium brown-haired male named Seamus that she had encountered outside school some days before. She just told the class not to expect her to run. Livia decided since Sanderson had taken them all outside that she would, too. Livia just varied how she treated them and what they did as well as gave them different assignments for the rest of the week. She thought about future sequencing a lot despite some consistent elements.

Livia found that the ministry did not need her then for their trials owing to the fact that she had thoroughly interrogated some defendants and others just wanted it over. She forwarded a few affidavits via Baldur Bodlington, who she slowly befriended. The ministry projected that they would need her against the Wayne sisters, though witness statements had destroyed their masks of innocence. The ministry would confirm the trial date shortly, tentatively 16 June. Hadrian told her that many potential defendants made deals or testified against each other just to avoid her, if not Alastair. Concern about the latter had travelled far. This sped up putting cases against both Wayne sisters together. Like Alastair, Livia intimidated without being present. Many did not know her name, only that the ministry could make anyone and everyone cave though some secret weapon of theirs. A few compared her skills to those of the Dark Wizard himself, since a few oeople successfully had lied to his face, though no one could think of an individual who as yet did that to her. Livia could take comfort in knowing that the one person who ever successfully lied to her had lied much more to him and those lies to him had possessed far more importance.

Livia attended part of the tutor's Friday meeting to give a rundown on what she had done as well what E.P. Sanderson set up for her. They liked the hands-on play, especially given the weather as well as its contrast to the dire stakes and consequences of a month ago. Livia wanted to maintain that level as best she could – and try not to tap the tutors, given how shorthanded they were. That was her goal, at least. They appreciated that she kept them informed. Hideki saw one class outside, when Livia tried to hit against Seamus Finnegan. He liked it greatly; it looked fun.

Livia slipped into a faculty meeting to see what issues mattered to them. Surprisingly, no one seemed alarmed about academic issues. Students seemed to take their subjects fairly seriously, as if dedicated owing to the blood spilled on their grounds. Professor Flitwick noted the use of the batting cage outside and loved hearing the sound of children laughing again. Apparently, he saw Livia hit a line drive at the protected netting of Mr. Finnegan, pitching to her, and his surprised reaction got everyone laughing. It continued when Livia fell down as if he tried to brush her back. He didn't do it, but their banter made the students laugh more. Livia explained that a form of heckling or "trash talking" occurred in such situations during a game, even among adults. Livia had made them feel competitive without acting mean-spirited. Livia had not realized it, but her dueling practices had improved her hand-eye coordination greatly. The acting headmistress encouraged Livia to keep having an outside class once a week for even the oldest students to buoy their spirits. She thought it offered great help to the students at least as much as learning a subject. They had to become kids again, even the older teens. School had to become safe again for all of them, too.

Livia decided to walk the line between instruction and entertainment, the latter enhancing the former. For more mature students, she scheduled going outside for a game or sport every Friday, with some parameters given the day before. Younger kids got that and at least one game day indoors; the youngest mostly played. She established a list, featuring horseshoes, golf (putting), bowling, croquet, volleyball and bean bag toss among them, with a backup board game if weather cancelled going outside. She lacked space to play football nearby, so she let it go.

Again, she met Ben for dinner Friday evening, though she wondered at times why she did it. Maybe she should write to a former roommate instead, though she loathed to disturb her owls, unless Ardith could fly that far. She thought of walking in, saying that she forgave him and just leaving, given what she learned about his father. Still, she did not feel ready to forgive him. If she could do that, she might run. He did act extraordinarily kind to her, but she did not entirely trust that. He had done it before. Nils had done that, too. She questioned the authenticity of what he wanted, even if it had not become obsessive or unrealistic. Yet she showed up. It was almost his birthday, after all. Perhaps it did prove her weakness or Alice's joke, since he did resemble Tom.

Ben noticed that Livia still had her guard up, even though she dined with him for a third Friday in a row. He wondered if or when a thaw in her behavior would come. He thought he probably had said too much to her the prior week. He had to avoid dwelling on the past. Ben changed the position but remained at the same booth. He eagerly hugged her and asked her how she felt, to which she answered "tired but a good tired." They sat and ordered, with Livia getting the same thing. Ben wondered if she would take it badly if he ordered ahead of time, given her consistency. She seemed not to care much about it and told him she would not mind.

He asked about her week. Livia told him her cross-examination had gone well as did the outdoor activities of her students. She recounted her "trash talking" incident and the idea that she consistently incorporate some outside activity that got the students moving and amused. Ben agreed regarding the value of doing this. He expressed jealousy that he had not gotten to try hitting himself. Livia also described some of the physical exploits that Sanderson showed, and he admitted that they sounded like fun to watch, too. She also began more intently to go through the house to be sold shortly. He lamented that she felt that she had to do that herself. He wished she would at least ask someone like Uncle Jack or Shelley to help her, if she would not ask him.

"I appreciate your suggestion," Livia said. "But no one will know entirely what I want to find. I'm not even sure that I know. I have to judge it as I go. For example, I found an old, somewhat shabby turntable that probably belonged to a parent but not any records yet."

"Maybe he never used it – like you said, a parent could have bought or borrowed it."

"I looked at the needle it requires to function," Livia stated. "It looked newer."

"What does that mean?" Ben asked.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing that he used it – but I didn't find an album."

"Maybe he listened to something that reminded him of his childhood," Ben suggested.

"Plausible, but why didn't I find whatever it was?" Livia inquired, puzzled.

"Good question," Ben admitted. "Perhaps you just didn't look in the right spot."

"Indeed," Livia agreed. "I try to be systematic." She changed the subject. "How did it go with your mother? Is she moving here or staying there?"

"I got the impression that she wants to stay for now," Ben recounted. "She looked great and seemed very content. She felt relieved that she can divorce safely with my father in prison. I think she's also taken a fancy to Lars Oliver Stewart, the wand maker in that town. He moved there decades ago, I believe. He's a widower."

"That would be my ex-fiancé's employer, right?" Livia queried.

"Yes, it is," Ben affirmed. "She's met Nils, in fact. Small world sometimes. He might slowly take over that business. Speaking of which, I have other news of my own."

"What?" Livia asked.

"I finally secured a space in London's Diagon Alley for a shop and found the right two people to run it for me," Ben answered.

"Great – who?" Lived inquired.

"Shelley and Liam O'Neill," Ben replied.

"You're kidding," Livia pronounced. "How did that happen?"

"Well, they had done work for Liam's family in Ireland for a time," Ben told her. "I think the family has a distillery. They wanted to move and were looking into a few opportunities when I got word to Shelley that I wanted a branch in London and to apprentice someone to make at least some of the established lines of items I sell. Liam showed an interest. He has a steady hand and a decent eye, so it worked out. Moreover, Shelley innately understands how to run a business; she might be much better at it than me. She could even give Liam creative ideas, too. In any case, they can represent me for custom orders I complete, but she also can sell whatever he or I make or even they make together. I think they liked being close to Athena and Ted, especially Shelley."

"Blimey, that's great," Livia said. "It will be nice to see them more often. I have been giving my owls a break, given their eggs will begin to hatch in perhaps a week or so. Thus, I haven't been writing much, except when I have used other owls."

"Shelley definitely wants to be here in October," Ben asserted. "You will be here, no?"

"Perhaps, but I want valid birth certificates in Cambridge, too," Livia answered. "I might have to ask Baldur Bodlington how I can do this. I also need some more advice from Molly Weasley on twins. She's had them, obviously. I have no idea how this will go. I have to finish a few things first, so I have put this off."

"How concerned are you?" Ben asked.

"Well, my anxiety grows as I do, I guess," Livia responded. "Alice didn't have a pleasant experience, but Molly had seven kids and didn't seem to think it that big a deal. Already she has made some great suggestions to me of things to read. I almost got the sense that my potions can exceed muggle drugs, or there are other ways of making the event less traumatic."

"I never had the impression that childbirth is hugely difficult here," Ben stated. "Just uncomfortable. I'll ask my mother tomorrow, since I got her to agree to visit me."

"Good – do you have a birth certificate, or is you name just registered?" Livia inquired.

"I have both, I think," Ben replied. "That is, the former is really a longer form of the latter here. The latter works for those born elsewhere. I don't see why you can't get the former for your twins, if the location is known. Perhaps Bodlington can arrange for you to see someone here."

Livia nodded, recognizing how to proceed. She wanted to anticipate any conditions or contingencies. Flexibility seemed highly desirable. After all, Livia had to think for more than herself as well as long term. She could not remain guided solely by her own preferences.

Having finished dining, they walked back to Uncle Jack's house. Both went in to see him. Again, he had just returned from Cambridge, suggesting to Livia that they should go some Friday to see everyone there. Ben had one problem, a potential that they left him out.

"No offense, Jack, but you aren't trying to eliminate the only time I get to see your grandniece, are you?" Ben asked.

"I guess not, but that is up to Livia," Uncle Jack answered.

"Oh, so you're putting it on me now," Livia responded, a little sarcastically. "Maybe you'll have to pick a different day, Ben. Or do without me."

"At least until your family decides I'm welcome perhaps."

This situation could become contentious, Livia saw. If Ben had protected their address from the people dispatched to bother them, they would appear ungrateful to deny him this. "Tom and Alice may not be so inclined, especially given the fact that I did verify that people did look for them. Even if I had not confirmed that, Thor Thornton did."

"Whatever you and they decide, Livia," Ben asserted. "I'll see you on a Sunday, if you won't see me on a Friday. Don't shut me out, Livia. I couldn't bear it now."

Livia could see Ben looked pretty determined. If she tried to use Tom and Alice to get rid of him, he could pester her more, even. Did she have the heart to ditch him entirely? She didn't know what she would do with him. Where had she heard that before? Being uncertain about him continued yet felt novel or just alien to her. She once acted more decisively. Maybe she couldn't wrap her head around this because so much else went on.

"I'm not sure I want to pick anything," Livia disclosed. "I'm thinking about other things, like teaching seven levels of one class subject, a house being sold and whatever the ministry throws my way. I don't even want to think about October entirely right now, much less what I should get Tom for his birthday in July. One day at a time, you know."

"Yes, Livia," Ben reassured her. "You have quite a lot ahead of you, short term and long. I would like you to meet my mother, though, too. Could you do that in the next month or so?"

"I suppose," Livia agreed. "Why not?"

"I will set something up with her," Ben said. "See me next Friday then?"

"Okay," Livia affirmed. Ben left shortly thereafter.

Uncle Jack wanted to know if Livia had any intent regarding him. Livia didn't know. She just tried to get through her day-to-day life, as if on autopilot. He nodded. He added that Tom got her an extension for the property to change hands on Monday, 20 July. Livia felt relieved that she could take some time there. Otherwise, she didn't feel up to making decisions about anything. Uncle Jack couldn't decide what to tell Alice and Tom. She didn't know herself. She concentrated on other things. She confirmed Ardith and the rest her owl and crow friends felt good and left. She had time to make decisions later.

Livia returned to her room and confronted all the things there that she had put off. Being in her condition didn't seem conducive to many actions with long-lasting implications. So she looked at the next steps in defining what she should do the following week for her classes, in terms of what readings or assignments as well as what they could do outside. She wanted two horseshoe pits, which she set up on Saturday. She had an idea for other things, too. She made a list of them and indoor alternatives. She had multiple copies of various board games ready to use as well as a few Dr. Seuss books such as "The Lorax." The book had a cartoon adaptation, too.

With confirmation by the ministry, Livia used Odin to give Goldie Goldinger the date of Tuesday, 16 June to talk about politics or political systems, since she would attend one, possibly two, trials. Goldinger's topic sounded erudite and difficult, but he had a reputation for being the most ebullient, engaging lecturer. He could make French Revolutionaries using the guillotine seem entertaining, though he wouldn't talk about that. No matter how boring or serious, he remained easy to hear, easy to understand and easy to like. She knew her students could test this, but the man hadn't gained his reputation for nothing. He could do mock elections for small students. He agreed to the date she gave, which provided the opportunity for students to read ahead.

Despite the extension, Livia got away for a bit of time on Sunday to look through some drawers near where Severus Snape's desk had sat in his home. Everything seemed so impersonal initially. Anyone could have lived there. She never found an extra cheque book. What little he had she found at school. The parchment at his home was blank. It almost seemed like he hadn't existed there. A few drawers actually contained nothing. Finally, looking behind this cabinet near the phonograph, she found a single vinyl album standing up, almost lost in the darkness of the room. It had been broken badly, but had ever so tiny marks as if someone had fixed it carefully. Livia realized it likely came from the music collection her club amassed at school, which vandals had destroyed in 1991. It was Elton John's _Madman Across the Water_. The first song on it was "Tiny Dancer." He salvaged it and restored it. Why? She never found in him a shred of sentimentality – or so she thought. It worked without skipping. Livia cried as she played it. She hurt remembering that dance in 1989. Would he ever explain why he kept it at home?

She returned home with the album and player but napped again at school. Livia could only stand being at that house in short doses, that the shortest. Finding his only record devastated her. He lied? Or what? Why didn't he return it? Did he play it? He couldn't have, could he? Only he could answer. She realized that she could drive herself insane just visiting his world. She needed to remember who she was and what she must do before bereavement got the better of her.

Livia felt somewhat better after she returned, napped and woke up, as if from a bad dream. At least she would not have to ponder either the album or turntable in her room at school. She had enough to do there. She visited the Senior Common Room, just to find someone who might talk to her. She found Isabelle, who seemed enlivened by the work she did, both in grading for the acting headmistress and in teaching some classes herself. Livia liked her enthusiasm.

"Do you think you'll get a chance to teach full time?" Livia inquired.

"It's possible," Isabelle replied. "Professor McGonagall reviewed some of my assignment grading for her and sounded pleased with it. I really think you helped them see us differently."

"You are doing that yourself," Livia responded. "Add the circumstances leading them to need to rely on us. If we prove trustworthy and competent, why should they proceed to look anywhere else? They know us, the students know us. I presume you will apply for her post should she stop teaching entirely."

"She has not decided the timing of that, which may help me," Isabelle stated. "If she does not make a clean break, she can look for me to take over for her gradually. So no search."

"Have they advertised for any open position?" Livia asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Isabelle answered. "Given the Carrows's lack of credentials, I can't see why they wouldn't try us now. Anyone off the street could be better than either of them."

"I can't see teaching this fall, though," Livia stated. "Surely, everyone knows that."

Isabelle nodded. Few people admitted that Livia's condition existed. She never discussed it, and her robe disguised it. Isabelle didn't think the acting headmistress or the governors forgot, however, given the death of her uncle. What the school would do mystified her, though.

Livia decided to ask her about the record she found. She tried to make it neutral as to whose possessions she had searched. She asked what finding that record meant.

"What is the significance of it?" Isabelle put to her. Livia told her she listened to it during the 1980s while forced to live in London between 11 and nearly 13. She started mimicking voices and singing songs like that. "No, I mean the significance to you and him." Livia recounted that Professor Snape likely heard her singing it whilst reviewing her memories as a child and that Christopher requested it at a dance in 1989; his uncle suggested it. "Somebody remembered – that's rather sentimental to me. I never thought of him as able to recall things like that." Livia couldn't view it as sentimental in either person. There had to be another reason. "What was he doing before that?" Livia told Isabelle that he upset her by trying to analyze what she could do to control her own thoughts and emotions. "If it calmed or cheered you once, why not repeat it?" Then why keep it? "Perhaps he wanted to give it to you as a wedding present and misplaced it."

Livia thanked her and hoped everything played out well for her. Taking over for the headmistress would rank as such a great opportunity. Isabelle agreed, especially given that the school rarely hired instructors of French, let alone Tunisian background. She felt honored and enthusiastic to carve a path for others to follow, not just tutors. Livia asked her if she internalized the acting headmistress's sense of style and taste or had her own. She felt both came into play, though she wanted to establish wholly objective criteria in terms of patterns or ornate imagery. She knew Livia's aesthetics had once clashed with Professor McGonagall's a bit, and she wanted to take that issue out of any assessment. Precision and control mattered more than taste.

Livia's week started off strongly, given Livia drifted into subjects of cultural relevance and would get to her favorite subject, music. Livia clearly regretted not becoming a virtuoso instrumentalist. Of course, the everyman sport of "air guitar" made them a "rock star," a term she had to explain, too. Livia loved featuring things she owned or things she could show them, even if everyone laughed at "outing" her crush during "Live Aid." Of course, someone just had to ask her about hair. What was it about so many of these male musicians there and long hair? She explained the cultural sensibility of musicians equating it with freedom or rebellion. Some formed "hair bands" during the 80s, in fact. She showed them poster images she had in Durham years before. Someone in at least one class had to then ask what band the late headmaster had been in, drawing much laughter. Livia then made it an exercise to come up with band or artist names and song titles for him. "I Hate Your Potion" from Sniping Snape seemed popular. She let younger kids think about it whilst the older ones did research. Others asked if she could sing as him and she did. She sang "Sympathy for the Devil" again, which she told that class was full of historical references. She made it an assignment in a few classes to see if groups of students could tease out one; she spelled "blitzkrieg" for them and other useful terms. She told them how much her former roommates would laugh if they knew that singing as him would become class material, since they had enjoyed her doing it for years. She even sang as him at a friend's wedding. Sharing a good laugh helped everyone, she thought.

Was she a teacher or a dancing monkey? At that point, they were interchangeable. They learned interesting things, but they needed a release through humor as a form of therapy. Perhaps that was why few wanted to talk to her about bereavement. Laughing worked better for everyone. It felt like a learning vacation or educational entertainment. A few instructors found it surprising that she did a vocal impersonation in class, but given that the students paid attention, learned and seemed better adjusted, no one complained.

Very early on Wednesday, 10 June, ministry official Hadrian Stone arrived at the school with the sole purpose of finding Livia. There had been an uprising overnight at Azkaban prison, where most living allies of the deceased Dark Wizard resided. Officials had recaptured most of the prisoners, relocating them to other, secure structures until the last three were subdued. Livia asked who remained loose. Hadrian told her that the Carrow siblings and one recently transfigured werewolf, related to the much-feared Fenrir Greyback, remained on the building's exterior roof. They had a pair of hostages, guards there who they had disarmed. Security officials ringed the recently-established kilometer perimeter as well as in strategic locations away from the structure to kept anyone away who might help them escape. Hadrian knew that Livia had successfully dealt with both and wanted her close to the site with the ministry officials working to resolve the situation.

Livia got word to Hideki to get a house tutor or another proctor to administer IQ tests to her classes that day, as she needed to assist with a prison break. She told him where she had rosters and the test. She wanted that person to emphasize the purpose had nothing to do with their grades, only her knowledge. She would return to get them. Thus she set off with Hadrian.

Hadrian and Percy Weasley had set up an off-site command post with a great vantage point. Additional team members took up positions near or around a land perimeter created by prison officials. They'd brainstormed how to approach the three. Livia asked Percy who remained in the building beneath the roof. She suggested the hostages could escape via holes in the roof and descent to the floor below, if they could cushion the falling hostages. Livia had an idea for neutralizing the werewolf, potentially the most dangerous of the three up close. She asked who at the ministry possessed the best defensive skills. Percy believed the best was the minister's young assistant, Sophie, hired to protect the prime minister. Livia then asked how good she was with a broom or another method of air travel. Given her skills, he thought she would prefer an animal that she could protect from harm, as it could solely concentrate on their movements.

Livia asked that he get Sophie and her means of travel. Livia changed her outfit to a type of flying suit that was flame retardant, almost indestructible, yet still displaying her necklace. Sophie came and Livia told her what she had in mind. Sophie would draw the bulk of their attention and, if she got the chance, put holes in the roof so the hostages fell through them. Livia would transfigure the werewolf, considered an extremely difficult task, then subdue the Carrows. If Sophie got a shot to trip up or disarm either sibling that would work, also. Livia would concentrate on defeating them. Livia simply needed a broom and she would get the job done. Livia warned them to ensure there was not an underground means of escape or use of water around the island prison. Everyone assured her that these were watched and beyond use.

Livia and Sophie set off during mid-morning. After activating her necklace, Livia took a higher route, which gave them an inability to see who came at them. The suit didn't help them identify her, either. Sophie immediately drew attention from both Carrows, but successfully protected herself and her animal. When sister Alecto went after the hostages, Livia executed a dive move and blasted holes in the roof, one stopping Carrow. Both hostages fell to the floor below. Alecto wound up briefly down but saved herself from dropping through and tried to hit the source of the blasts. Meantime, Livia got a clear shot off at the werewolf, who had no defense against someone far away. Livia changed him into a Labrador Retriever puppy and crated him. Confined, he could harm no one and Livia ensured he could not escape, though he tried biting a few bars. A puppy was no match for titanium. Sophie kept the Carrows too busy to try to free him, too. Finally figuring out that Livia stalked her, Alecto concentrated on her, rather than worry about the puppy.

Alecto tried to make Livia's broom hot or start on fire. Livia sent it right back to her, making her shoes melt, surrounding her with a circle of flame. When she tried to jump through, Sophie got off a quick trip in the process of neutralizing her brother. The trip gave Livia all she needed. Livia transfigured the fire circle into first a type of construction equipment jaws that surrounded her, then it turned into a tall, skinny pipe that encircled Alecto in an eight foot wall. She covered the top with a type of barbed wire. The only escape, through the building's roof, would have put her in the hands of armed officials and the former hostages. Livia toppled it and put the same wire on the open side. Alecto was surrounded and restricted, rendered immobile. Her attempts to break the wire or melt it only made the material blocking her escape stronger.

Amycus landed nothing substantive against Sophie, though she hadn't tried to subdue him. He realized she had just stalled him and, with his sister disabled, he tried to flee before the other figure, visible as Livia, could get him. He made a hole in the ground on one side and scaled the wall down to it on a rope. Livia turned his clothes into a sticky sort of jell that stuck to the wall as well as rope, hindering his descent. Meantime, Sophie landed on the roof, sure the two prisoners there could do nothing. She disarmed Alecto, ultimately returning the wand to a former hostage. At the same moment, Amycus tried to jump into his hole, but Livia put a large, spiked piece of plywood on top of it that he fell onto and stayed, entirely stuck. Livia disarmed him and added a second piece; Amycus became the filling of a strange sandwich, since Livia bolted the bottom piece onto the ground. On the roof, Hadrian helped Sophie reestablish authority over the two prisoners whilst Percy arrived with Livia and took charge of Amycus. Apparently, Livia's name recently had become a topic inside the prison and angered Alecto so much that she orchestrated a riot and escape attempt. It seemed fitting that Livia had crushed them, with help from Sophie. They faced an even longer sentence of 80 years and a new protocol of confinement further separating their cells. The facility quickly got repaired to resume operations.

After everything was sorted out, Sophie and Livia spoke about what happened. Sophie wanted to know how she transfigured a werewolf – and from so far away. Livia told her that spying him earlier pinned a location, but she had made the issue easier by changing his species and age. Why that type of dog, Sophie asked. Terriers fight more, Livia explained, so a Yorkie might make him less dangerous by being a lot smaller but not make him easier to control. Thus, she picked a Lab. Livia asked about her own relatives. The minister said that limited use would be okay, especially given the nature of the family tie between Alice and her great uncle. He wondered if in fact Alice might be a descendant of wizarding family who never acknowledged or developed their abilities. Livia did not know. She wondered a little herself but figured asking anyone might not go over well, so she never did. Livia could test Alice by what she saw, Sophie added.

Livia got back to campus to proctor the last two classes herself. She gave only a slight explanation as to having helped with a ministry emergency. She asked everyone to try their best, just so she could get an honest assessment of them by this measurement. She would explain its purpose later. She did not want to unduly influence their performance by saying too much about it. She reassured them again that it did not affect their grade, just a hypothesis she wanted to test with the overall results. She honestly had no idea what she would find. In a sense, this fed her curiosity, given students rarely, if ever, had to perform tasks such of those appearing in the test.

The students eventually heard something about the prison incident by another source, be it rumor, radio, newspaper or family member. Livia rarely got named in media discussions of the prison break, but most students figured it out. Livia became almost a celebrity there, if an odd character. She was a full witch with perhaps some of the most enviable wand skills around teaching Muggle Studies courses like a native. That profile did not even include her mimicry.

Livia received congratulations from most of her former roommates. She happily replied to all. Only the touring players, Don and Barry, did not immediately write her, but eventually they did, too. Livia was glad to use their owls to send notes back to everyone. Managing a Quidditch club, Selene and Terence occasionally saw Don or Barry, who were well but often traveling or training and hard to reach.

Livia found that her classes did better than average on the IQ tests, with the mean above 126. No one scored above 151, however. They were still great scores, all well above the average score for the non-magical community, the hypothesis Livia tested. Though just a sample, the results suggested Livia had made an interesting discovery. She regretted Peter Schiama could not use it, as he seemed the most likely scholar interested in such a thing. Livia would have to write her own piece putting forward her hypothesis. She thought _The Journal of Muggle Studies_ might find it useful in its quest to understand how they differed. Livia also thought it interesting that Tom Woodcock had scored better than only a very small number of her students, though Livia out-pointed all of them. She wondered how the late headmaster or his predecessor would have scored. Of course, that idea had crossed her mind about the former years ago; she would have wagered that he tested better than her. Of course, testing adults usually meant recalibrating the numbers, though Livia wondered how appropriate that method was, given that witches and wizards rarely learned much related to the logical or maths concepts the test makers prized.

The next day, she revealed that she had scored the test but would talk about it the following week. She meant to continue looking at cultural accomplishments, particularly in music. In some classes, she continued with popular music or stuck with games. In others, she examined classical music, surveying what made it distinguished as such. She gave those students a fun way to learn about it by having the ability to play something she had gotten from home – a videotape featuring the best cartoon uses of such music. She could play part of the composition then show something like the cartoon "What's Opera, Doc?" The multiple layers of learning appealed to many, from the humor of the animation to the music appreciation. She really loved Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" but lacked a video. She asked one group what it might look like as an assignment.

Attendance in Livia's courses barely dipped below 80 percent of the students who remained. The school itself had over a 90 percent return rate, which showed much faith in faculty and staff. Professor McGonagall thought Livia herself had accomplished a lot, a tribute to the fact that she had judged student needs well in terms of frivolity, learning and routine. Perhaps they did not discuss grieving to Livia because they healed together.

Those figures put her in a good place. Receiving a letter from a reporter asking her for an interview regarding Severus Snape, the subject of a book project, conversely gave Livia much dread. She knew she could speak perfectly well about him, and had, but the writer pursued an agenda. Livia thought it best to ignore the request and deal with the woman, a reporter and columnist, whenever forced to run into her. She would answer a few questions but had no time or interest in more. She wanted to teach, she desired to perform ministry tasks, she needed to go through the house she inherited and she had to prepare for how her life would change in October.


	57. Confronting the Past & a Book Project

On Friday, 12 June, Livia had most students play horseshoes, a summer activity often associated with living in certain rural areas or attending a picnic or barbeque. Of course, everyone had to pay attention to not get hit by stray throws. Livia got them to consider why people did such a thing, which made for a positive discussion. Livia decided to extend the use for another week with a little tournament. Given adults in the British Isles bet on just about anything, she allowed tiny wagers for losing teams on further matches when they no longer played, to give idle students a rooting interest. She even assigned a few to create odds for teams winning and covered the "house" to make funds available, though if they did well, they kept the money. She had set up work for the next week before heading outside to play. She emphasized to older students that completing assignments well continued to enable her to schedule such fare. She justified the play by the work, thus encouraging them to continue performing successfully. They took this to heart.

Livia took in portions of the tutor and faculty meetings and found nothing unusual or problematic for her. It seemed nice in a way to go virtually unnoticed, since it meant no one found anything worth mentioning. The only issue that came up involved the IQ test Livia had administered on Wednesday. A few people, including the acting headmistress, wanted to know what Livia had discovered, in case the implications might affect them somehow.

"I found that the mean IQ for our students outpoints the average score of children without magical abilities," Livia stated. "It would be interesting to know why. It could be spatial awareness, it could be nascent skills. When I took this test years ago, I had some exposure to the concepts measured, whereas these students often don't. Of course, I was younger than them, so my prior knowledge didn't extend far. I had wondered about the relationship of intellectual gifts to other abilities. I guess this gives me some idea that thinking about a correlation has merit."

"What are the numbers?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"The muggle average is 100," Livia answered. "The mean of all the classes I measured was a little under 127, with the lowest 116 and the highest 151. Muggles consider anyone above 130 to be either highly gifted or a budding genius."

"You took this test years ago – why?" the acting headmistress inquired.

"I did," Livia replied. "My brother was curious because I could help him somewhat with his homework and he was six years older than me. He figured the number had to be very high. He hoped that, if it was high, instructors would tailor my schooling then to fit my abilities."

"So, what did he get?" Professor Flitwick inquired. "I think you told me, but I forgot."

"He put me at 165, but a teacher of mine decided to redo it, doubting his score, and got 172," Livia responded. "By the way, he's over 140 and so is his wife, which put them higher than only a few students here, which also intrigued me."

"Interesting," Professor McGonagall stated. "What do you think it signifies?"

"I'm still considering this," Livia asserted. "I guess it simply indicates that students here do tend towards being more gifted academically, but I'm weird anywhere." Everyone laughed.

"Livia, perhaps the smartest people should teach," the acting headmistress observed.

"That too," Livia said. Everyone laughed again.

Livia found a long sweater wrap to wear so she did not have to go to dinner with an academic robe to cloak her condition. She had gotten used to the privacy aspect of her clothes, even if many knew. She liked imagining it hidden so she avoided having to acknowledge it or discuss it daily. She didn't feel embarrassed; she just didn't want to deal with it too much until later in July. Somehow, that equaled a measure of safety or a buffer. She preferred not to be reminded about it when she had other, more pressing issues requiring immediate attention.

She tried to think positively of seeing Ben again. Was she actually dating him? Yes and no. It seemed more like meeting a friend, at least for the time being. Given what he had stated, she didn't know how he would describe it, especially in these circumstances. Regardless of how either described it, Livia thought that they should just move forward for the time being. She would confront the past better at some point, when she felt ready to address it. Perhaps he felt the same way, if for more complicated reasons.

Livia found Ben in the same booth, alternating which side he took. He told her that he ordered already, given her pattern. She did not object. He had heard about the prison break and wanted to know how it went. Livia gave him a full summary. He was impressed.

"So you've never needed your necklace?" Ben asked.

"No, not needed exactly, not yet," Livia answered.

"Maybe someone should have had more faith in you," Ben asserted.

"That or someone dreaded having to write a letter of condolence so much that he did everything to avoid it being even vaguely possible," Livia stated. "Christopher promised my family that he would look after me. Uncle Sev'rus honored this as well as what his predecessor wanted."

"Really?" Ben inquired.

"Yes," Livia replied. "Moreover, it devastated him so much that one time I saw him with the corpse of the woman he deeply loved that I don't believe he could handle doing anything remotely like that again. He tried hard to avoid that with her, in fact, and failed. It devastated him. That's the man you saw. So, if you want to think he overcompensated, this wouldn't surprise me."

"But you are not her," Ben noted.

"I could mimic her and 'remotely like that,' I think, works," Livia responded. "Just finding me dead would have brought back that nightmare and all that went with it. He suffered horribly from it. Even an echo of that trauma would be too much. He also intended for it to disguise my abilities when I first got it. By using it then, he could say I'm not talented enough to be noticed or recruited. He wanted to shield me both ways."

"I think I understand now," Ben concluded. "Regardless if disguising or overtly defending you dominated his thoughts, he had to be protective to preserve himself as well as you."

"Or what was left of him," Livia maintained. "I don't think I fully appreciated how painful that experience was for him until I handled his corpse myself."

"You didn't – did you?" Ben asked.

"Cleaned and dressed him myself," Livia answered. "I felt I owed him. I guess I didn't tell you. Then again, that is neither commonly done anymore nor a common topic to discuss. Still, I'm a clergyman's daughter. Rev. Woodcock would have highly respected what I did. I had to plow through doing it."

"I don't think you told me," Ben responded. "If Jack told me, I either forgot or blocked it from my mind. You make much more sense to me, even though I can't imagine doing that for anyone, especially someone I actually knew. He was so lucky to have you."

Just then Ben's order for both of them had come. Ben wanted to make a toast.

"To you, Livia," Ben pledged. "The most honorable, brave, smart, talented and beautiful woman I know. Any man not seeing it is completely crackers. Ask me, I know. Don't ever change."

Livia smiled but said: "I think you go too far, Ben. He saved my life."

"I don't," he retorted. "You should have melted the heart of Professor Snape, too, if he admitted to being human. If he even vaguely pulled his nephew from you, I think maybe he wanted you for himself. By the way, Ted told me your refusal to cooperate regarding a book about him hasn't affected the writer whatsoever. Story there is that she wants to argue that you're his daughter and everything else a lie to cover it up. Neither Ted nor I believe it, of course."

Livia smiled again but wanted to change the subject. "Well, your idea would have made for quite the triangle. Obviously, I'm not his daughter. You already know whose daughter I am, though Ted doesn't. Did you find out about your mother's birth experience?"

"Yes," Ben responded. "Not that bad. The right potions and help make it straightforward. You can sleep through a good portion of it, even. If you get aid from Molly Weasley, you should have no problem giving birth at home. I think Shelley and Athena want to have a child themselves soon, so they'll pay close attention to how things go for you. I'm not sure about Selene."

"Okay, so I'm an experiment for Shelley and Athena," Livia stated, then laughed.

"Well, I think they figure Molly Weasley could hold a class on it, so they want to benefit from her experience," Ben asserted. "You just give them an opportunity to know everything."

"I probably do," Livia agreed. "Speaking of knowing, I gave my students an IQ or intelligence test the day that I didn't teach. They're smarter than the average non-magical person, but many are not smarter than my brother, much less me."

"What's the breakdown?" Ben asked.

"They averaged just under 127, whereas the average muggle score is 100," Livia answered. "Tom and Alice are in the 140s. My highest student was 151. I was rated as no lower than 165, Tom's score for me, with a Framlingham teacher putting me at 172."

"Blimey," Ben responded. "That's high if you're maybe 20 points over everyone."

"Not totally," Livia asserted. "First, some dispute the test's value. Then there are muggles who can put 172 to shame. Someone scoring 200 makes me an idiot genius in comparison."

"I find that hard to believe," Ben said. "Besides, I bet none does a wicked job singing as Professor Snape. And I remember."

"Funny you mention that because I did it in class," Livia revealed. "The subject was music and someone asked why famous male musicians so often have long hair. Then someone asked me what band Professor Snape was in. I wound up singing 'Sympathy for the Devil' as him a few times, which I used to sing for the Weasley twins years ago. The students seemed to enjoy it."

"That must have been grand," Ben mused.

"It was a lighthearted moment and as such a good thing for everyone," Livia stated. "You are reminding me of that time Ted let you hear me sing as him, though. I think I told the room after you left that I did not know that Professor Snape could lure in young men."

"No, it was all you," Ben recounted. "You really took that impersonation so seriously. It was rather charming as it was funny. He should have been immensely flattered."

"He never said that," Livia said. "He told me it amused him, you know. He said he was surprised at how well I mimicked him, particularly the scowling. I listened to him every day for so long that it gave me a reason to pay attention but not get involved emotionally in his tirades."

"Your IQ is showing, Livia," Ben responded. "That has to be the reason why no one could tolerate him the way you did."

"I don't think it's IQ," Livia countered. "It's emotional detachment. Let me give you someone else's experience. Harry Potter was mercilessly picked on by Professor Snape. Looking like his father was enough, since he didn't like James Potter and vice versa. Anyway, I refused to watch most of it, and Harry didn't score high enough to take Professor Snape's advanced class. Yet he performed amazingly well when Horace Slughorn let him in and taught it –"

"Professor Slughorn is an excellent teacher," Ben asserted. "You would say that, right?"

"He is, but that's not my point," Livia continued. "Harry found a textbook with marginalia written by Professor Snape. I knew it then because I had looked at that book myself, put his comments into my own book and amended his comments with my own. Harry used the original notes, and he got appreciably better through them. That is, Professor Snape was a genius on paper to him but could never be that way in person. Because I removed myself from how Professor Snape acted out, essentially, I obtained from him what Harry could only appreciate on paper."

"That's still a form of genius to me," Ben concluded.

"Maybe but it's not entirely about intelligence." Livia changed the subject. "In any case, did you see your father's trial, Ben?"

"I did but preferred he not know," Ben revealed. "I had a hat and glasses cover my face. The statements you got from him, Wallace Wayne and Dolores Umbridge all figured prominently. Hadrian also testified and showed his memory of you capturing my father, when he tried to kill you and your unborn children. No one thought you or Alastair mean in questioning him after that. Everyone would have hung him right then if they had a tree. Your singing got mixed reactions – more about the tune than your performance – but not how you subdued him. You could be Albus Dumbledore's daughter from what I saw. Anyway, with all that, my father had nowhere to go."

Livia laughed. "Did they talk about the necklace and if I saved his life or mine by stopping his use of the killing curse?" Livia asked. "And did he have a defense for anything?"

"Not really," Ben answered. "At least theoretically, you saved his, you know, since those gifting it to you no longer live, but if I make another, I'll test it better to have an answer. As for him, he claimed he was secondary to others, but it made no sense. Then he just begged for mercy, since his family had abandoned him. He made it sound like his arrest had caused that, but the prosecutor, Davis McKenzie, didn't let it stand. I almost protested at one point, but McKenzie's masterful response stopped me. He must have known that I had resigned and left months beforehand and my mother ran away prior to that. His vendetta against you probably started with that Winter Ball in 1989. To him, I was supposed to go with Rhonda. He thought she would control me after that. Knowing his past, no one at his trial believed him, which was ironic, given how he tried to paint you as a liar. His attempted curse showed his true colors. He and Wayne got the maximum sentence. Oddly enough, I didn't see Uncle Aldrick at all."

"I did give Davis an affidavit covering my history with him. Percy knew and I likely said something to Davis about you, too. Aldrick may have said something, too, and also he may remain under house arrest. He could also feel enough lingering suspicion towards him to stay away, lest his brother implicate him in a fit of pique."

"My father would do that, too," Ben admitted. "A house arrest is likely the reason, though. If Uncle Aldrick worried about the latter, he would have attended in some disguise, though I'm pretty sure I would've spotted him or he would've tried to find me and speak to me."

Ben also informed her that a reporter for the _Daily Prophet_ had quizzed the prosecutor and Hadrian Stone about her. The correspondent, beyond covering the trial, was paying close attention to the actions of Professor Snape. Not sure of Ben's identity, he overheard her question Davis McKenzie specifically then tell him that she wanted to interview Livia for a book. Livia nodded. She had ignored a letter from the same person because she had a bad feeling about this biographer. Livia wanted no part in it but thanked Ben for telling her. The actual truth, stranger than fiction, would have interested the author, if she believed it. Yet Livia had no intention of confessing to anyone. The fact that the officials on trial dismissed information on Livia's paternity actually gave the reporter the idea.

The rest of the meal went cordially. Ben had to confirm again that his father had nothing to do with Christopher's death. She assured him of it owing to that group doubting her elopement. Livia even could laugh at some local events Ben described. She saw flashes of the Ben she once knew. He wasn't a bad fellow when she could talk to him like a person and not think about his toast or anything else. She just preferred any conversation with him not to entail anything too personal. Too much went on for her to feel vulnerable just then. She did not want to think about the album she found, much less Ben's armchair take that Professor Snape wanted Livia for himself. As if! She wished it were that simple. Nothing lacked complications, nuance and complexity with him. Nothing. No biographer could get that, anyway, so why bother talking about him?

Livia and Ben walked back up the winding Meade Meadow Lane to Uncle Jack's house. Livia relayed to him with pleasure that the prime minister said that Alice, Tom and Adelaide could travel there. Of course, she did not know how much any could see beyond that, but, once informed, they could decide what to do and she could judge what they saw. Uncle Jack first asked Livia about the press account of Rodrick Spence's duel with her and his attempt to kill her. He accepted her explanation; he realized why she saw no need to upset Tom and Alice over it. Still, he insisted she should be proud and wanted to tell Alice and Tom right away about them being able to visit him.

All three went to Cambridge, then entered Alice and Tom's house. They stopped Alice clearing the table. Livia finished it for her. Alice was happy for that and to see her. Uncle Jack told her that Livia had gotten word that they could use her connection to visit him. Alice's eyes widened. She called to Tom who had gone upstairs with Adelaide to come down. Tom seemed particularly delighted to see Livia and hear the news, if a little uncertain about using Livia's fireplace. Would anyone try it right then? Once Tom received reassurance that it was safe, all went to Livia's cottage. Ben demonstrated how to do it. Livia promised to follow him to ensure he arrived safely. Tom, handing the sleepy Adelaide to Alice, tried it and Livia followed.

Once in Uncle Jack's kitchen, Livia introduced him to Ardith. Tom couldn't believe she shared Ardith's little body for four months. Livia confirmed it. He thanked Ardith profusely. She also reintroduced him to Sevy, Brontë, Mel and Sydney. Since no one else came, they returned. Alice wanted to know how it went. Tom thought it amazing. He took hold of Adelaide whilst Alice tried it. Uncle Jack followed her and showed her around, then they returned, too. Livia let them know that she would hide the powder so no one could try it randomly. Kids could have the cottage over Christmas, as their own place, but no one would use this as a toy.

Of course, no one could answer how much beyond Uncle Jack's house they could see. Ben figured they could see his house, but beyond that, no one knew for sure. They might see differently than Uncle Jack, Livia or Ben. Yet they wanted to test Alice and Tom. After that, Alice and Tom and returned to their residence with Adelaide. Ben hugged Livia goodnight, deciding to use to network to go straight to his own home after confirming that she would meet his mother the following Friday. He invited Uncle Jack as well, telling him to extend the offer to Alice and Tom, to give Alice a night off from cooking. Livia and Uncle Jack then departed for his home after he left a note to them regarding Ben's invitation.

Livia asked Uncle Jack if Alice possibly could see more than Tom. She had introduced him to Ardith, who seemed happy to meet him, and reintroduced him to the Barn Owls, showing him their homes. Uncle Jack did not know, but they could find out at some point both when came to Scotland. He would like to test the idea in the future, since it held the potential that she could meet his late wife via the stone Livia kept. If this occurred, she should be able to see the school, too.

Uncle Jack asked if Livia had tried the stone herself. She shook her head that she hadn't. He wondered why. She explained she wanted to wait until she had gone through her uncle's house and until Sevy had raised his new owlet clutch, which would start hatching shortly.

"You think Severus Snape follows you?" Uncle Jack asked.

"Helena Ravenclaw did," Livia answered. "She would be in a better position to know, I think. He clearly has a stake in my future, at least for the next few months."

"Indeed, he made that possible," Uncle Jack admitted. "Fair point. He would want to know the outcome, at least. He didn't leave you that money for no reason. Alice and Tom still can't get over how much he left you. I'm a bit surprised, too, and I really should know better."

"He will criticize a few things I have done already, I'm sure," Livia suggested.

"Like what?" Uncle Jack inquired.

"Before Basil Forrest took him, I sang a song over his corpse, one he told me he disliked," Livia revealed. "I did it to annoy him, for old time's sake, I guess. He perversely liked being bothered, I believe, at least whilst he lived. I think it's the only emotion he allowed himself to have. I somewhat alluded to this in my testament for him."

"That is odd, Livia," Uncle Jack asserted. "Of course, he could be, also, but I've never heard of anyone trying to irritate a deceased person."

"A first time for everything, right?" Livia suggested.

"I suppose," Uncle Jack admitted. "What did you sing?"

"It's called 'Black Hole Sun' and it's rather intense," Livia answered. She explained a little about the cosmic phenomenon, since he needed just a short definition. "When I move my things from the school, ask me to play it and you'll understand. Maybe it was chillingly prescient of me to have listened to it years before because it seemed fitting as I sat with his corpse waiting for Basil Forrest to arrive for him. It was hard to just sit there quietly alone with him. At times, I thought I was dead, either with him or instead of him."

"I didn't know," Uncle Jack stated. "You didn't sit with him all night, did you?"

"No," Livia replied. "Helena Ravenclaw told me she would stand guard whilst I slept. I'm not sure what she would have done if anyone tried to move him overnight, though."

"She could have scared someone off or woke you up," Uncle Jack suggested.

"Indeed, those are reasonable," Livia responded.

"You really went all-out for him," Uncle Jack said. "I have a whole new level of appreciation for what you've said about him. You were a lot closer to him than I ever imagined."

"I spent a lot of time with him," Livia recounted. "Other than Tom, I don't know who I have spent more time with in my entire life. That in itself could justify why I felt I needed to clean and dress him myself. I had many reasons, though."

"Blimey, that is some perspective," Uncle Jack asserted. "I didn't know all that."

"Don't feel bad," Livia told him. "No one knows about all the time I spent with him. I did inventories and made potions just with him. I had private lessons with him. If he reprimanded me in class, I saw him alone afterward. I would pull pranks on him before his birthday, too, usually by his door or inside the front room of his quarters. I picked my way through security to do that."

"How did you figure out his birthday?" Uncle Jack inquired.

"Professor Dumbledore told me pretty early," Livia recalled. "He loved to buy Professor Snape gag gifts and gently tease him. That's how it started. My wand is much like Horace Slughorn's, so he told me to make Professor Snape see it to get a reaction. I did. Then he told me that if I wanted to annoy Professor Snape to wish him a Happy Birthday around 9 January."

"So when you saw Lily Potter sing to him, you knew when as well as how to do it," Uncle Jack deducted.

"Exactly," Livia affirmed. "He would also request it, even as it pained him."

Livia and Uncle Jack discussed the owls, her teaching and her upcoming ministry court work on 16 June. Then Livia returned to her room. She wondered if she told Uncle Jack a little too much but considered that Uncle Jack would have to know more in order to make a case for hanging his portrait with the other headmasters in that office. The man clearly needed to know things that could affect his remarks but nothing beyond that. She knew Harry Potter's testimony would matter more than hers. She had proven herself recently, but she was temporary faculty and a ministry interrogator whereas he, with his friends, brought down the most well-known dark figure at a mere 17 years old. He was famous before he became a student, whereas she was virtually nobody and remained that way pretty much until about six weeks prior. Only a few people had heard her name before then. She likely should not make a push until she had a permanent school post some months or years down the road, depending on how she got on with a family.

Livia opted to spend much of Monday, 15 June setting up Goldie Goldinger's appearance, including her assigned readings. She was excited and wished she could hear him. She understood him to be warm, affable and almost playful. He would have taken a couple of hacks at a student pitcher like she did. He likely would have the students call him "Goldie." He would talk to an audience conversationally yet have the type of content that seemed fully written out, laden with intricate detail so cogent and so easy to grasp as to be readily digestible. Could he teach the course for longer than a day? Maybe the acting headmistress had considered this already. After all, with the death of Peter Schiama, no one possessed a better reputation. The sole question was whether he would want the post, even for a short time as a break from his usual activity. Surely, the school would value having him for even a year. Livia needed to gauge his interest.

Livia also reviewed information on the trial or trials she would attend on Tuesday. Davis McKenzie hadn't needed her for either the prosecution of Rodrick Spence or Wallace Wayne – what she got them and Dolores Umbridge to say gave them no chance, the ministry told her. Both ultimately begged for mercy, or in Wayne's case, mercy for his daughters – and failed. In fact, Rodrick Spence made excuses and lied more, which just earned more disdain. Both stewed with their life sentences. Others were adjudicated, too; they hoped for mercy by avoiding Livia entirely.

Livia would cross examine Stephanie and perhaps Rhonda Wayne, time permitting, the enablers of their friend, Charlotte Stickler, all those years ago. Livia wondered whether either kept in touch with Stickler. Her name hadn't come up, but Livia thought that bullies and baiters like that rarely separated for long. Livia would mention that to Davis McKenzie. Based on what she knew, Livia realized the only people currently stupid enough to challenge her disliked her. Everyone else took her seriously. If Livia out-maneuvered those who dismissed her without trouble, what chances did anyone else have? Even prior dislike wasn't universal as a reason, either. Several Sons of Slytherin members who could not stand Livia opted to cut their losses and make deals. They probably remembered what Severus Snape said some years ago about Livia and accepted that he was right. Cliff Grand, Loki Loth, Bryan Stoddard and Tim Yew all admitted what they did, paid fines and served some amount of time, including house arrest. They never knew that Thor Thornton had revealed everything that they had done. They thought Thor's evasion of severe penalties related to his lack of participation in various raids or hunts for Tom Woodcock or Ben Spence, among many others. Thor had fooled them and subsequently led a better life. The minister's assistant, Sophie, began dating him and later they married.

If Livia could have justified it, she would have asked Alastair to go with her. Serum was wasted on these two, she thought. Of course, that would make her task too personal, and she checked that emotion hard. Both would pay significantly. She would ensure that she leveled both that day. That was enough. Livia maintained her focus both on Sunday and Monday. She didn't even want to become sidetracked by any revelations from Severus Snape's library.

On Monday, Livia retained her wits and discipline and held classes that provided a perfect transition to Goldie Goldinger's appearance the following day. One student, Luna, who noted her particular enthusiasm, asked her if she wished she attended his lectures herself. She admitted it. Livia did not relish her appearance the next day at the ministry and thought Goldinger's classes would be far more illuminating. She confessed that being an adult meant having duties that clashed at times with preferences. The best one could do, she said, was have the two coincide as much as possible. At least she hoped to see him at the end of the day.

After she finished her day, she met Goldie Goldinger to get him settled as she had done with E.P. Sanderson. Goldinger was an imposing, impressive man: tall, thin, with a pale brown complexion, with greying short brown hair and light brown eyes. Goldinger, who insisted she call him Goldie, dressed entirely in black, not unlike Severus Snape, except he wore a black cap akin to that worn by the prime minister. He possessed a striking gold medallion shaped like an ankh, a symbol typically associated with ancient Egypt. He told her that he also obtained one shaped like the icon the musician Prince had started to use as his name. Livia's eyes brightened and got huge, telling Goldie how much she liked him. She had seen "Purple Rain" several times and once had a poster of him in a room she had as a teen when her brother lived in Durham.

Goldie nodded his head, remembering a little about Livia's background. He wanted to know all about it over dinner the next day. Livia agreed, ensuring the classroom was set up for any graphic or video he would show. Livia got him settled in his guest accommodations and ensured the house elves knew what he needed. She humbly thanked them and him before letting him settle in and rest up for his classes. On the way back to her room, she made sure she would have no issue getting to the ministry on time for the proceedings. Neither session should be long, Livia expected, but both defendants were expected to make excuses for their behavior.

Livia got to the ministry promptly, nicely dressed and armed with her serum. Stephanie Wayne's trial came first. Some thought it might take a day, some thought it could take less. Stephanie tried to underestimate her own participation and blame others for the little she had done. Livia truly wondered about the girl. Better looking and more mature than her sister, taller, with somewhat darker hair, porcelain skin and well proportioned, Livia never understood why she provided cover for her sister or their friend Charlotte. No one would've given Rhonda much notice, especially, had Stephanie never championed her. Livia felt a measure of truth existed in her claim, though she had dodged her own culpability throughout her life. Rhonda gave her a shield.

Livia thought that understanding the dynamics between the two would provide a way into seeing what choices Stephanie did make. Given Stephanie showed hostility to Livia, administering the serum and treating her as a combative defendant came as no shock. Soon, Livia had her spilling everything she did and knew, which included her request that Charlotte Stickler join her on the raid of the Glorianna Gardenia's union offices and two other actions. Though this, Livia demonstrated Stephanie did more than just follow orders or go along with what happened. Whilst Stephanie did attempt to please her sister and father, she gave feedback and shaped what the others did. She actively participated and recruited a friend to help. She even paired Stickler with Tim Yew in trying to get his older brother interested in her friend. Livia likely would have had success with her without the serum, but Stephanie had zero defense against it. Livia even figured out why Stephanie seemed to encourage Charlotte to bully Selene years ago: it served as a vehicle for Stephanie to project and rid herself of her own deep insecurities. Still, Stephanie couldn't get either a member of the Sons of Slytherin or another member of the ministry to exhibit interest in her. Her own second-guessing gave men doubts about her, too. Wallace Wayne's ideal about her as a chaste and proper pureblood marital pawn also hurt her as a mature adult versus a teen.

Despite Wallace Wayne's pleas, Stephanie Wayne's behavior secured for her a lengthy sentence. Her recruitment of Charlotte Stickler, who did briefly date a member of the Sons of Slytherin, also drew charges against Stickler. Stephanie tried to apologize for her actions, but she had tacitly as well as actively supported those around her and thus showed herself utterly incapable of using any moral compass. Moreover, she chose to flee, knowing she had committed crimes. She also actively involved herself in the ever-changing moves to remain free. Davis McKenzie properly made the point that people like her allowed for the rise of much worse than her as well as enabled such people to flourish. As such, she couldn't get a mere slap on the wrist. The jury agreed entirely with a full 30-year sentence, with that term considered a minimum to become eligible for release. Active collaborators like her needed to be subjected to harsh punishment. Much later she had a chance to prove she could make better choices alone.

Livia then had a snack whilst various people scurried to bring up the next defendant. Livia had concluded her work on Stephanie Wayne even earlier than the ministry expected, though people knew she worked fast. During the break, the same reporter tried to talk to Livia about Severus Snape, referring to her book project. Livia deflected at least several questions and rejected a lengthy interview, citing her busy schedule and health. She only admitted to having been a very accomplished and grateful student taught by him who also carried his nephew's legacy. The woman kept trying to assert Livia started school early, though Livia clearly said she was 13 and started late, hence her desire to accelerate her studies. Livia showed her the inscription of her necklace to back up her assertion of being born in August of 1972, not 1975. The reporter further tried to get Livia's reaction to a theory that he had been her father, hence the inheritance. Livia looked down her nose at this woman and told her that he investigated her parentage as a condition of her employment, even if several ministry officials tried and convicted had ignored the sworn statement of his findings. Livia just told her what various people knew: her father had been a graduate from Slytherin in 1972, when Severus Snape was 12 years old. The reporter left but remained unconvinced that her pet theory held zero factual basis. Since her focus did not revolve around Livia, she made no effort to find out the precise circumstances behind her birth or matriculation. She never sought the original list of seven names, let alone the short list of four, including Aldrick Spence. Someone in the previous ministry even preserved the latter list. At least Livia had witnesses regarding the conversation, she thought. She pondered, though, how much mischief this woman might create (and for whom) by pushing her unsupported assertion regarding Livia's paternity.


	58. Psychotic Defendant, Meeting Mrs Spence

Still in the minstry's hearing room, Livia remained seated until after the break. In due course came Rhonda Wayne, stout and fairly short, to put it mildly, with dingy, dishwater hair, almost buzzed in length, either light brown or dark blonde. She had made it blonde for some years, but her incarceration before trial gave her no opportunity to maintain this. She still wore the modest, almost cheap, ring that Ben's father compelled him to give her in 1995, attempting to flaunt it before Livia by putting it to her own face, as if she remained engaged. Rodrick Spence compelled Ben to buy it owing to Alice having a similar ring. Davis McKenzie, of course, couldn't care less about such things. Still, Rhonda tried to blame Ben as well as Rodrick Spence for her behavior, bizarrely enough, as if she was swayed by both and lacked a mind of her own.

Livia got to cross examine her. Only when Livia stood up in the hearing room and re-hooked herself up to the monitor did Rhonda see why Livia might not care about her status with Ben. She wore what looked like an extremely impressive wedding ring and obviously was an expectant mother. Still, Rhonda tried to taunt Livia, despite the fact it failed to work in 1990. She apparently had nothing else, or Livia's situation didn't register fully. Livia noted this.

"My life does _not_ revolve around you, Rhonda," Livia stated. "I'm here to work as the ministry expects." Livia then got permission to treat the witness as hostile and uncooperative.

Under the serum, Rhonda continued to babble about things unrelated to Livia's questions, making crude statements about her former fiancé and his romantic proclivities. Livia found this tactic useful to a degree but not against her. Livia needed to break her with Legilimency and did exactly that. Livia showed Rhonda crying about Ben's frequent absences, begging Ben at work for a modicum of consideration, attention or affection. It thoroughly embarrassed her, even if only a ploy. In other scenes, she tried extracting promises and once attempted to impersonate his mother; Ben seemed unresponsive or incoherent. Livia turned Rhonda's boasts against her to get her to spill everything. After Ben fled, she closely worked with Rodrick Spence on various raids, to search for Ben and to go after either Livia, her friends or her brother to "expose" Livia's lies about her background. She, like the rest in the group, showed no interest in what Professor Snape swore to other officials. Rhonda proposed brutal tactics to use at every turn, against all sorts of witches or wizards, too – even more than Rodrick Spence had. This propensity included feeding Umbridge the notion of putting a dementor in Livia's room at school, with the Carrows providing access.

The unstable Rhonda Wayne often went after thin and pretty muggle-born witches, in order to immiserate their lives. It pained her that Hermione Granger snuck into and got away from the ministry, though she liked hearing that Bellatrix Lestrange later had tortured her. Rhonda wasn't above physical abuse like that, either. Ben's desertion had sent her into a spiral of fury. She directed her venom at anyone who even modestly thwarted her – either for real or in her mind. She pushed strongly for figures above her to pursue her vicious agenda and also enlisted aid from Stickler and those already sentenced. Still, she accepted no blame regarding Ben because she refused to admit that he permanently, voluntarily left. Rhonda additionally sought out the Death Eaters's direct praise. She even tried to compel Severus Snape to cooperate in ousting Livia Woodcock.

Professor Snape dismissed her in the most caustic way possible. When she threatened him beyond the hearing of the rest, he shut her down with his own threat that got her hastily to back down. Livia had some inkling of this and exploited it fully. He denigrated her over the fact that her zeal stemmed from her own failings, as vindictiveness, rather than any principle or concern for anything but herself. She tried to prove him wrong by showing him the dark mark she obtained for herself, but it failed to impress him. Livia smiled to see a veiled defense of her, since she knew exactly what he meant as well as what Rhonda thought he meant. _He played her so perfectly._

Finally, all of this activity led her to being the sole person in her immediate circle to show up at the school early on 2 May, though she quickly exited when a declared Death Eater victory appeared premature. She left in order to get her sister, father, Rodrick Spence and his brother to retreat into hiding. She also kept them together to evade arrest until Aldrick Spence's contact with another Sons of Slytherin member found its way to Thor Thornton. Livia already knew he would remain a valuable spy, so Livia kept his role under wraps. He possessed an effortless knack for finding out such things and telling the right people. He didn't even have to cultivate any spying.

Livia destroyed Rhonda Wayne by showing everyone exactly what she did and the ugliness of her heart and ego. She seemed utterly unaware of it, even after Livia forced her to show all the residue of her dark mark and revealed when and how she earned it. Losing Ben had sent her reeling, even if she dared not admit that he left her. She still ranted and raved about Ben whilst a jury deliberated her fate. Unlike Livia's taunting of Rodrick Spence, Livia felt Rhonda's rambling tirade served better as a soliloquy. Livia didn't need to unhinge Rhonda or torment her – she did it to herself. Davis McKenzie found it impressive that Livia could distinguish this between Rodrick Spence and the petulant, unbalanced Rhonda Wayne. He congratulated her for her restraint.

"It was pretty easy, when you think about it, Davis," Livia stated, as he scratched his brown mustache and jaw. "She gave a show that any jury would find so distasteful that she would have convicted herself even without evidence, though she gave that abundantly."

"I agree, though one is supposed to be trained to notice this," McKenzie responded.

"One look at you and a few jurors told me plenty – I knew the gallery couldn't stand her," Livia said. "In fact, I think one wished Ben Spence got hazard pay for dealing with her."

"Still, she said a lot about a bloke who's rather close to you – was and is," McKenzie observed. "She baited you. She wanted you to be jealous regarding her involvement with him."

"He's not the father of the twins I carry," Livia disclosed. "All she does is make me want to ask him a few questions, but I currently lack that close a relationship with him."

"I know he's not the father," McKenzie said. "Yet she could have upset a weaker person, since you do have a history. I'm a bit surprised that you didn't establish if she bore responsibility for Christopher's death. She seems very capable of arranging it, given her hatred of you. If she escaped justice here somehow, that charge would keep her locked up and require a second trial."

"Well, she didn't upset me," Livia concluded. "And since she barely recognized my situation, I found it unlikely that she knows much about Christopher being deceased. She felt the elopement was a story, as Rodrick Spence did. She didn't inquire as to what Severus Snape found out about my background, after all. I decided I didn't need to ask her, not if I wanted useful information. I'm sure that if she learned of his death, she would have taunted me. That would have hurt me far more than anything she did say."

Livia need not wait for the verdict or sentence, but she had several conversations there with officials that took up ample time. The reporter tried to get Livia to comment on her smile over Severus Snape. Livia simply stated that she appreciated his artful defense of her and his insight into what truly motivated her. The jury disliked Rhonda Wayne and her performance so much that they came back fairly quickly, ending the interview. Despite her father's plea, Rhonda Wayne got not a shred of mercy. If she had angled for an insanity defense, no one bought it. She was ruthless and heartless, not insane. Like her father, she faced a life sentence. In fact, her threat to Severus Snape would have earned a new charge had she not drawn the maximum penalty. The jury recommended the record state this, however, in case any charge(s) got overturned. Rhonda acted as if she barely understood it all, too busy trying to find Ben in the gallery and expressing her longing for whoever she decided was him. She set up an insanity appeal, though her choices proved she played crazy selectively, tipping off her agenda. The dark mark's residue proved her actual allegiance.

Ben did not attend. Ted or Athena could obtain a full account for him, if he chose to get it. He also could ask Livia. He only vaguely wanted to see his father, after all. He had seen enough of Rhonda Wayne to last at least a lifetime, he subsequently stated more than once.

The few people in the audience who knew him or knew of him thought it a wise decision. They wondered how he had managed to stay with her for seven years, even if he had spent weeks at a time apart from her and absent from the ministry. Livia understood some of the whispers. She could have asked him that herself. Those who had heard the rumors about his time away and possible mistress figured he must have coped that way. No one questioned why he had abandoned her.

Livia returned to campus with just enough time to catch much of Goldie Goldinger's last class of the day, the seventh level. His use of metaphors and humor made a seemingly dry topic crackle with interest and delight. He also commanded respect with his understanding of detail and ability not to lose his place by answering a question. He often took questions and integrated them into his narrative, incorporating discussion, or referred to them later, to remind students how bits of information fit together. He told stories masterfully. How an episode like the infamous "Gunpowder Plot" against the Parliament of James I in 1605 related to parliamentary supremacy and even democracy bowled over the smartest and best-read students. Livia made a note to herself to ask the acting headmistress how they could get Goldie to come back for some length of time.

Goldinger took a few questions, gave them their next reading assignment and seemed ready to dismiss the class when he noticed that Livia had snuck into the room. She, of course, had time to don her academic robe. He asked if she had anything to add. Livia only said: "Two trials, two convictions, one a 30-year sentence, the other life. Very satisfying there and here, since what I heard sounded insightful and excellent." Goldie then dismissed the class for the day. He waited until almost all had left before collecting his things and making sure that he stored the equipment properly. He came up to Livia and excitedly asked where she wanted to eat. She indicated that people in the area often used a tavern in the local village, where they could dine before he returned home. He agreed. Livia sent his things back to his room and they set off to eat.

Livia spent much of the evening with Goldie. He was as witty and interesting outside of class as he sounded teaching one. He found himself impressed that Livia attended Live Aid in London. They spoke about movies, elections, military coups and many other events. He wanted to know something about her childhood as far as how she knew so much. Both her years in Framlingham as well as constant radio listening in London gave her tremendous resources, thanks to her adopted brother. She considered herself something of a sponge between September 1983 and July 1985 because she became so bored and had little intellectual guidance. You name it, she learned it. Other things she learned directly from her brother, now a barrister, she told him.

Livia told him about some of the things she had done in class, and he found them amazing. He found her IQ hypothesis intriguing, having heard of such a test years ago. He also liked E.P. Sanderson's contribution. Livia agreed, suggesting he should appear there again. Students loved what he showed. She also had no idea that batting against a student could be so much fun. She liked sports lacking life-and-death stakes and preferred when strategy appeared important, too. He had heard about her musical talents, and she gave him a rundown of stuff she owned, things she did and things she could do. He especially liked using humor; he recognized how badly the students needed to heal after the disturbing events of early May. Still, he couldn't believe that a young female professor sang to her class in her late headmaster's male voice – so she showed him.

Livia finally got around to trying to discern if he might want to teach there himself. She told him that she couldn't really teach in the fall. Would he consider having a role, whether to teach this as an elective course or serve as a frequent guest lecturer? He furrowed his brow and asked why she wouldn't continue. She explained that she hid her physical situation from those who didn't know but a slight move made it obvious. He nodded, just grasping why the acting headmistress had gone out of her way to greet him. He hadn't considered this previously. No one had told him, and it hadn't crossed his mind when he first met Livia. He thought he might like teaching as a short term assignment. Goldie hadn't formulated what he wanted to do after having turned in his last manuscript a few weeks prior, when he found his old academic publisher. He liked having a break from his routine involving more than a one-off appearance. He took the possibility seriously. Livia also offered to switch places and make herself available as a guest lecturer, especially during the winter or spring. He replied that he wanted to discuss it with his family first. Livia became eager to tell the acting headmistress that she might leave this course in the best hands possible, after her predecessor had taught in the worst manner conceivable.

Livia paid the tab for herself and Goldie when Ben Spence entered the inn for a quick snack before finishing a project. He found himself pleasantly surprised to see Livia there with a distinguished older gentleman. When he approached, Livia introduced Ben to "the greatest living scholar of Muggle Studies" to whom Livia owed profound gratitude for guest lecturing whilst she attended two ministry trials. Goldie modestly smiled, not used to that title, given he had been friends with the late Peter Schiama for years. He had considered Peter worthy of the moniker. Ben shook his hand warmly and told the man how excited he knew Livia felt to have him there.

Ben wanted to know whose trial or trials she had attended. Livia showed some concern. She didn't want to say too much in front of Goldie, especially when she should see him off. Ben noted her expression and asked if she could meet him back there in about two hours. She agreed and left with Goldie. Livia was so delighted to interact with Goldie that she did not want to spoil it. Of course, he needed to leave, and she wished him well and hoped, sooner or later, he would return. Before going back to meet Ben, Livia decided she could not wait and saw the acting headmistress. She informed Professor McGonagall that Goldie, whilst needing to discuss his future with his family, did not outright reject the possibility of teaching there. Livia expressed how desirable such a situation would be and that she would also relay that belief to her uncle. Livia considered it the greatest possible outcome if Goldie taught there for even a year or two. The acting headmistress nodded and thanked Livia for inquiring and alerting her, so she could follow up on it. She knew enough about the man to agree with Livia's enthusiasm about him.

Livia retreated to her room for a break before meeting Ben. She did not relish repeating anything specific that Rhonda said, be it merely meant to hurt Livia or not. Did it hurt her? Somewhat. Livia may have avoided a lot of heartache had a lot of things in her past not happened. For that alone, Rodrick Spence deserved her enmity. Nonetheless, Livia had not pined away for Ben all those years. Her broken engagement as well as her present condition proved it. Indeed, would she even think about Rodrick Spence and Nils Nilssen after October? No, she would endeavor to forget about them and move forward. Besides, what should Ben have done? She did not know. She pondered how much Ben got duped or trapped, not entirely unlike what her birth mother briefly did to Lucius Malfoy. She first had to figure out what to tell him or what to ask him. She saw little wisdom or kindness in saying anything too honest or too explicit. Given the secrets she carried, perhaps she was the last person who should question him about his past.

That last thought seemed particularly just to Livia. She was the last person who should second-guess anyone's private behavior because most people would express shock or dismay at her choices. Even those she admitted doing might draw that response, let alone the ones she kept entirely to herself. Livia felt better, more relaxed, at letting go of any judgement. She chose not to criticize Severus Snape at 13, so why would she judge Ben Spence at 25? It felt right.

Livia met Ben later that evening, as she agreed, after first stopping by to tell Uncle Jack about Goldie and her desire that he teach there again. Livia apologized to Ben for not saying much to him, but she didn't want to talk about what happened in front of Goldie. That is, she thought that too personal and potentially embarrassing. Ben nodded. He had some idea already of whose trial Livia specifically referenced.

"You were the one to cross examine Rhonda Wayne, I take it. What did Rhonda say?"

"She had her trial after her sister," Livia answered. "She thought she could humiliate me by flaunting her ring and talking about you and her as a couple. She only dimly appreciated my situation. It showed me how fruitless it would be to question her about Christopher. She would taunt me about him if I did. She believed your father regarding me. She also tried to blame you and your father for all that she did, though neither of you carry the dark mark like she did."

Ben rolled up both sleeves. He had not even the faintest trace of one, which Livia knew how to detect. "I do not believe my father ever had one, either," Ben stated. "For all his many and sizable flaws, he missed that one, though I think he was too self-involved to have that dedication."

"I thought as much," Livia asserted. "She figured she could gaslight me if I got distracted by what she said about you. Of course, she likely conned herself, thinking you're still engaged."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I wrote it all out. Do I want to know what she claimed exactly?"

"I doubt it," Livia replied. "What I found showed a clean break. Yet people who attended also got an earful, whether she boasted truthfully or not about what you two did. I don't know how quickly such salacious stories will circulate, or how much you'll confront. It could get ugly."

"Ted gave me a terse warning, dodging any specifics, since he had other things to convey," Ben stated. "A reporter also asked me for a response to her, and I shut that person down before she could tell me many details. I just told her I had nothing to say about my ex-fiancée other than I had my reasons to resign and leave her, and I felt that justice was served today."

"So you know she got a life sentence?" Livia queried.

"Yes," he affirmed. "How did you break her?"

"Through negating her boasting," Livia responded. "She had little defense to stop everyone from seeing the memories of her begging you for attention, among other things. After that, I got her proposing to put a dementor in my room at school and I even got her coming here on 2 May but exiting quickly once it became obvious that the Death Eaters declared victory too soon. That's why you never saw her. She was the one who urged the others to go into hiding with her."

"Is that all she did?" Ben asked. He figured more would follow.

"No," Livia answered. "She contributed to several raids for the ministry; she helped recruit for that; she pursued torturing numerous muggle-born witches; she used ministry resources to try to find you; and she even suggested finding and harming my brother one way or another, so I revealed myself – as if I could. She was cruel, she was unhinged. She probably wants to set up an insanity appeal, but jurors disliked her so much that I doubt it goes anywhere. I think at least one gallery member felt immensely sorry for you and wondered how you could stand being with her for seven years. I could've posed that question myself."

"Are you asking me that?" Ben put to her.

"Not really," Livia revealed. "Part of me likely knows the answer and part of me just has to dismiss it. It's none of my business, really. I lived my own life. Who am I to judge yours?"

"I don't know if I should be happy or sad to hear you say that," Ben asserted. "I did spend a lot of time away from her, but I still wasted too much of my life. I was going to leave in 1995, but a property deal fell through, so I waited – even though it meant becoming engaged to her. At least I had more to spend and Jack became my neighbor, so biding my time wasn't for nothing."

"Well, I'm glad you have some idea about what she said," Livia concluded. "If someone said those kinds of things about me, I don't know how I would deal with it, other than try to erase people's memories of it. And I'm supposed to be less prone to being shamed like that."

"Oh yes, your testament…" Ben mused.

"Actually, I experienced far, far worse," Livia revealed. "I wouldn't tell the students that."

"Really?"

"Yes," Livia affirmed. "Gilderoy Lockhart started siphoning off memories from Nils Nilssen who listened to his awful teaching. Perhaps he wanted to teach better, but I believe he just ensured Nils couldn't complain about him. I knew what he had done when he started calling me a pet name Nils used and acted way too familiar with me, as if he were in a relationship with me."

"You think he saw –" Ben began.

"I know he did," Livia stated. "You don't even want to know how I know – it gets worse. He pilfered a lot. He remembers nothing now, after trying to erase someone else's memory with a defective wand. The spell rebounded. Anyway, I decided I should talk to you about this alone."

"I appreciate that," Ben told her. "You really aren't upset at all?"

"I survived that then and, well, I have gotten over this now," Livia responded. "I'm no saint, obviously. Both of our lives probably would differ if your father hadn't wanted to control you and made my background one pretext for it. Still, I only lament that people died over one disturbingly evil man's ideas and ambition. I can't regret those about to be born."

"I know and agree," Ben affirmed. "I wish I would've run away with my mother to avoid Rhonda, though I don't see how that would have helped us. We can't 'what if' the past, really. We lack the means to change it, I believe. I just hope you'll forgive me so I have a clean slate."

"I'm not sure," Livia asserted. "I need time. I still have to digest things."

"I'll take it," Ben declared. "If you don't reject me outright today after what I only can imagine she said, it gives me hope."

Livia soon walked out with him. Ben insisted on hugging her again and wanted to walk back to her room with her, but she dismissed the necessity of it. Moreover, she had work to do for her classes the rest of the week, first in following up Goldie's brilliant day. Then she needed to finish preparations for her upcoming lessons, assignments and the activity she expected everyone to do on Friday. She told him that she had so much fun teaching this course that she would be sorry when it ended, which would occur in about a month. She did ask if Tom and Alice would come with Uncle Jack on Friday. He said that they hadn't finalized arrangements regarding what to do about Adelaide. Ben thought Tom's father might watch her. Livia thought that a nice idea.

The rest of Livia's week seemed almost uneventful, in a good way. The tutors collectively felt they would survive the term well enough, without sacrificing too much of their duties. The faculty also believed they had weathered the worst of the problems to arise from their staffing shortage, thanks to Livia, Isabelle and Winslow. The acting headmistress pointed out that Livia may have found the perfect teacher for their reconstituted Muggle Studies elective for the 1998-99 school year via her last guest lecturer. She had followed up with Gulliver "Goldie" Goldinger and waited to hear if he would take the position, either for a limited time such as a year or two or if he wanted a year-by-year contract. She had made him an open offer.

She also revealed that she might make a slow transition from instructor to headmistress, allowing Isabelle Garaunde to ease her way into the post permanently. Other positions still had no clear path forward as of yet. She probably would have to replace the head tutor as well as several other tutors and determine who would take the Defense Against the Dark Arts post. She did not want a novice general tutor becoming head tutor but admitted that held back Winslow Duke's potential to win the D.A.D.A. position if Hideki Myentu returned to Japan over the summer. Livia asked if her ability to train a new head tutor could release Hideki and give Winslow a fair chance, since it might offer some minor benefit to Livia's health to be in the area. The acting headmistress appreciated the offer and, depending on how events transpired, would take Livia up on it, if needed. She also revealed that they considered elevating Hideki to teach, which put Winslow in line for becoming the new head tutor. Hideki had not committed himself to leaving. They did not know whether he wanted to leave just to teach or if he missed home.

Livia did all she could do, given that she had to operate as if she would not be there at all during that year, or sporadically at best. She could guest lecture, address a union matter or even liaison with the school over their relationship with postal-serving owls. She would miss some things, but school would have to wait. She had additional responsibilities that required careful attention and some logistical arrangements for her to return.

After finishing the week's school business on 19 June, Livia headed up Meade Meadow Lane to Uncle Jack's house to accompany him to Ben's residence. Tom and Alice had just arrived. Both were visiting Ardith. Ardith seemed to have taken a fancy to Tom. Livia explained to her that he was her brother and Alice was his wife. Ardith expressed disappointment, to which Livia laughed. Livia explained that Ardith really liked Tom, so he pet her, thanked her and complimented her. Alice asserted that it didn't seem surprising that Livia owned her. Both pairs of Barn Owls fussed as their eggs had begun to hatch, two owlets for each pair at that point. Livia had everyone look. Sevy thought he and Mel should get cigars. Livia laughed at that, too, and told everyone what he said. Uncle Jack gave them both something edible that looked like cigars. Livia also called to Alastair and her favorite murder of crows, who she introduced. Alastair flew down to Livia's shoulder so Tom and Alice could greet him and study him closely. Livia called him the world's smartest and most mischievous crow. He liked the title. Tom and Alice found Alastair impressive, even regal. Tom said he understood how Alastair could intimidate someone like Rodrick Spence.

Everyone in a short time walked down the road. Livia wondered what each saw, but no differences stood out. She guessed this issue would become more prominent in town. Tom wanted to hold his sister's hand, he told Alice, since he had not walked with her anywhere in many years. Livia assured him that she was fine. He reminded her that she had passed the halfway mark between January and October. He wanted to know how she felt. Livia only replied that she didn't relish becoming as big as a house. Alice laughed, telling her the late summer would be the worst. Alice thought Livia might want to consider staying there to beat a little of the summer heat by being in a cooler climate. Livia told her that she had offered to train a new head tutor in part thinking that she would be cooler there than in Cambridge. She didn't know if they would need her, though she could help the Potions Master with his inventory, too, since she had done this for him as well as his predecessor. She had done it for over ten years but few knew.

They arrived at Ben's home promptly at 19:30. Ben greeted everyone warmly and inquired how the arrangements with Adelaide went. Tom said his father had the little girl for the night and likely would want extra time to parade her up and down Church Street on Saturday so everyone he knew could fawn over his blonde, blue-eyed granddaughter. Alice told him that was a grandfather's job. Zarwyn Spence agreed and seemed to like Alice right away. Many people did.

Then Ben introduced his mother to Livia. Ben did not err when he said Livia resembled her in some respects. Parallels clearly existed. Livia extended her hand. Zarwyn clasped it then hugged her, inquiring when she was due. Livia knew Ben had told her, though Livia rarely dealt with direct questions. Livia replied, "Early October." Zarwyn wanted to see her ring and deemed it a masterpiece. She then asked about how the trials against her soon-to-be ex-husband and never-to-be daughter-in-law had gone. Ben begged her not to mention Rodrick's attempt on Livia's life in front of Tom and Alice, angry though she was. Zarwyn just whispered her disdain to Livia about Rodrick quietly. Otherwise, Zarwyn sounded content, confessing that meeting Rhonda Wayne at Ben's graduation had convinced her to leave that very month, a point Ben had not known.

"Once I saw my 'husband' had compelled my son to date her, I wanted out," Zarwyn stated. "I felt helpless. I could never fight that type of insidiousness there. I had to save myself first."

"I did not know Rhonda did that," Ben countered.

"Might be the only good thing she ever did," Zarwyn responded. "She tried to act normal, but I could see her for what she was – a spiteful terror – and your father did not care. I read about her trial, and nothing she said or did surprised me. They truly deserve each other. I don't know how he fooled me into marrying him. Congratulations for exposing her and my ex, Livia."

"Thanks, but both made my work easy," Livia maintained. "Your son also tipped me off about employing the crow I call Alastair against your former husband, too."

"That was genius, Ben," Zarwyn asserted. "And a very satisfying read."

"Glad you thought so, Mum," Ben said. "Alastair is very protective of Livia, too." Ben proceeded to direct everyone to chairs around an enlarged table to seat all six of them. He poured everyone a glass of wine, except for Livia. He gave her something more watered down, keeping with the pattern she had started to minimize her exposure to any sort of alcohol.

They enjoyed a type of quail with various local vegetables. Ben told everyone he had gotten tips on what he could do from the chef at the local tavern. He would not let his mother, as the guest of honor, do anything. He executed everything quite well, too, everyone agreed. Knowing Livia's fondness for red velvet cake from Alice, he made one as a dessert; the cake impressed all.

Tom and Alice thought Zarwyn Spence would discourage her son from showing any interest in Livia. Even if Ben made the jewelry she wore, Livia received them from a spouse and to them the fact that she had not removed either indicated an unwavering loyalty. They couldn't confess to understanding the entirety of her emotions, but they thought this aspect unmistakable. They doubted the woman mistook the ring as one Ben himself gave her. Of course, neither realized that the necklace had any special power till Zarwyn asked if it really protects her.

"Yes, it does," Livia replied. "In fact, Ben tested it not long ago."

"I did," Ben affirmed. "It's very potent. It almost knocked me through a wall."

"Really?" Tom asked. "How is that possible?"

"I think that's a dare, Ben," Livia responded. "Try to take it off but only once. It escalates."

Ben did and his hand got smacked hard by an unfurling mirror. Tom and Alice's jaws dropped. Uncle Jack was impressed.

"That's great craftsmanship with very strong emotion and intent behind it," Uncle Jack observed. "What's your assessment, Ben?"

"Both a robust, abiding love and strong wizardry skills account for its powers," Ben stated. "Christopher and I collaborated to a degree to get it precisely functional with the charms he wanted it to carry, but the fact that those who put it on Livia no longer live just amplifies its powers. I wasn't kidding about it. I tried a basic stunning spell, and the rebounding action knocked me back so hard I don't know how the wall of that manor wasn't damaged seriously – or me."

"It was my uncle's idea initially because he knew what I was in for last fall," Livia said. "He wanted me to have a means of defense that didn't compel me to expose my own abilities too much. He also thought if I did draw the wrong kind of attention, I might require its help to save my life, though that hasn't happened yet."

"I still think he needed to have more faith in you," Ben reminded her. "You've fully shown that you deserve that. If he knew what you could do for years, how could he miss that?"

"I believe the risk seemed too great to him. Perhaps any risk was too much. He loathed the idea of writing Tom a letter of condolence to an extreme. Only now do I truly appreciate why."

"So he really did take seriously the promises Christopher made in 1991?" Tom inquired.

"He did – entirely," Livia answered. "I think I said this, but you may not have understood it entirely. They totally agreed on this, along with the headmaster you met when I was about 13."

"You met Professor Dumbledore?" Ben queried.

"Twice," Tom replied. "Interesting man. He seemed to know so much about Livia. It was odd but gave me confidence, too. I didn't know how to be a good guardian. I needed his assurance."

"Speaking of having met someone, I understand, Zarwyn, that you know my ex-fiancé," Livia asserted.

"That's true," Zarwyn affirmed. "He keeps to himself a lot. I think the last few years were especially hard on him, and he's still getting over it. He cares about his work, though, including his painting. I saw the piece featuring you. It's amazing. His pain is evident, but he knows it's his own fault. He tries to deal with it through his art. The pain somehow deepened after you spoke to him recently, but no one knows why beyond guessing it relates to your present condition."

"Only recently did I tell him the primary reason I couldn't live there: the previous two headmasters didn't want me anywhere near Durmstrang or the headmaster that hired him," Livia revealed. "They feared I would be vulnerable. If Death Eaters didn't attack me for not joining them, they might attack Tom. Either way, someone would end up dead. I didn't trust Nils enough to tell him that particular fact. I wanted to trust him but held this back. He had to admit that my reluctance had merit given what happened, which devastated him. It proved, essentially, that he didn't love me enough."

"Blimey, they really did think about this deeply for a long time," Tom stated. "That's stunning to me. I guess I didn't grasp nearly enough to recall to what extent or for how long they considered your welfare, much less mine. I heard it, but I didn't really hear it. But now I can't even tell them how much I admire them for their concern for you and for me. Wish I could."

"I'll tell them – it's a little strange, Tom, but I should be able to tell them," Livia said.

"Really?" Tom asked. "Is that also possible?"

"Here, for us, it is sometimes possible," Uncle Jack affirmed. "Livia hasn't said much, because it is unlikely that she could enable you to see your sister, Cathy, which bothers her. If you could see my Renee, I'd introduce you to my late wife. I'm unsure if you can."

Tom and Alice both felt as if struck by lightning. Neither knew what to say. Livia couldn't find the right thing, either, except: "I'm sorry that I can't clearly do more – which is exactly how I felt the day Cathy died. It still bothers me greatly that I couldn't save her."

"That was not your fault, Livia," Tom insisted. "I do miss her a lot, but not all things are possible seems to be the bottom line, is it not, even if you can do more at times than Alice or I?"

"I agree," Uncle Jack confirmed. "Otherwise, no one would have died in May or earlier. We can try, but the disappointment might not be easy to take. At times, I have experienced great difficulty with this myself."

The rest of the evening went well. Livia put any thoughts aside that could have dampened it. Besides, she needed a second piece of cake. Her body could make demands on her that she couldn't avoid. Not wanting to see if the ministry would frown on Tom and Alice's movements, they walked with Uncle Jack to his house then returned home. Livia went with them, though Ben hated to see her go. Livia tried to ignore it, even as everyone else saw his attachment to her grow as she did. In fact, Alice believed that Ben wanted to play a fatherly role for Livia's expectant family. Livia had no answer. Alice just added that a man who can cook is worth having around. Tom, never mistaken for a chef, found that a not-so-subtle hint. Alice laughed.

Livia soon returned to her own room and thought about trying to get ahead of her school plans to have time for another attempt to rummage through the house she'd cease to own on 20 July. She knew she had another four weeks or so, but she also wondered about her stamina as the weeks progressed. Livia didn't want to leave herself a great last-minute burden. Ideally, she would just walk through it once more and make sure she didn't leave any attic space or loose floorboard or other spot unsearched. She wanted to go through his library in the worst way, just to know what he had and what he read.

She finished up the grading she missed and laid her plans for the following week. She wanted the most advanced students to look at this thing called democracy and examine its varied forms and what label to affix to it, in terms of expectations or whether it constituted a fraudulent exercise or not. Younger groups could tease out a few definitions of terms involved in a game.

With everything in order for the following week, provided the ministry didn't need her, Livia took some time again to go the library that had belonged to Severus Snape. Many volumes on high or low shelves seemed decorative or probably read by his mother, since Livia hardly thought he cared about cooking or a handicraft. Those were quick and easy to go through. Closer to eye level or easy-to-reach, Livia found books she knew that he had read. Many related to potions work, containing notes dismissing some information or elaborating on other things. She wished that he had written his own book, though his notes almost sufficed.

Livia got the notion that she could write a book herself centered on his thoughts and discoveries, whether she enhanced them with her own or not. She thought about a philosophy or a mindset to make one successful in any endeavor, including that of making potions, the task which took up the bulk of his life, whether he liked it or not. She could talk about how she had become a successful student, because their approaches shared much in common. She had rigid standards, but she could justify them more patiently or with less bile. She wanted others to internalize those requirements, not resist them because the person promoting them made himself odious or difficult. Perhaps she could help students overall if such a work, whether targeting them directly or their parents, had a better style as well as evoked other skills important to Livia, like writing. To Livia, a well written paper had a formula the way a good potion did.

In any case, this issue mattered to her, not some gossipy story about what Severus Snape was like, according to some scandal-driven writer. She already twice turned down being interviewed for that. Through Ben, Ted and this reporter, she learned that the biography would claim that Livia was Professor Snape's daughter, justifying her inheritance. She wanted to declare that Christopher didn't exist or wasn't a relative, despite people who met him. Instead of starting at 13, the author wanted to change her age to ten, to make his status as her father more plausible. She wondered who her mother supposedly would be in this story. Perhaps Lily Evans?

Books on potions Livia set aside, bringing all to Cambridge when she finished. She perused the next row and found fiction books whose titles she recognized. Only one contained marginalia in his hand, proving that he had read it. Then she saw the running header and scanned a title page for confirmation. Indeed, he had read _Wuthering Heights_ by Emily Brontë. Livia felt shocked and stunned. She poured over his scribbles to get a hint as to when he read the book and what he thought of it. He alternated between impatience and understanding of Heathcliff, its central character. He also expressed an issue with the narrator, wondering how the book would differ if written from his viewpoint, rather than a servant who didn't like him. Livia couldn't pinpoint when he read it. She just could see that the comments didn't come from a child's quill. Had she prompted him to read it? Her cursory scan found no references or mention of her. She would have to read the notes more carefully to see if he referred to anything she wrote or would have been consistent with her own feelings about the narrative. If he had read it before or when he worked with her, why did he never unlock memories of hers secured by Brontë's name? Or did he? Between this book and the record, she had questions, for sure.

Livia put these items in her Cambridge bedroom before returning to school. First, she made herself listen there to "Tiny Dancer" on his record player again and felt fortunate she had not cried anew. She did stare at the picture in her room, though, and fiddled a little with her ring. She closed her eyes and took herself back to that time she had danced with Christopher and sung the lyrics in his ear. She wanted to hold onto that moment, the time that she didn't know better than to become more than a bit smitten with him. She wanted to feel his presence again.

Still, coming back to the present, Livia felt satisfied that she found something well worth locating but had no idea what it meant. She also had no clue what he would tell her if or when she asked. Could he have read it independently of her and forgot that he had read it? The notes, after all, were undated. Wouldn't he have told her in 1985 after viewing her reading books like that? What about Shelley's owl, Brontë? Didn't they discuss this author or book? Didn't he know something about it then? Was that the only book she read as a child that he read?

Livia had no answers. He may have preferred that precisely because it drove her up a wall. He probably expected that even, as payback for annoying him. Then she felt it – a movement or possibly kick inside of her. That figures, she thought. _They know who their father is, Sev'rus._


	59. Wrapping up the Term, Using the R Stone

Back in her room at school, Livia envisioned the rest of term. Only three more full weeks of classes remained. Plans fell into place amazingly well, so long as no new surprises or appearance requests came from the ministry. The IQ issue made for a wonderful discussion or brief lecture, if not both, depending on the class. Livia knew she could publish an article on it – somewhere. Meantime, she learned that the new ministry had destroyed any and all serious challengers. Many leaderless remnants gave up and made deals; anyone left relatively unscathed dove underground. Any active crusaders of such a cause required leaders, organizers and administrative collaborators. Those no longer existed. Talent for both wizardry and bureaucratic manipulation of resources and law had disappeared from society. Vestiges of both only could entertain such views in private. No parallel, let alone superior, to Livia and many others existed among that residual group. Since they lacked the ability to control the public, they tried to protect their interests and conform to their own beliefs. Of course, that did not pan out well either, since the presence of great skills regardless of birth status upset their position. Purists had to put their heads in the sand to miss it. Since Livia had experienced humiliation and bias according to another rubric about legitimacy, she never felt tempted to express pride in anything remotely similar. She had fought too hard for acceptance based on her own merit to assert any other claim. No, what separated Livia from her "sister" Lydia was not blood status but the fact that Lydia, as well as Rhonda Wayne, had derived joy in mocking and hurting others though both possessed little to distinguish themselves. The latter triggered the former. Thus to Livia, any claim of distinction based on a birthright belonged to losers.

The rest of the term passed well despite all that happened. Livia enjoyed working with students and tried to improve their skills whilst enjoying their time and maintaining the strict sensibility that students earned their grades. She remained approachable and cheerful. She felt sorry when the year ended. She managed two more short visits to the home she would turn over on 20 July but found nothing additionally profound. She had in fact read other books that he possessed, but they contained no evidence of being read by him. Perhaps he had done so earlier. Maybe he owned _Wuthering Heights*_ before, too, and only read it again, rather than any other, as an adult. Maybe time factored into the marginalia, too. Based on her own experience, once someone feels the urge to actively read that way, few revert to writing nothing unless something impedes that process. The way he marked up potions books or _Wuthering Heights_ represented how he read as an adult. She did the same thing, as did Alice, Tom and many others she knew. Rev. Woodcock did it, which is where she first saw it. Alice called it "adding value" to library books, a way graduate students rationalized what others might call vandalizing a university's property.

When the property transfer finally took place, Livia received a Barclays bank account with over £80K in it. Compared to the other account, it did not amount to much. By itself, it represented a fair amount. It seemed that Severus Snape tried to leave her close to 75% of his assets, with she and her two children each receiving almost a fourth and Harry Potter the rest. He may not have known exactly how the breakdown would occur, but that intent made sense. Tom again was rather surprised when Phillip Beckford gave him the total, even though it was small compared to what she already received. Tom truly wondered again how the man lived.

Thanks to Ben, Livia found the most perfect watch to buy and give to Tom for his birthday, since she had lost some of her time and ability to read her brother like she once did. She hoped she would not say that every year, though Ben suggested it became a byproduct of gaining new responsibilities – on both sides. If she could read him before and she seemed predictable to him, that might not remain true. She would have to roll with it. Ben still liked seeing her on Fridays for dinner and tried to get her to come to his place to have a meal he prepared. She had resisted going there by herself, though, just as she had refused to see Nils alone in 1995 or some weeks prior. She waited until 1999 with Ben because she decided by then that they had some sort of future.

Livia felt a renewed sorrow to teach her last day. Sure, she had exams to grade, final marks to post and graduation, so she still possessed academic duties. Yet she had developed a bond with the students on the whole and at least several in particular. She got used to seeing the same faces and having a familiar routine, including the outdoor activities. In a sense, she could count on them as if family. She got attached to their process and their progress. She had to let go, however, since she knew many would graduate or change drastically before she truly returned. She recognized the rite of passage from their perspective. She had lived it. Nonetheless, it felt different as the instructor, even versus being a tutor. The interaction, responsibility and attachment made it unique. She had not wholly prepared for that, but it made her understand why instructors who liked it did not walk away from teaching easily. Livia tried to hold onto the thought that she would see many of them in perhaps a year as a guest lecturer for their new Muggle Studies professor. One dark-haired, mop-topped youngster, Derek "Doc" Hobbes, asked Livia why she would not return in the fall. Livia explained that she needed to take a leave of absence owing to impending maternity. Among older students, she simply used the word "October" to answer the "when" question.

Before departing for the year, Livia first asked Molly Weasley what potion or potions she needed and received detailed instructions. Molly wanted to help her in person, too, as a "thank you" for assisting with their farewell to Fred. She confessed that she looked forward to Livia having twins as a link to Fred and reliving her own past. Livia would never turn down her insight or offer of aid. She knew Shelley and Athena would pay close attention – maybe Alice, too. Livia did not object if Ginny came, either; actually, Molly hesitated as to if she wanted Ginny to leave school to attend. Livia let her decide, just making sure that she knew that her friends would be so happy to see Molly that Ginny would feel welcome, too. Besides, Selene liked her immensely; they also enjoyed a common interest in Quidditch. Livia reimbursed the school for the ingredients she used to make several potions dealing with anxiety, to aid with sleep, to enhance strength, to block recognition of pain, and something restorative for afterward. Livia just made sure to leave the potions room tidy and stocked of items that fared well in storage. She offered to check on the closet in late August as well. Horace Slughorn marveled at her thoughtfulness.

Livia ensured the school had her contact information and the headmistress would remain apprised of her status going forward. She informed Livia that Hideki had opted to become the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, with Goldie taking the Muggle Studies course and Isabelle transitioning into her former post. Winslow would become the new head tutor, to be joined by one house tutor from each house, making a total of five general tutors. The board decided to make Winslow fully a supervisor more able to observe. They also took more seriously the types of reports Livia did in the past and wanted to give Winslow ample time to do them well. As such, Winslow's grade and status matched first year junior faculty more. In the headmistress's view, the school opted for this owing to the presence of three new faculty members and recent experiences.

Finally, the day came that she said goodbye to everyone at the school, Helena included. It started with attending graduation. For the first time, she used her academic robe to sit with other faculty though Woodcock came last in alphabetical order. Still, it gave her some satisfaction to think that the robe she wore actually had attended her own ceremony in 1991, though of course not worn by her. Unfortunately, her robe did not get the exact same seat location. Nonetheless, she felt close to its original owner on days like that. She liked to think that he would be proud of her, though she wished he sat on the dais with her somehow. At least a small part of him did.

Afterward, Livia moved everything, including her bobcat, her clothes, her books, Sarah's box, her papers, her mementos and her entire music collection to Uncle Jack's home, to the room he had set aside for her. Much of it would wind up in Cambridge, though not everything. She later saw Baldur Bodlington and retained him to represent her to enable her children to have full wizardry birth certificates. He ultimately arranged for a registrar official to meet him and visit her soon after Livia gave birth so both could become legal witnesses. He proved a great advisor to her, too. Tom would do something similar, as Bodlington suggested. Tom also got Phillip Beckford's advice to identify someone near him who would not ask too many questions about a home birth.

Uncle Jack had promised Alice and Tom that he would attend graduation just to say he saw Livia take her place with the faculty. The occasion marked a transition for her, though not a permanent one. The post she ultimately wanted would have to wait. It seemed only a matter of time. Professor Slughorn, in fact, began to suspect that Livia's reluctance towards grading involved an aversion to drawing attention to herself then, rather than a lack of commitment or willingness to enforce rigid standards. He heard nothing that suggested she had acted as too generous a grader.

As she sat there, she felt a little surprised the ministry had not burdened her much since 16 June other than a question for clarification or a request for a sworn statement. She understood their point that her existence intimidated many, in both her publicized takedown of Rodrick Spence and her interrogations. Davis McKenzie, after all, remained quite busy at least through the end of the year, as did Hadrian Stone, Percy Weasley and a few others. Livia preferred a challenge, however, yet no one wanted to test her. Perhaps the prior two headmasters did too good of a job? Maybe they expected she would remain as busy as McKenzie. She conducted a few interrogations later that year, when McKenzie got information from Thor Thornton that contradicted statements by some older Sons of Slytherin members. Still, getting Blake Hall or his cousin Dwight Hall to confess did not rank as satisfying as putting Rhonda Wayne away. Livia did not even get a chance to interrogate Charlotte Stickler, either. The Yew brothers and Livia's own threat from 1986 probably influenced her decision to accept a plea deal and confess. She did not wish to give Livia the satisfaction of embarrassing her, like Livia had done to both Wayne sisters.

Sitting there, Livia also contemplated her last visit to the house she sold. She had found nothing of significance. She simply verified she had not missed anything worth keeping. Sure, she took many of the books that interested her, since she could not recall how she had distributed what Tom had sent her in London. She thought she gave books away to staff and to the lady who gave her clothes to wear. Still, she left Colindale with some books. A few like _Wuthering Heights_ probably wound up in Durham, and Gary may have inherited them.

After the ceremony and Livia's arrival with her things, Uncle Jack finally asked Livia about the song she had performed over the corpse of her Potions Master. He knew she felt nostalgic that day and likely thought of her own graduation. He never suspected how profoundly other things affected her right then. She ensured her music player worked and warned him that, though he had heard her sing before, that occasion did not compare to this one. She was right. He never saw it coming. Livia possessed much more vocal power and emotion than he imagined.

"That first two minutes or so of that is just staggering, Livia," he said. "Why did Professor Snape hate it enough for you to think it still annoyed him?"

"I had it on 'repeat' mode, and he initially got irritated hearing it multiple times consecutively," Livia responded. "Of course, it also may have bothered him because some emotions spoke to him, and he wasn't fond of acknowledging that he had any of these."

"I see why you found it fitting," Uncle Jack asserted. "It seems raw and despondent, too."

"I know," Livia admitted. "I'm not sure the lyrics mean as much to the writer as to me."

"I would have never guessed that you would say that," Uncle Jack stated.

Livia surveyed her avian friends. The Barn Owls busily helped their new clutches. Sevy was very excited at how his eldest, whom he called Sevia, progressed. Mel called his eldest Bernard. Alastair, who flew by, told her that he contemplated stepping aside for another crow. He still retold the stories of his exploits and thought maybe that should be all he does, since he had lived a very long life for a crow. Livia hated to hear that, but she knew he could not live forever. She called him down and stroked his feathers, hoping that he would be around when she finally tried to contact Sevy's namesake. He promised that he would come; he wanted to come, regardless of his status.

Since the school held graduation on a Saturday, Ben came by afterward, having left his shop around 15:30. He expressed regret that he had not seen Livia at the ceremony. When she reminded him that she did not receive a diploma, he dismissed the technicality. He agreed with Jack that it marked a first for her. She decided she was outnumbered and stopped fussing over the point. She looked tired, he remarked, which she conceded. Summer just had started getting to her, she said. Uncle Jack wondered if that song took a lot out of her. Ben asked what he meant. Livia explained that she let him hear what she sang the day Basil Forrest came for her uncle's body and tried to summarize it. Ben did not follow. Livia said she would definitely have to nap if she did it again but nonetheless sang it. She thought making herself that tired might be good. She often could sleep off her anxieties, if a tune did not exorcise them for her. Livia needed a lot of rest lately. Deep sleep had become a little more challenging for her as she grew bigger, so she looked forward to snoozing, especially since it gave her an easy way to excuse herself.

Ben was shocked. He did not remember hearing Livia sing much as herself – only parts of that one song in 1990 – let alone that she could sound so emotionally wrought doing it. He admitted that singing gave her an emotional outlet, if uncomfortable to watch in this case. Ben could envision her in that potions room. He found it chilling, though he could not fathom why Livia did that. Could that really just come from living within Ardith for several months? Was it for Christopher? Of course, no one begrudged her needing a nap after that. The two started discussing it as Livia shut the door. Whilst Livia slept, Ben sent over a big slice of red velvet cake. Apparently, he thought the cake would bring her back to the living.

Livia woke up feeling better. She could not resist the cake Ben sent. She contemplated writing those she knew like Ted and Athena as well as Shelley and Liam. She contacted Molly Weasley as well to get a sense of how she fared and how she saw her schedule unfolding now that her youngest had grown so much. Livia was able to borrow a few owls belonging to neighbors such as Anne, though Ardith insisted that she wanted to take one, too. Livia relented. The little girl had a big heart; if her wings and stamina matched, she could do a trip. She managed well. Livia additionally contacted Glorianna Gardenia, to find out how well the union got on in reestablishing their position and working for various interests. Livia contacted Horace Slughorn, too, telling him she would be glad to do his inventory on Thursday, 27 August, imagining her birthday as an excellent time to try contacting the man she called her uncle. She had things to tell him as well as ask him. If he did follow her, he would show himself then.

Livia spent a few weeks visiting various people, though she typically returned to either Cambridge or Hogsmeade. She did not go to many places in a single day, of course. By August she started to get too big or awkward for that. Still, her friends kept telling her how wonderful she looked as well as Tom, Alice, Ben and Uncle Jack. Sometimes it felt like a conspiracy, since her outside sure did not match how prickly she felt in the summer heat. She advised the ministry that she could interview or interrogate but she did not feel up to anything more strenuous until after October. Hadrian Stone told her that his committee had expected her notice and had already made plans to tap others if needed. Everyone around her felt relieved that she did not work much after mid-July, though they asked her if her visits involved too much stress. Though she supplemented her health well, Tom and Alice compelled her to stay in Cambridge one weekend. Ben and Uncle Jack came to see her. Ben made her another cake. Alice and Tom thought Ben attempted an interesting role reversal – trying to charm his way to Livia through her ever-expanding stomach.

If that bothered him, Ben showed no sign of it. Alice decided to ask him. He told her that Livia asked him nothing about his relationship to Rhonda Wayne, despite the fact that Rhonda tried to flaunt it in Livia's face not long ago. He felt he had no right to question how Livia lived before 2 May, since she had no reason to expect that she would ever see him again. When Alice pointed out that Rhonda did not exist in his present, Ben acknowledged the fact but felt it implied that he could ask Livia to abandon her children, which he never could request. He saw them as extensions of her.

Alice informed Livia of what Ben relayed to her. Livia found it interesting. Still, Livia had not made up her mind then about how she felt about him or what she wanted in regards to him. He tried very hard, Livia admitted, but he had said all the right things before. She wondered that, if she invested any faith in him, if that would become the moment she grew weak and he would gravely hurt her again. She did not feel like risking anything then. Her physical body felt vulnerable in her state, as she approached her eighth month. It seemed a bad time to lean on anyone untested. She told Alice that she would revisit her emotions when she felt more like herself.

Instead, when Livia had time in Cambridge that summer, she organized the marginalia written in Severus Snape's hand in the potions books she found as well as her responses. She made notecards and built structure around them. She began drafting a book about learning that involved potions but also writing and just functioning as an inquisitive, thoughtful student or adult. She gave it a working title, _A Philosophy of Learning: the Art of Study for Lessons and Life as Told by a Potions Master and His Protégé._ She would find a publisher and success with it once she resumed teaching. She vowed to make Severus Snape's wisdom accessible like no one else could – and did.

Livia slept overnight Wednesday, 26 August at Uncle Jack's house before heading that morning to the school. She greeted various colleagues as she traversed the building on Thursday, including a somewhat nervous Winslow Duke, who she ensured got comfortable in his new post. Arriving at the inventory closet just as Horace Slughorn began examining it, Livia just took over. She did not let her size or any obstacle delay her work. Her years of experience showed in her skillful, quick effort of going through the closet and leaving a list of items for the Potions Master to reorder. He made his own potions, though, over subsequent days. He did not feel the need to tax her with any, especially given that she had maybe six weeks to go before her labor commenced.

She called for her avian friends to help her and found them all, even Ardith, ready to assist, though Alastair informed her that he had, indeed, passed the torch to Benedict. Edward had become Benedict's second in command and Gerald, his own son, a new member. Alastair assisted on occasion. Livia requested that he sit with her and chat as the others fetched various items. She told all of them of her plans for the next day. She also inquired as to how Alastair got on. Like her, he felt good enough to help but not constantly, so he decided to let a more able crow lead the group. He would, however, join her the next day. Livia stroked him gently. He had helped her for so long. He had functioned as a constant. She told him how much she appreciated him owing to this. She did not look forward to doing this or anything without him. He felt happy to hear that. She gave him his own snack as he sat with her and watched the others leave their material behind. He told her that it was fascinating to watch everyone work from her vantage point. She told him that Professor Snape had said the same thing. He enjoyed hearing that, too, since it indicated that the man had paid attention and esteemed them for their contributions. Livia agreed.

She returned to Uncle Jack's house and decided, after seeing the Barn Owl clutches had become independent, to nap. Livia more often seemed to go in spurts of activity and sleeping. She woke up to find that Uncle Jack and Anne wanted to spoil her that evening, since others would do it the next day. She enjoyed a quiet evening with them, though she contemplated exactly what she would say and do the next day. Livia also had to pick a spot. She decided to use the place where Sevy had found the Resurrection Stone, since the birds would know it precisely and no one else would see her. She did not wish to make up a story to justify what anyone else might see or hear. She also hoped not to restrict what she said or speak in a coded way. If she found someone to talk to her, she wanted to know authentically all that he might say. Oddly, she did not know what he would say, that is, if he would speak much at all. Yet why discourage him, she thought.

Given that her birthday fell on a Friday, Tom and Alice as well as Ben wanted to spend time with her. Ben offered to host a party. Alice and Ben had to agree on a few things but apparently worked it out. Of course, Tom's father was delighted to watch his granddaughter again. He had gotten well versed in such things from occasionally minding Cathy and Doc's two kids, especially when Doc needed to participate in a cat health emergency. Rev. Woodcock's first granddaughter, Amy, then five, told her uncle and aunt that she had trained grandpa well.

Before that took place, Livia retrieved the stone from her room then told the owls and crows that she would meet them all at the place where Sevy found it some months ago. Ardith had joined everyone though she preferred to observe everything rather than make her presence felt. Livia recited a short prayer she learned as a child, hoping for the best. Then she spoke the incantation, trying to focus all her longing and desires into it. She closed her eyes as she voiced the words.

Then she opened them. There he was, in the same garb he wore the day they buried him. She wouldn't have expected otherwise. Still, he looked younger, or less burdened, than when she saw him last. A single tear fell from her right eye even as she smiled. Seeing him in someone's memory did not compare to this.

"You just had to sing that song again to me, didn't you?" he stated. "You are so predictable. Did you expect me to jump up and yell at you?"

"Of course, I had to do that, and I would have welcomed you being angry with me – you know that," Livia responded. "You are so predictable. You know if I didn't annoy you, I'd get nothing out of you. If I couldn't hear you laugh, I've had to settle for something else. May I?"

"If you must," he answered.

"I must," she confirmed. She approached him and embraced him. He did not fight her. She closed her eyes. She would weep later. "I missed you so much when I moved back to the school. I so wanted you to knock on my door and complain about whatever I played."

"You're incorrigible," he proclaimed.

"When it comes to you, yes," she agreed. She kept her eyes shut and concentrated.

"You wearing my robe is more than a bit daft, don't you think?" he inquired.

"How else can I have you close to me?" Livia countered. "It's my own secret, for once. Haven't I put it to good use so far?" She could not hold him much firmer, she thought then.

"You have," he assented. "Your speech was generous and helpful to the audience. You have employed my voice well, too. I live on through it. No one will forget my name for decades."

"Do you like how I teach?" she put to him. "Did I prepare you for your burial properly?"

"You articulated your subject soundly and connected with students who survived quite an ordeal," he replied. "You also hit well in your condition. That was a perfect moment – for them and for you. I have no criticism. Certainly, I have none about your preparation of me, either. Your sense of duty marks your character. I could not have asked for nor expected more of anyone."

"Ben thinks you had no faith in me since I haven't needed my necklace since you've been gone. How would you put it?"

"It served its purpose during my life and protects you still, whether you need it or not," he asserted. "I feel very good about it. I wish someone that skilled could have made that for me years ago. Still, I can't believe that vile, psychotic Rodrick Spence tried to kill you as you are. Prison is too good for him." The recollection agitated him immensely. Livia was touched by his anger.

"Do you think I spared him or myself in preventing him from saying those words?"

"I think it depends on the intent and power of wizard attempting that," he began. "Given my death, I believe you spared him. Considering the stakes, you probably did the right thing. He will rot in prison, even if he deserves worse."

"Can I ever bequeath this necklace to someone?" Livia queried.

"Who?" he countered.

"Your daughter," Livia revealed.

"I'm not sure. If anyone, her, but Ben likely knows if it would work. I would hate for you to break my charm. I'm not saying you would fail to protect her, but it might only be you. Ben could make another one. Speaking of her, do you really plan to use the names you have pondered?"

"I thought you would like the name Lily Christina Alice," Livia said.

"It's flattering, to be sure, but it's also stupid and may also impose a burden," he claimed.

"It's for you," Livia maintained.

He shook his head. "I don't know what else to say. You are absurd. What about the boy?"

"Well, so far, I wanted to go with Christopher Severus Woodcock," Livia informed him.

"Woodcock?" he questioned.

"I was not going to use my brother's first or middle names, Thomas or James, for obvious reasons," Livia responded. "If I never change my own name, it makes sense, you know?"

"I see."

Livia finally released him, though she took his hands, still standing very close to him as she continued talking with him. "I have to ask you some things."

"I know."

"I suppose I could have asked this later, but my most pressing question is: did you plan for me to be in my present state?" Livia posed. "If so, why? Did you not want me to teach?"

"You really know how to go for the jugular – we taught you well," he observed. "Once I realized that saying farewell to you would become what it was, I did want it to happen, if possible. I even said so, but I know you don't recall. It helped settle my estate, and it gives you a focus that isn't entirely about the past. I also knew that you would fight any limitation imposed on you and that Glorianna Gardenia would back you all the way. They make your future automatically, vastly different than mine. If that did not happen, can you really say you could leave me in the past?"

"No, I can't say that, though my future ensures that I never will."

"Perhaps that was too selfish of me," he suggested. "I essentially have compelled you to earn your inheritance, too, and you deserved it, anyway. Do you resent me for this?"

"No," Livia declared. "You've entrusted me. I want both to show the best of you, uncompromised by the slings and arrows of fortune. Yet I don't even know precisely all that took place that night. I do care and would like to know. Is that all you're going to say about it?"

"For now, at least. Ask me something else."

"Okay," Livia stated. "Why did you have that one record and a working phonograph?"

"The phonograph existed there," he began, "My father won it playing snooker, I believe – the only time he won anything. It took me some time to repair the record perfectly. It stood in the middle of several albums by the same artist and owing to that sustained somewhat less damage. I thought I would give it to you, but it took time to fix so that it played without skipping. I had to test it. Then I couldn't find the right moment to give it to you when I remembered that I had it. That clearly was not something I wanted to present you when you were with Nils or soon after what he did. So I put it off. By 1997, it had become trivial, I thought."

"Not to me," Livia asserted. "Christopher could have handed it to me in 1995."

"I know now. I didn't realize you'd become sentimental about it. I didn't intend to upset you with it."

"Why wouldn't it upset me?" Livia asked. "You had to know. You asked me to play it in January."

"I didn't think through that request. I got lost in that moment literally, I guess. I didn't realize you didn't have it at that moment."

Livia wondered how testing the record felt to him but sensed his resistance to addressing it, so she moved to another subject. "When did you read _Wuthering Heights_?" Livia queried.

"It had gotten onto my library before you were a student," he maintained. "I'm not sure when I first read it or others like it. I did read a lot when I sat out in a secluded spot by myself, often tales my mother gave me. That book was set aside for an older me via someone moving. If I read outside by myself, I generally possessed a book like that to cover books about wizardry, too. I did read it again during the summer of 1994 – when I made the notations you found. You suspected that, I think. I did figure out your Emily Brontë passcode in 1992, but I did not want to open a discussion about what I saw from that passcode or about the novel, then or in 1994. Interesting book. You compare me to the central figure?"

"Yes, I think so," Livia confirmed. "It's an intriguing comparison. He expressed more rage than you. Yours was a calculated effect, if honest to at least a degree. He was materially ambitious as well as vengeful, I think, at least as per the narrator. For all the faults others find in you, you rejected the former in terms of wealth, and only used the latter as a cover, albeit a credible one."

"Fair to charitable comparison."

"You know, I teased you about Alastair over there, but there is only one point about you to which even now I could ever call cowardly," Livia said. Alastair called out when Livia used his name. The crow gave a gesture of respect which was returned.

Shortly thereafter, he became agitated when Livia referred to cowardice. "What do you mean, Livia?" he asked with great pique.

"You never told a woman or girl how you truly felt about her – did you?"

"Not really," he answered. "First, I lacked the vocabulary, then it became problematic, especially after I said other things I should not have said. You want me to say something now?"

"Well, it would be nice, given my status and all that occurred. Yet I honestly have no idea what you might tell me. I can't recall what you said to me in January, which I suppose you preferred though it bothers me greatly. I very much want to know. I can't even entirely fathom why you kept most of my notes to you from 1991, either. It's a blind spot. Lily Potter asked me whether or not I was spoken for, and I have no idea how to even begin answering such a question."

"Yes, I know what she said," he revealed. "I don't think I should address any of that, which is why I responded to your first question only up to a certain point."

"What!?" Livia asked in a clipped voice. "Are you trying to make me swear at you?"

"No," he replied. "Either way, what I tell you will hurt you. If I reply to her question affirmatively, you will drown yourself in the past and a 'what if' drama. If I answer negatively, the parameters of how you torment yourself change, but the potential to lose yourself in a similar way remains. You may well question my veracity, too, regardless of what I say, and, in any case, you will look backwards more than ahead. You will rob yourself and those children you carry. I don't want you to do that. You will become far more like me than you are now. I don't want you to repeat the things I have done – that much should be clear. There's no need. I worry about you and our children." He had trouble saying "our" but managed it. At least he spoke the word, she thought. She considered it possibly being the only time she might ever hear him admit paternity.

"You do?" Livia inquired. "Or are you dodging a response with an excuse?"

"Of course, I do," he answered. "You have quite a task ahead of you, and I cannot help you significantly, outside of the money I left. I can ask one thing of you, though."

"What?" Livia queried, quite unusually puzzled.

"I want you to forgive Ben Spence," he urged.

"You're joking," Livia put to him. "You were there. You want to make me swear at you."

"No," he maintained. "I am not teasing you. Remember years ago you asked me if it would have made a difference if Lily forgave me for what I called her?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "What of it?"

"I told you that I had no idea if it would have made a difference. That's not the case here. Ben sincerely goes out of his way. You already know his father is the most miserable swine, too, so you can imagine his burdens. Anyway, I know he would assist you with a family. He would work hard at being a father to them and a partner to you. You would _not_ obsess over the past."

"I can't believe you're asking me this," Livia stated. "Have I not told you how I feel?"

"That does you no good where you are," he pronounced. "You must move forward. Do it for me. I'm not telling you that you have to marry him. I'm not objecting, either. I'm telling you to live in the present. If you forgave him, he would strive to justify it every day. I would have, too, but I didn't disclose that fully, and I suspect that she did not really want to know it, anyway."

"Hmpf, this is rich," Livia declared, swearing under her breath. "I think you want to irritate me by weaseling out of saying anything – very wicked of you. Yet you almost validate what that biographer wants to claim. She tried to talk to me at the ministry, but I did not give her much."

"I say what I think is best for you, since it changes nothing for me one way or the other," he said. "I did not follow every moment of your trips there – I did see Alastair's fine work, though." He laughed – he actually laughed. "Yours, too. What does she want to do to me?"

"I think I'm jealous of Alastair now," Livia remarked. "That writer has me starting school at ten, not 13, and she wants to argue that you are my father, hence the inheritance."

"Oh," he reacted, pausing. "Well, first, Alastair has had me close to laughter before – I just didn't let you see. You have, too. Don't ask me to say when. There were several incidents." He paused again. "Albus joked about that once. Anyway, who would she claim is your mother?"

"She didn't say, but given your estate's distribution, I suspect she will argue that Lily Evans is my mother. I would presume Harry and I could sue her over that."

"Easily you both could, since you have things that can disprove that outlandish theory," he observed. "It would hurt him far more than you or me, so offer assistance to him should he choose to go after her, rather than ignore rubbish like that. The letter left with you as a baby and your birth certificate would keep you from having to lie about anything."

Alastair already had approached, given the fact that he recognized his name. Livia released one hand and offered her arm to him. Alastair hopped up. "I think Alastair wants to offer a more personal gesture before Sevy does the same," she told him.

"Okay," he agreed, if a little bewildered.

Livia put her arm forward and took her other hand to position his wing so he had contact with the man he had served occasionally over the years. Alastair called out when he felt something and nodded his head. Soon after he jumped down so Sevy could come forward. Sevy had a lot to say, happy their search had led to this moment and that Livia gave him this opportunity. Nonetheless, he wished he could land on his namesake though he knew better. Livia translated for him. Sevy seemed quite taken when he had confirmed that his namesake requested that Livia forgive Ben, but he wished that he had thought more of himself along those lines whilst living. As much as an owl can seem moved, Sevy appeared significantly taken by everything. He twittered excitedly when Livia helped him make contact. He did not want to break that connection, either.

"Sevy may have taken a form of my name, but he is definitely your boy," he observed. "Alastair fits that mold, too."

"Both of them will likely be on your side of things sooner versus later," Livia stated. "Alastair just stepped away from leading his group. This became very important to both. Also, you underestimate Sevy's loyalty if you did not see how dedicated he was to making this possible. Many of them called it 'Sevy's Crusade.' I have to say I agree with Sevy, too. You asking me to forgive Ben shows a generosity towards him that you did not allow yourself. In fact, you still do not give it to yourself since you refuse to account for your own emotions." Livia teared up.

"I'm sure many could think that I act for his sake, but it's actually in both cases on your behalf," he asserted. "Yes, I know something about his remorse and his pains. I've been there. I was younger than him, but that matters little given the harm caused. I know how deeply I wanted Lily to forgive me. I suppose I could live in a way through you forgiving Ben. Still, my concern is you. I don't want to compromise your life. I don't want to have to worry and watch so much."

"Will you look after Alastair and Sevy when they get on your side?" Livia asked.

"They probably won't need it, but yes, I promise," he responded. "Alastair, if not both, could even help me." He laughed – again. Livia, at least, could hear it.

Sevy reluctantly jumped down. He had some idea that he impeded Livia, so he simply stood beside her. She hugged his namesake again. She definitely felt more emotionally raw and remained misty-eyed. She confessed that she would require a significant nap after seeing him.

"Do you know why of late you sleep so much, and it helps you?" he put to her.

"I presumed that life takes a lot of energy to be as I am," Livia answered. "So I must rest. Of course, this is not unusual for me at all. It's just more frequent."

"That's not the whole story right now, though," he asserted.

"What do you mean?" Livia demanded.

"I have favored watching over you when you sleep alone," he divulged. "I know of your affinity for your bobcat and that you still keep my letter to you in it. I think you have felt closest to me when you sleep. The reason is that I am there. I would be less so if you forgave Ben."

"So you want me to release you from that obligation to some degree?" Livia inquired.

"Basically," he affirmed.

"Well, I'm not letting go of you yet," Livia vowed. She tightened her hold like he remained solid and kissed his cheek. She felt him strongly and wanted more. "I don't want to release you. Will you ever tell me what I want to know, what I should know?"

"I will, but now you're getting mushy," he gently chided her. "You need to let go."

"Eventually, I have to do it," Livia acknowledged. "Yet there's no one here to embarrass or tease you. These birds won't talk. Thank you for my present." To Livia, being there was a gift. "I need to tell you that my brother wanted to say how much he appreciates your concern for my safety, and his, during this past year and long before. He now better understands what you did."

"I actually heard him say that," he admitted. "I kept my word to him and my word to Albus, even if Albus did not entirely grasp then how he essentially pushed the two of us together. Your brother is the most honorable muggle I have ever come across. You hit the lottery when he found you. He probably thinks you made him what he is, including bringing Alice into his life, but I know you feel he made you what you are."

"Indeed," Livia agreed. "I don't know what would have happened to me if he hadn't fought for me. Still, I presume you want me to remain quiet regarding Christopher, yes?"

"As much as I preferred it and it seemed safest whilst I lived, I think it now serves you," he pointed out. "Your friends, if not your family, may not entirely accept the truth or your silence regarding it. A few of your friends may even become a little angry that you kept this from them, if they get over the shock. Of course, it will far more likely complicate your own goals at school."

"You mean like getting your portrait in the headmaster's office?" Livia offered.

"That's one part," he confirmed. "It could hinder you teaching at all, if enemies learned of this and made some protest by using it as a pretext to say you are unsuitable to instruct children."

"Hmm, the old double standard, I see," Livia said. "Are you also suggesting that I should wait until I have a permanent faculty post to push for your portrait?"

"It likely will be more about Harry than you," he answered. "Nonetheless, your status will help Jack, even with Harry leading the effort. Yet some will contend my tenure was brief."

"Still, you gave about 16 years of service and perhaps the greatest sacrifice you could make," Livia maintained. "Albus's death was inevitable, though he made it meaningful. Yours was somewhat voluntary. You really did not even have defensive wounds from a brutal attack."

"I initially was too slow, to some intentionally so," he said. "I definitely could not see how trying to fight more for my life would have assisted anyone, though I know it hurt you that I did not obviously make more of an effort. I am sorry for that. Still, I think you overestimate the value of the years I worked there. How many of your classmates would laugh at you for saying that?"

"Probably a lot," she conceded. "They were too busy being upset to realize what they could have learned, though. That's why I am going to write a book based on notes of yours. That marginalia says so much to me that others should discover, too."

"I'm sure you will write a wonderful book," he asserted. "It will be about you interpreting me, though. Indeed, in class or on paper, no one would mistake you for me."

"Oh, I would not be too sure of that," Livia confessed. "In some circumstances, a teacher has to get the attention of sloppy or disrespectful students. I am no pushover regarding standards. Don't let the frivolity shown in the other class lead you to think I cannot do that. You merely did not pick your fights carefully enough, perhaps because you felt you needed to indulge your own house. If I make my intent clear, I seldom will have to show impatience or annoyance, rather than continually, for them to pay attention and give the subject its due."

"Well, I stand corrected," he mused. "You mean you would have punished yourself?"

"No, I wasn't a problem," Livia assessed. "Potion making requires considerable mindfulness and seriousness. I think if I harangue the class even once as you they'd enable me to teach in a manner more akin to Professor Slughorn, no matter how they treated me initially."

"That will be well worth seeing, Livia," he observed. "I look forward to it."

Livia gave Sevy a last chance to say goodbye, which he greatly appreciated. Neither person could characterize his attachment precisely, but it existed strongly. Livia then kissed both of his hands, a gesture he found odd, somehow both deferential and affectionate. She enabled him to feel the movement inside her body. She could not read his response other than it seeming strange to him. He reminded her not to forget what he asked of her, as if she could. Finally, she made herself say goodbye. He smiled at her as she did, an enigmatic gesture. That was him at his core, though. He gave her much to think about whilst remaining evasive. Nonetheless, she needed to rest first, whether he watched over her or not. As she traveled back to her uncle's house, Ardith, Sevy and Alastair spoke to her about what they saw or thought. They did not care that he had not addressed how he felt about her. They agreed that his concern for her mattered most, suggesting an affirmative answer to the question she asked that she had no ability to answer. Yet they could not characterize its strength or quality. However utilitarian, he acted selflessly, lovingly.

* Author's Note

The publisher Thomas Cautley Newby first issued Emily Brontë's novel _Wuthering Heights_ in December 1847. It has gone through numerous formats, editions (including online) and publishers. The copy on Severus Snape's bookshelf was a hardcover version released by Heron Books in 1966.


	60. Remembrance and (Re)Birth

Reaching her Uncle Jack's residence, Livia gave all of her avian friends a snack, then put the stone away and laid down, bobcat soon in hand. She did cry but, thanks to her potion, soon found herself asleep. She only could hope he meant what he did say to her. His presence reassured her, even if it wore on him.

Tom and Alice actually woke her up, which had Livia out of sorts for a moment, wondering where she was. Then everything came back to her. They wished her a Happy Birthday and gave her a moment to become fully alert. Tom pet Ardith, again complimenting her and thanking her for saving Livia's life, as Alice acted jealous for the owl's sake. Livia remembered why they had come. Rev. Woodcock watched Adelaide again as they would accompany her to a birthday party Ben insisted on hosting.

With Uncle Jack, they all walked down to Ben's home once more. Livia wondered if she would fit through the doorway. Alice didn't think she had gotten quite that big yet, but she might, since she had over a month to go. Livia dared not contemplate it further. Alice told her to cheer up. She would be in Livia's shoes soon enough, since she just learned she would have another child herself. Livia congratulated them, as well as gave Alice her condolences, since she had entered the "no fun zone" with her situation, especially her back. Alice nodded.

Uncle Jack knocked at Ben's door. Everything seemed normal as Ben opened the door and the four went inside. Livia wondered why Tom and Alice went first, though. Then she saw. Ben had organized a real party, inviting Shelley, Liam, Ted, Athena, Selene and Terence. He created quite a surprise, but he called it an impromptu baby shower. Since Livia expected to have a boy and a girl, both genders should attend such an event, he said. He had caught Livia off-guard. She had thought so much about what she had done herself earlier that day that she had not considered what Alice and Ben had discussed.

Ben made everything there, from snack food or appetizers to side dishes to hearty fare suitable for a main course. Everyone first took what they wanted from a buffet table he put in his kitchen, including Livia's favorite red velvet cake, then sat in the dining room. Livia's friends took a moment to greet Livia's brother and sister-in-law, surprised to find them there. Livia explained the situation, though they might be bending the ministry's wishes to have both walk down the road some. Athena thought it interesting that Tom and Livia could be mistaken for being biologically related, though she knew it wasn't so. Selene, looking more and more like a buff fitness expert, said she was happy to see those on the other end of the letters Livia often had sent from their room.

All of Livia's friends had stories to tell. Shelley and Liam had interesting customers, Ted and Athena talked about the latest plea deals, including that of Charlotte Stickler, who they claimed probably wanted to avoid Livia making good on the threat Livia made to her years ago, then Selene and Terence spoke about new players as well as seeing Don in a recent match. Don had become a star player and a viable candidate to coach a team when he stopped playing. He became known as a great thinking player, even a strategist, though he claimed the first tactical concept presented to him came from a roommate. Everyone looked at Livia and laughed because they remembered.

"Wait, why did my sister threaten a girl?" Tom asked. "I don't recall exactly."

"We do," Shelley answered. "Charlotte along with her friends, Stephanie and Rhonda Wayne, tormented Selene horribly. We hatched a plan to catch Charlotte. Livia impersonated Selene through a potion she had made – we all did, really – but Livia slept in Selene's bed as if her. Charlotte 'accidentally' spilled water on her and tried to start a fight. By the time we interceded, Livia's cat had bitten Charlotte and Livia already was sitting on her, snarling at her."

"I disarmed her by surprise and told her the last girl who messed with me needed over 20 stitches for her wounds," Livia stated. "I said my crow, Alastair, would follow her the rest of the year, too. I later told Filius I wasn't sorry at all about it. She would leave Selene alone or else. Tom, that act led to the release you signed and us sharing a room. Selene's family wanted ironclad protection."

"Now I remember," Tom affirmed. "I knew some of the details but not the whole story. I tended to trust Livia even though I was supposed to be her guardian. What did the potion do?"

"Tom, the potion made me look exactly like Selene," Livia told him. "Sometimes the voice doesn't match, but that was no problem for me. Whether the potion made me sound like her or not, I sounded like Selene. Only Sairy knew I wasn't actually Selene until after I sat on Charlotte. At that point, the effects wore off." Ben took in the story with great interest; he never knew its entirety.

"The room was odd perhaps, but it worked for all of us," Selene maintained. "We all trusted Livia. Of course, no one knew where we fit in terms of putting us by a girls's dormitory or a boys's, so we stayed close to where the head students resided, in case we needed to be watched. We got so used to our little family room unit that we never wanted anything different than that. Even when Shelley could have had her own room as a privilege, she stayed."

"Tom, my parents trusted Livia – completely," Shelley added. "Don't be hard on yourself. She knew what she was doing. When we were all in London, everyone just gave her their money, including my parents, and said 'take care of it.' She inspired confidence."

Athena interjected at that point, expressing concern over a writer at the _Prophet_. She seemed bent on publishing a rather scandalous book about Livia's uncle. She asked Livia if she knew about it or planned on doing anything.

"I'm glad you asked me, Athena," Livia stated. "Tom and Alice know nothing about this. I could not convince that woman that I was 13 when I first came to Hogwarts, even though you all remember my sorting and that I stood significantly taller than all the other new students."

"Oh yeah," Ted recalled. "You were a head taller than the second tallest kid."

"I have a birth certificate and the letter Tom found with me, all from 1972, not 1975, like I know she wants to say," Livia said.

"Why would some author try to make Livia ten when she was 13?" Tom inquired. "I was there when Livia was a baby, and I was six. I can assure you all that Livia is 26 today."

"To make her notion of my paternity more feasible," Livia revealed. "I'm not the subject, so she doesn't care about me. She also attended trials of people skeptical of my actual paternity, which may have warped her view. She wants to say that Professor Snape is my father, hence why he protected me. If I was 13 then, he would have fathered me at age 11. If she makes him nearly 15, it's more credible."

"What about Christopher?" Alice queried. "We did not make him up. We met him, more than once. He was a lovely person. You carry his picture. I do not get this."

"I think she will explain away his existence, but I don't know how," Livia replied. "They ignored him, also. Only Uncle Jack and Ben here know who my father is. I did not tell you, Tom, nor you, Alice, because the name doesn't mean anything to you. It will to everyone else, though."

"This sounds like a big deal, Livia," Shelley responded. "Are you going to tell us?"

"I will tell you the story if it stays here," Livia offered. "Everyone agree?"

Livia eyed everyone to see if they consented without reservation. They all did. So she narrated the effort starting with what the baby basket letter and sorting hat told her, the seven in London, then four names, then finally the confirmation and admission of paternity by her father. Everyone who did not know already except Tom and Alice were shocked; they felt relief that Ben was not her cousin. They needed an explanation as to who Livia's father is.

"He was on the school's Board of Governors and comes from one of the most well-known, highly regarded families here," Uncle Jack stated. "Tom, I understand you were a little intimidated by Alice's background. It's exactly the same notion, which is why the news stuns Livia's former roommates. Livia is the equivalent of a duke's secret love child. Her father also supported the Dark Lord for some years, too. In a way, it's a better story than Professor Snape being her father, if the author cared about the issue. That scandal would sell many books, if unrelated to her narrative."

"Except his consent is less than clear to me," Livia maintained. "The woman who gave birth to me made him think the affair was his idea. I'm not sure how much it was. She manipulated the events. She wanted to study things he had. Yet she did not plan on having me. She just used her situation to excuse her own marginalized status as an actress. She never told her family about me. Anyway, since this writer wants to publish lies about me, I thought I should tell you all this."

"Am I right to recall that your mother was American, Livia?" Shelley inquired. "Is that still going to be the case? I can't see how, frankly, it fits with Professor Snape."

"You're correct about her," Livia answered. "The letter also says that, Shelley, but, if I had to guess, I would think the author wants a juicier story with some geographic feasibility. Based on the other person who inherited a part of my uncle's estate, I think she will suggest that Harry Potter's mother, Lily, is also my mother. From that, I can be abandoned in her parents's world." Everyone expressed great dismay at the idea, whilst Ben still pondered Lucius Malfoy being manipulated.

"Was she a classmate of your uncle?" Alice asked. "Would that make her 14-15, too?"

"Yes to both," Livia confirmed. "That lie might sell books by dragging Harry Potter into that part of the story. It also gives an extra reason for Harry's father to hate my uncle, too."

"That has to be libel, no?" Tom posited. "Do you have legal recourse here to pursue?"

"I believe so," Livia replied. "The question is if one acknowledges this tripe by filing suit. If this author publishes this accusation, I will assist Harry, should he opt to pursue a case. If it is a supposition versus a claim of fact, I don't know if he will address it. I will do whatever he asks. Still, it bothers me as a mere lie, inclining me to respond, if he agrees. For him, it likely means an effort to damage his mother's name and reputation. In light of this, I may add fuel to the fire."

"How so, Livia?" Ben queried.

"In May, I asked Harry if I could name my female child Lily," Livia answered.

"Why?" Several people asked her at once.

"My uncle loved her, so I thought it would please him," Livia responded. "Moreover, Harry found me and led the effort to restore me from how my uncle hid me. It seemed right. I can't be pushed from doing what I find appropriate because a gossipy writer twists it, can I?"

"You shouldn't," Uncle Jack stated. "If you believe in the name, go with it. You finding a way to honor both for helping you has merit in my opinion. Do you have full names chosen?"

"I think so," Livia asserted. "So far, I planned on Lily Christina Alice Prince for the girl and Christopher Severus Woodcock Prince for the boy."

"Woodcock, really?" Tom asked. "Why?"

"Does anyone know why I don't wish to use either Thomas or James, Tom's middle name?" Livia countered to the whole group.

"I think I do," Ted asserted. "I recall that the Dark Wizard who killed so many one way or another, including your uncle and probably your spouse, was called Tom Riddle. Moreover, Harry, the 'boy who lived' who defeated him, descended from a man named James Potter, who, as you said, did not get on well with your uncle at all. Indeed, if severe mistreatment of him made him the way he was to his students, we could all have reason to be profoundly upset with Harry's father. Bottom line: If you feel you owe your life to your uncle – which shocks me still even as I say it – using either name presents problems. I can see why you would hesitate using those names."

"Exactly," Livia affirmed. "I'd use the name of Alastair first. In fact, I keep thinking of adding names. I don't know how many to use or where to stop. I have heard of using more than two middle names. So why not three or even four?"

"Maybe this is tough to ask," Shelley began. "Nonetheless, Ted suggested that Death Eaters killed Christopher, but no one has been charged. Why not, Livia?"

"It's a good and, yes, difficult question," Livia answered. "I never found anyone living who was indirectly involved, much less directly so. Those directly responsible I believe all died by 2 May or thereabouts. A few of them died before then, too."

Everyone wanted to change the subject, as Livia seemed unusually uncomfortable. Some wondered if her distress came from the lack of charges or her continued mourning. The rest of the night provoked great hilarity. Ted led the way. In fact, Tom wondered why he never put Ted together at a party with his friend Gary. The world might perish from laughter perhaps. Livia prompted Ted first to play a game of 'How big is Livia?' with comparisons to an overstuffed holiday game bird, a refrigerator, a fireplace and a couch. Ben stated that Livia still wasn't as big as his father's ego, which drew great laughs. They all knew where Ben stood with him. No one mentioned what he tried to do to Livia, though, with Tom and Alice present. Ben warned them.

Everyone brought a gift for Livia's expected duo, including near-matching outfits, multiple pacifiers, twin cribs and baby blankets. Everyone caught up, though several people, especially Selene, wanted to hear more about Rhonda Wayne's trial. Livia did not want to say too much, in deference to their host. He dismissed Livia's concern. He put Rhonda in his past and never wanted to see her again. So Livia recounted every nasty thing Rhonda did and the fact that Ben's mother later said she thought poorly of Rhonda the second they met. Ben added that her observation had prompted his mother to escape. If he had known that then, he may have joined her.

The group broke up late that night, as one by one everyone returned home, hugging Livia and hoping they would see her either before or during her impending birth. Shelley, Athena and Selene confirmed how to get to Livia's cottage when the time came, what to bring, such as food, and who else might come and when. They all looked forward to everything going well. All the women found ways to schedule themselves to be there immediately, if not before. Ben used his fireplace to transfer things to Jack's house. Jack made sure that everything got there safely.

Finally, only Livia, Ben, Tom and Alice remained. Ben walked them out, expressing hope that Livia had enjoyed the party. She did. She thanked him for his effort and his thoughtfulness. He hugged Livia, and she did not flinch. She told him if he kept this up, she just might forgive him yet. He looked very pleased. Ben asked her why she seemed to change her mind: was it the cake, the party or what? She whispered to him that Severus Snape had reminded her of a conversation she had with him years ago. That memory made her think about the present differently.

On the way back, she told Tom and Alice what she said. Livia told them that, indeed, she had spoken to her uncle earlier. Death apparently agreed with him better than life. He seemed insightful as well as proud of the things she did. He expected more. He also appreciated what Tom had said. Both were taken aback a little. Alice said it best: "Just when we think we can accept what is and have a pleasant celebration, we find something else you can do that Tom and I cannot. It's like we allow for a certain level and then something hits us in the face and it all feels new, even if it isn't. All I have to say is that if your friends make having children easier, I will never go to a hospital for that again." Indeed, she later had her boy, Russell Thomas Robert, at home, with Livia's aid.

Tom asked her if she had seen Christopher. She said yes, but she mostly kept his remarks to herself. He wished everyone well and felt that Livia had won the lottery by having Tom as her brother, by which he meant Alice, too. He had become very fond of Alice, they well knew. Tom and Alice smiled. Tom thought he understood her reluctance. He could not imagine how she kept going. Tom figured her uncle worried about this, too, and thought of her situation more objectively. If she had respected him greatly, it cut both ways, though the man likely never let others see this.

The next weeks in one sense passed quickly. Livia had much to do to better organize her space to accommodate the impending change to her life, as well as work on her book. She entertained herself with the local radio as she pondered how to better distribute her things. She had transferred much from Uncle Jack's house, though he wondered why she took away her academic robe, since she would not wear it in Cambridge. She rationalized it by suggesting she might at some point go directly from Cambridge to the school, which he accepted. She started singing in baby-talk to "Lovefool" by the Cardigans* and "Don't Speak" by No Doubt,* among other things, pushing away any other relevance but babies. She did not want or need it. Still, she wished someone had said that he loved her once, regardless of how he meant it. She focused her mind on organization. She found ways to store her music, papers and clothes without any exhausting her space. She heard new technology might make the former problem disappear, but had not seen it yet become viable. In the meantime, clever shelving and labeling made her life simpler. She knew her little place might become very busy soon and she wanted a lot of open space in the main room for various people to use. She did not know the exact number but figured it had to be at least six.

Livia also put together the dual cradle, a double pram and organized a small closet and chest with baby clothes. She read a few things Molly Weasley recommended to her on childcare so she did not feel completely lost. Spells for nappy changing and cleaning or bathing looked very reassuring. She felt less certain about nursing, though Alice promised to help her. Livia could not find a shortcut to doing that well. The potion Livia made to help with her delivery pain seemed useful for baby teething, too, if in a much smaller dose applied onto the gums with a finger.

Livia made a trip once a week or so to see how her avian friends in Hogsmeade fared. Unfortunately, during one trip, both Alastair and Sevy had shown that they slowed down more than Livia expected. She tended to both so at least they felt better. The other owls worried about both of them. They did improve. Livia hoped they had at least a few more good months ahead. Neither seemed sure yet dismissed any immediate danger. She gave both a nutritious and fortifying snack and offered recommendations to Uncle Jack to leave something for Alastair at a consistent time and place and for Sevy to eat in a specific location. She wanted them to hold on at least until she could introduce them to her twins. Uncle Jack promised Livia that he would keep both going.

Livia started her labor towards the end of the business day on Thursday, 8 October. Alice got Uncle Jack to notify Baldur Bodlington to bring someone early the next day. Bodlington arrived Friday morning with a registry official named Ariel Dumfries, a tiny older lady with a grey bun and bifocals. Tom also arranged that day for a visit from an official representing the Cambridgeshire registrar's office. That agent, Nora Stanton, a tall, blonde woman, who appeared like an older version of Sophie, admitted having a young relative who emigrated from France named Sophie, too. That Sophie additionally worked in London, but Nora did not disclose more. Livia wondered.

After setting up the food she brought, Selene, who had taken the day off, left to notify Shelley, Athena, Molly and Ben once Alice returned to sit by Livia. Livia put herself to sleep, knowing she might have a long road ahead of her. Molly arrived first, with Ginny following. Alice gave them some tea and a snack as Molly watched Livia. Selene had not returned yet. Molly wanted Ginny to follow her use of the potions Livia prepared, as she planned to use several in a particular order to maximize their efficacy. Molly liked that Livia wanted to sleep, rather than need the anti-anxiety or strengthening potion too soon. Overreliance could blunt their impact, Molly believed, though she sensed that Livia's preparations were highly potent from smelling them.

Alice moved some chairs into Livia's bedroom, as a host of people arrived. Tom checked out the scene after work and found himself impressed that five women had gathered around his sister. He decided to help his wife cook for all, though Ben soon came and contributed greatly to that effort. Ben further organized the food the others brought by setting up a buffet table in the main room of her cottage as well as one in the main house. Uncle Jack came soon after and joined Tom at the main dining room table. When Livia woke up, she found quite a lot of activity around her. Alice, Uncle Jack and Ben already had spoken with Molly and Ginny. Tom felt he should make a second trip to ensure that he did the same, especially since Molly would play such a crucial role in his sister's care. He was delighted to hear of Ginny's experiences and gratified to meet a student Livia had taught. He checked on how Livia felt and told her that he would wait in his dining room with Ben and Uncle Jack, since her room seemed crowded.

Soon the men were joined by Ted, Liam and Terence. Tom wondered if he should consider himself the host of a men's club event. All those at the main table ate and enjoyed themselves as they waited. Tom introduced them all to Adelaide, who took her dinner with them, too. Ted joked that the girl had a lot of uncles that day. Tom responded that she probably only cared about the one who would bring her a pony.

"You know one of us could probably do that, right?" Terence asked.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Tom countered.

The young wizards looked at each other. Ted told them a pony is like a diminutive unicorn minus the horn and can't fly. Ben decided that he got it. They looked outside and saw a small, bridled pony tied to a post. Tom was awed. He asked if Adelaide could sit on its back, Ted gave the pony a saddle. Tom located his camera as Uncle Jack carried Adelaide outside. Everyone there went out, too, to marvel at it. Ben took pictures whilst Tom held Adelaide on the saddle, then Uncle Jack started leading the pony around part of the yard. Everyone thought it looked cute how Adelaide was basically riding off into the sunset. Just then Alice had come back and went on the opposite side of the pony. She was awed and delighted, remarking how jealous Tom's niece and nephew would be to have missed this. All of the young men filed away the image as something they might try themselves one day: An animal that did not fly could please versus endanger a small child. Once Ben knew what ponies ate and how Ted had created a saddle, he offered to recreate this in the future.

Meantime, Liam took quite a fancy to the yard and inquired about it. Tom told him that Livia had designed and executed it when they moved there, including the space the cat slept within at that moment. Liam wondered where Livia got her ideas, given his family owned a significant plot. He had not seen it in some time, and he loved the outdoors; the garden made him think about home. Tom told him that they had lived in parts of the country where people shaped gardens to look like what he saw. Authors had written many books on the aesthetics and goals of them, also. Liam seemed satisfied. He later asked Livia about his property with Shelley.

Heading back inside, Alice thanked them all because her daughter could look back on this day fondly and not feel jealous that Livia got all the attention. Uncle Jack thought that a good point for any of the men there thinking about having a large family: if the birthday of siblings became special for them, that sibling would not feel inclined to think badly of the newcomer. Everyone present agreed with this idea, giving them an important potential role in the future. Alice told them why this mattered to her right then – she would have another child in late May. The group congratulated both Alice and Tom.

Livia herself heard a little about what occurred elsewhere, which she preferred to dwell on versus her discomfort. She wasn't in distress or pain really. She could not say she felt like herself or normal in any way, either. Actually, she felt bored as well as trapped. She told Shelley how confined she felt and asked her to put on the radio. Livia scanned the dial and within a few minutes started wailing as herself to "I Believe I Can Fly."* The women in her room, confused, looked at each other. Athena told Livia that they knew she could fly. Not right now, Livia answered her.

"Just wait till it's you," Livia stated. "I feel like I'm stuck on a long car ride. I keep asking 'When are we going to get there?' and it takes forever."

Molly nodded. She understood, even if she had never ridden in a regular automobile before. She recounted how long it took her to deliver Bill, her first child. Ginny asked how she went through it six times, then. Molly told her that sleep helped, but her determination kept her going. She also asserted that she had a friend that read to her and another told her stories.

Livia got inspired. She had Shelley turn off the radio. Livia wanted the person closest to a particular bookshelf, Ginny, to pull down a title she described. It was _Wuthering Heights_ , a hardcover copy filled with marginalia notes. She wanted everyone to take turns reading it, including the scribbles. Ginny looked at a few pages and said the handwriting looked familiar. Livia explained that Ginny recognized it for a reason and explained where she obtained that copy. She told them that she had read the book before, but thinking through another person's responses would take her mind off of her situation. Though some thought it odd, Ginny started to read. Molly kept her chief focus on Livia's condition whilst everyone else thought about the story. Alice checked on the situation and found it interesting to hear them reading to Livia. She asked what they read. Only when Alice responded to say that she loved Emily Brontë's book did Shelley realize how her onetime Barn Owl got her name. Livia affirmed that two sisters named Brontë each wrote novels long prized by many in this part of the world. She admitted first reading _Wuthering Heights_ at around age 12. Molly found that shocking, based on the fact that Ginny found it somewhat sophisticated, from what she gathered. Livia said that she didn't consistently get the mature nuances, but she had no difficulty with the words. Alice reminded them that Livia was a child prodigy with a keen intellect.

Tom found it amusing when Alice told him that Livia had those with her taking turns reading Emily Brontë's book. Liam, Ted and Terence wanted to know about this Brontë. They recognized the name, too. They explained about Shelley's owl taking that name and ultimately assigning Livia ownership, though Livia never really owned her. Tom and Alice knew exactly who they meant: the female owl who paired off with Sevy. Everyone at the table remembered.

Livia got lost in the story again. She tended to get exasperated with Cathy Earnshaw. The scribbler did, too. In that sense, Cathy largely made Heathcliff who he turned out to be, including his material ambitions. The handwritten notes even nailed the story in a way Livia had not seen initially. In most ways, however, he had read it as she did. The others benefited from his analysis as if taught by an expert on the book. It was fun for Livia to discuss his notations.

Meantime, Alice contemplated making yet more food after getting Adelaide to sleep. Abby had come in and retreated already. Alice never thought so many actually would come at once, especially numerous partners of the women; she thought she and Tom would sit by Livia. Livia's roommates had rallied around her. Ben took charge with her, since he could get things done faster. They made more tea as well. Tom asked everyone if they had a guess as to how long they might wait. Uncle Jack thought Livia would finally deliver late that night or after midnight. Tom then decided he needed to make sure Molly was okay, since her focus on Livia could detract from herself. She was fine. She thanked Tom for his inquiry but maintained that Ginny would ensure she didn't get too tired.

Molly strictly monitored what Livia consumed. It either consisted of one potion or another or she allowed Alice to bring her ice chips, finding the small pieces of ice interesting. Molly minimized Livia's ability to feel any contractions. Livia had awareness of them happening; she just did not fully sense them with her nervous system.

Much later, after everyone there but Molly finished reading, Livia asked Ginny if that _Daily Prophet_ writer had issued her biography of Severus Snape. Athena answered, saying not yet, inquiring why Livia questioned Ginny. Livia reminded Athena as to her guess as to whom the author might claim to be her mother. Athena realized Livia's purpose, though Ginny did not. Livia explained through a few deep breaths that this woman wanted to make Livia younger to make it more plausible that she inherited her father's money. Whilst she never stipulated a mother in her questions, Livia supposed that, owing to Harry Potter's partial inheritance, she might speculate that Harry's mother was also her mother. Ginny's eyes widened and she shook at little. Ginny believed the notion that Harry's mother bore a secret child at 15 would upset him greatly, as would Lily giving up a child without any further contact. Livia assured her that, if asserted, the author would use it to sell books. Livia only wished to convey that, should it happen, Livia would assist Harry if he wished to pursue legal action against the writer. She had a birth certificate and a letter describing her mother, which proved the year of Livia's birth and the circumstances. She also had legal representation. Ginny said she would relay Livia's concern and offer of assistance.

Livia felt better after saying that, though the feeling came and went quickly. Molly administered the strengthening potion Livia created and told everyone that she needed to start pushing. Ginny alerted Alice, who wanted to be close to Livia when that happened. Tom did as well, but Alice told him to stay with his guests and entertain them, as well as monitor Adelaide. She would represent him. Tom listened and broke out spirits for the occasion. Several present never had consumed the things in Tom's cabinet. Liam liked the brandy. Terence, like Ted, preferred the tequila. Ben followed Alice, however. A few felt surprised to see him as he parked himself by the head of Livia's bed and took her hand. He asked her to squeeze it whenever she needed. Shelley had her other hand. A few of the others went to grab a quick bite before returning. Alice put the cribs near the bed and put some towels nearby. She asked if they needed anything else, like a knife, scissors or water. Molly shook her head no. Molly would use her wand, she said. Alice felt silly for asking. It was nice, though, to see Livia did not suffer greatly. She felt uncomfortable, but that seemed minor compared to what it could be.

Molly coached strongly from that point on, directing when and how Livia should breathe and when she should push. Slowly, the signs Molly deciphered became more obvious to everyone. Alice became her second, raising Livia's bent legs and ready to handle the emerging infants. Alice told Molly she was glad to witness this, given she expected another child next May. Livia did tend to squeeze Ben's hand hard when she had to push. Shelley put some extra pillows behind Livia to help her position herself. At 23:43 on 8 October, Livia's first child, a boy, arrived. She ultimately named the boy Christopher Severus Alastair Melben Woodcock Prince. Livia could only partly feel relief, exhaling loudly then puffing. Molly took charge to check, clean and dress him, clean the space and put him in his crib as they awaited his twin. Molly felt happy to see a boy, even if he had dark hair rather than red hair like hers. She felt closer to Fred. Ginny could see it, too. Molly directed Ginny to give Livia a few more drops of her strengthening potion, since they had not finished. The boy merely gurgled after being placed in his crib.

Whilst Livia gathered her will for another round, Athena quickly ran into the main house to say that Livia had a son. The men there seemed to be getting a bit hammered waiting for news. Tom immediately began topping off everyone's drink then insisted Athena could not go back until she did a shot with them. Athena thought Ted had put him up to it, but Ted shook his head even as he handed it to her. Everyone else put aside their current drinks for a quick shot of tequila. Only afterward did Athena return, telling everyone how she got forced into drinking a shot of tequila.

"Let me guess – my brother did that," Livia stated in between deep breaths.

"And my husband poured," Athena added. Everyone laughed.

"The same thing will happen if Shelley goes," Livia asserted. "Anyone betting me?"

"As if," Selene said. "When won't you try to make a wager, Livia?"

"When I think I'm wrong," Livia answered as she pushed anew. Everyone laughed again.

Molly got Livia focused on breathing and then pushing. Throughout, Livia kept a grip on Ben's hand and Shelley's hands. At 23:52, Molly made Livia give her maximum effort and her little girl entered the world. Livia later named her Lily Christina Alice Sydney Shelley Prince. Ben excitedly leaned over and kissed Livia's forehead, whispering "you did it." Again, Molly cleaned, bundled and placed the girl in the second crib. Now Livia exhaled fully and exhaustedly. Soon, the remnant of the births followed, which Molly quickly dispatched. Livia asked if she should sleep a little or try to feed first. Molly told her to sleep and had Ginny give her both the restorative and sleep potions. Before drifting off, Livia asked who was going for the next round. Molly said that she was. Everyone laughed.

Selene went in first to let everyone know. She told them Livia had a girl and rested for the time being. As predicted, Tom made her do a shot with them, too. The group in Livia's bedroom slowly made their way into the cottage's main room and ate a little more. Only Ben did not to go. Shelley brought him a plate of food. Before leaving, Ginny remarked that, if she didn't know differently, she would have thought these were Ben's children. They looked like him. Both had full, very dark hair and, as with many pale pink-colored babies, big bright blue eyes. How they would look in upcoming weeks may or may not shift, Alice told her. If you asked her, though, they looked exactly like Tom. Alice laughed then closed the door so Livia could sleep.

Molly decided she was serious and she led everyone into the main house to join the festivities. Ginny was impressed with her mother's performance and that her mother wanted a celebratory drink. She did not object to Tom giving Ginny one, either. Tom hugged Molly tightly, thanking her profusely for coming. He thanked Ginny, too, for letting the Woodcocks borrow her Mum. Then he asked Molly what she might like. Uncle Jack asked her what she drank normally, then suggested that the brandy might suit her best. Liam told her that he liked it. Everyone joined in except Ben who sat contentedly watching Livia sleep.

Ben released her hand and walked over to look at the babies. He hoped that, somewhere, their father smiled and watched them all. He also hoped Christopher did not mind if he wanted to look after these children as if they were his. Ben knew that they as well as Livia would benefit from his presence. The babies would not have his childhood, or to him his non-childhood.

In the main house, Shelley and Athena posed a few questions to Molly to make sure they fully understood what she had done. Alice complimented her, telling Tom also how impressed she was. Ginny felt very proud of her Mum. Given the hour, many people decided to depart. The group quietly filled the cottage. Alice gently rapped on the bedroom door. She wanted to give all the guests a chance to see the babies before they left. Slowly, various people went in, beheld Livia's progeny and either shook Ben's hand, hugged him or put a hand on his arm or shoulder. Before Molly left, she gave Alice some instructions on what she should do when Livia woke up, if none of her friends stayed. She told Ben and Shelley, too.

All left except for Ben and Shelley. Shelley told Liam that she would return home after Livia woke up. Athena offered to help Liam if Shelley did not feel up to opening their shop on Friday; she had already taken Friday off. Ben told Liam and Shelley to rest instead. They could just do a half-day on Saturday as needed. Otherwise, they should not worry about any lost time.

Tom felt sorry to see them all go. He liked Livia's friends. He told them all they were welcomed back anytime, especially when he partied on 24 December with his longtime friends. He told Ted especially that he just had to see him with his friend Gary. After most of the group left, Tom finally went in to see his sister sleeping and looked at her babies. They both resembled her, he thought. He couldn't decide which looked like her more. Each had a full head of thick, dark hair, one perhaps only slightly darker than hers, if at all. Hers was nearly black whereas Christopher's was clearly black. For now, other than that slight difference, they seemed entirely hers. He knew that could change. He stepped back outside.

"Okay, so why is it your sister's kids look like you, Tom?" Alice whispered. Shelley and Ben looked at each other with widened eyes before either entered. Then Tom and Alice laughed.

"I told you before – my sister has good taste," Tom answered. Both laughed again.

Shelley later relayed that conversation to Livia whilst giving her more of the restorative potion and checking on her overall health. She gave each baby a drop of the strengthening potion as they slept. Ben stayed in room. Having never heard Tom and Alice have that sort of exchange, he really wanted to hear Livia's response.

Livia laughed about their discussion. "They say that a lot," Livia informed the pair. "It's a running joke between them. Alice has insisted that every boy I've ever dated or fancied looks like Tom to her. Tom takes it as a compliment. And no, they never met Molly's oldest son, Bill."

Later, Alice came in and then, whilst Ben took a break to talk to Tom, Alice and Shelley got Livia to figure out how to nurse her babies. Livia existed on autopilot, following orders. She thought about making their father proud. She supposed Ben staying with her had relieved him of the duty of watching over her. She hoped that, wherever he was, he was happy. She merely told Shelley and Alice that she stewed about names and related issues. Reading a book with his uncle's notes gave her comfort in thinking a piece of his family participated somehow.

Both told her not to go overboard with names or plans. After all, what would she do if she had another child? Livia opted not to tell them that some palm reader claimed she would only have two and, moreover, if she wanted to teach, she had to stop at two. For all the accomplishments in the wizarding world, a single working mother had to scramble to succeed, even if she had resources. Married women didn't necessarily fare better, either. Indeed, Livia wanted to work with Glorianna Gardenia on this issue. Given all the things she could do, rigid gender roles seemed unnecessary, if not blasphemous. After all, female owls delivered mail just as well as the males. Her classmate even had died in May not long after giving birth, too. Why not Livia as the next Potions Master? Few could match her teaching or brewing abilities, her approach, her experience with two of the best potion makers who ever existed and her unique skills in gathering materials.

Shelley left shortly thereafter, pledging to return Sunday to check on her. At that point, Ben decided to stay with Livia until Alice or Tom came back. He already had left a note closing his shop on Friday. He starting telling people he might do that after the party he threw for Livia. Though she seemed alert, he didn't think he should leave her alone. He spoke to her about how awed he was by how Molly Weasley handled everything. He expressed hope that it pleased her to relate the experience to having her own twins. Livia agreed. Ben continued talking, offering brief comments regarding a few of the other visitors, but Livia finally shushed him.

"You're trying too hard, Ben," Livia stated. "I forgive you."

"Seriously? You mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it…Talon Boy," Livia affirmed.

He kissed her hand and caressed it. He choked up, as if he had witnessed the birth of his own children. Knowing how Livia felt about his father – and rightly so – he wondered if this situation represented "how it should be" or the best way forward. Perhaps he also had witnessed the rebirth of a special relationship with Livia. He knew why he had never gotten over her. He never would. He only hoped that someday she would feel the same way and trust him enough to say it. That mission, along with Livia's, had just begun.

* Author's Note

The single "Lovefool," written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson, appears on the Cardigans's 1996 album, _First Band on the Moon_. It was also released as a single that year.

No Doubt's 1996 single "Don't Speak" appears on its 1995 album _Tragic Kingdom_. Songwriting credit goes to Eric Stefani and Gwen Stefani.

"I Believe I Can Fly" first became popular from its inclusion in the 1996 film soundtrack to _Space Jam_. Also issued as a single that year, it later appeared on singer R. Kelly's album _R._ in 1998. Robert Kelly wrote the song as well.


	61. Taking Her Place, Looking Back & Ahead

Livia sat at a dressing room table in her school quarters, preparing for her 20th anniversary reunion on Saturday, 23 July, 2011. She had spent Friday in various meetings that week preparing for the upcoming year, mainly concerning an open faculty position. She could put the school's present aside for a few hours, however. All of her former roommates would attend. She brushed her still flowing, wavy deep brown hair and pinned the back. She contemplated many things that had occurred since her graduation. She already had realized she was some months older than Severus Snape when he died, a sobering thought. She glanced at her closeted academic robe; she never changed it. Her quarters once had belonged to him, too. He never strayed far from her mind.

C.S. and Lily dined that evening in Cambridge with Tom, Alice, their kids and Uncle Jack after a successful first year at Hogwarts. Most people called her boy C.S., as Livia did, though he liked Chris, too. Tom and Alice, who just celebrated their 20th anniversary, thought him much like the Christopher they knew. Yet he looked entirely like Livia, with pale skin, bright blue eyes and nearly black hair. He already had become a fine student, benefitting from an early education in Cambridge with Adelaide and Russell plus his mother's reading list. He also grew close to Russell. Livia was glad he had male friends and role models; she felt fiercely protective, worrying that he could become socially awkward. Each twin proved to be exceptionally bright, if C.S. slightly more than Lily. Lily became the mimic. Neither seemed fully an empath then; both somewhat conversed with animals. Lily "spoke" better, but C.S. heard everything. Both worked hard, regardless.

Lily had her mother's feistiness and fair skin but possessed dark eyes and slightly darker, straighter hair. She acted like her mother but looked a lot like her father. She did most things her brother did; they remained each other's best friend. When both got admitted to Hogwarts, Livia wondered if they might benefit from being sorted differently, to double their possible friendships. Lily told the hat this after C.S. got sorted; she thus joined Gryffindor. When C.S. began living in Ravenclaw, Livia checked in with Helena to see if C.S. needed help adjusting to living apart from Lily. Livia tried not to pry. Neither child had rejected Slytherin for reasons others once used.

Livia had come a long way with them. During the 1998 holiday party, the older kids first used her cottage with the babies in her bedroom. Sleeping bags began dotting its main room, which expanded as the younger children joined them. Uncle Jack began a storytelling tradition that year. He read versions of _Peter Pan_ and _A Christmas Carol_ , but all really enjoyed an oral narrative about a young wizard named Harry Potter. Uncle Jack claimed that he recited an obscure Scottish legend. As they grew, C.S. and Lily never let on anything about it, since Uncle Jack told his story the best. C.S. and Lily also knew well how to protect themselves regarding their abilities.

Neither Adelaide nor Russell, sharp as they were, deduced the truth or showed such talent, the latter disappointing Livia greatly. Still, Alice did get to meet Uncle Jack's late wife and saw the wizarding world better than Tom. Tom took his limitation in stride, since Alice told him everything he could ask. Alice was awed, especially after she finally visited the school in 2010.

Much debate arose as early as 1998 about who C.S. resembled the most, with Ted and Gary egging on the debate. Ted, Athena, Shelley and Liam had joined the festivities that year and often returned. Tom finally won a bet, wagering that Ted and Gary would become best friends by the end of one evening. Alice said she let him win once. Every year, starting then, they toasted Livia's late husband with Cathy. They mentioned Livia's uncle, too. Yet Ben felt welcomed, especially after he set up pony rides the next day. He went slowly, but he wanted everyone to accept that he truly loved Livia, including Livia. In fact, the first time he kissed her since 1990 occurred when he left the 1998 party to go home after midnight. He did not linger over it, since he returned the next day. He let her decide everything about their relationship. He valued her trust above all.

Livia slowly re-established herself once she recovered from the losses of Alastair and Sevy the following spring. She spent a lot of time with both over their last weeks, often with her twins, but still took losing the two, only days apart, extremely hard. Ben stood by her, knowing how much she loved both. He convinced her to lean on him and move forward as they would insist. That fall, she redesigned Uncle Jack's backyard as a memorial garden. Beside the spot where she placed her bench she had buried both. Livia interred Sarah there, too; Mel and Sydney sadly joined them in 2002. Fortunately, the crows Gerald and Allie, progeny of Alastair, joined the local group and retained their father's love of mischief. Sevy and Brontë's daughter Sevia and Mel and Sydney's son Bernard returned to reside in the vacated owl box once Brontë moved indoors. She preferred a friendship with Ardith, whose solitary status resonated then with Brontë in her widowed state.

Next in 1999, Livia completed a piece calling for more research into a comparative between the attributes of muggle children compared to wizarding ones, revealing findings from limited numbers of her IQ test. She gave a number of possible interpretations and suggested ways of improving either muggle studies or the overall education of wizarding children based on what she found. She located a periodical called _The Journal of Research in Wizarding Childhood Education_ , recommended to her by Goldie Goldinger, in whose classes she made guest appearances several times when he taught there from 1998-2000. The journal's publisher, Lindsay Warwick, owned a consortium of educational imprints under the name _Young Wizardry_ and had issued works of his elsewhere. The headmistress also allowed Livia to test the school's new students before turning in her final draft. She discussed the politics around musical charitable efforts, including Live Aid, for the advanced classes. She offered anecdotal information in several areas for younger students.

She still did interrogations for the ministry, though over time they became unrelated to allies of the Dark Wizard. No one ever really got a foothold to challenge the ministry. Concealed spies like Thor Thornton and master examiners like Livia ensured they never got far beyond the whisper stage. Dementors, rejected as threatening and amoral, had become obsolete – not just because the prisons improved. Those who wished for a grand gesture or defiant act possessed zero hope of success. They knew it, too.

Over the years, Livia often visited Helena Ravenclaw and looked after the potions storage closet, but she juggled many roles. In 2000, following the advice of Odin, Livia finalized better conditions for postal-serving owls or those bred, raised and sold for such duties. Owls and those organizing their work became partners – owners signed contracts, so owls never worked slavishly nor spent weeks caged. Ardith's acceptance of duties in exchange for guarantees of safety and care resonated with all sides. Still, Livia found ways to allow owls to change their status as health or other factors determined. The relationship became more collaborative and mutually satisfying. Livia set up mutually recognized ways for owls and those selling or employing them to function better. Livia even set a useful model for improving the relationship of elves to people they served, too. She even bought two Barn Owls, Tristan and Iseult, to take the place of her beloved Mel and Sydney after they passed. The slowing Brontë remained inside with Uncle Jack, and like Ardith, only travelled locally. Proud mum of Sevia and many others until she expired in 2005, the same year as Abby, Brontë fondly evoked Sevy and expressed hope that she would see him again.

Livia began helping faculty starting in 2001 better shape assignments to aid students whilst assisting tutors understand how they could also help with these. Signposts, verbal or not, became a buzzword there. Livia strove to make all see that thought related to what was written, which in turn affected the execution of a charm, transfiguration or potion. The concept of words being a source of magic meant enhancing the control of one's prose. Livia enabled everyone to recognize the relationship between the brain, the written word and visible skills better.

Back in the present, Livia slowly surveyed her wardrobe to choose what she wanted to wear for the event, thinking that she should look elegant but maintain her dignity as the school's headmistress. Her former roommates had sworn that she would run the school someday, but Livia did not necessarily want the post. Tom felt great pride. She still felt a bit odd despite having the title for a year. The prior spring, she had voiced concern about teaching Potions to C.S. and Lily, worried someone would accuse her of bias towards them. She didn't know that the existing headmaster, Filius Flitwick, had pondered returning to his old position before retiring. He ensured that Livia learned the position well and lacked a direct responsibility grading her children. The Board of Governors approved the move and slid the existing Charms professor, Winslow Duke, into the herbology position temporarily whilst Filius taught that year and headed Ravenclaw. Livia disclosed this during her September 2010 speech in the Great Hall. She outlined her responsibilities to all of the students, especially her dim view of bullying. She also warned that any student, parent or staff member who belittled her children owing to an issue with her would face her unmitigated, unapologetic ire. Her reputation did not require that she mention the "rat-faced, flea-bitten dumbasses" episode or any incident. By then, most people knew she possessed skills rivaling those of the legendary, late Albus Dumbledore. That she would take on anyone seemed rather obvious.

A revitalized Hogwarts also accepted Thor Thornton as its Potions Master and Slytherin head of house in 2010, one of a few alumni available, since Livia vouched for him. He occasionally consulted Livia or a few alumni on how to handle students whilst not encouraging their ambitions to adversely affect others. Yet he preferred Livia's input about teaching potions. Thor considered Livia's 2004 book excellent for its insight into the mindset an instructor should have in addition to that of a student. Still, Thor had not committed himself to teaching more than three academic years. Livia would employ a former Slytherin tutor, the tall, dapper Hamish Fox, after Thor left.

As far as Livia was concerned, she possessed only one perk as headmistress: it lay in her office. She loved speaking to the deceased headmasters that preceded her, especially Albus Dumbledore. He showed discretion in never dwelling on the paternity of Livia's children. He knew and did not voice great surprise. He also became quite fond of both C.S. and Lily. He just expressed befuddlement as to why Livia's memory faltered regarding the night they came to exist; he said little else. At times, he understood Livia better than she did. He remained a rock for her.

Well before Livia became headmistress, she helped get Severus Snape's portrait installed. Uncle Jack had assisted, too. The ceremony coincided with the initiation of a new governor, the successful, local businessman Ben Spence. When Livia took up her new post in 2010, Sev'rus referred her to his predecessor whenever she posed a question – if awake. He got better after she lost her temper, grabbed his collar, glared and swore at him in the harshest language possible. Albus uproariously laughed. Livia thought threatening him with a crow soiling his visage worked, too, or accusing him of cowardice if he tried to leave. No one initially understood her threat of singing "that song," but he usually stayed thereafter. He later confessed to Albus, however, that he wouldn't mind hearing it. Albus tipped her off, naturally, so she sang it on his birthday. Sev'rus pouted for show; Livia knew he liked it. Albus was impressed. Livia decided to sing every year on 9 January, often performing songs Sev'rus had heard her sing from his office or in his quarters.

After C.S. and Lily graduated, Livia found her way back to being Potions Master. She reprised being headmistress years later, but Livia preferred teaching. Indeed, she wanted Thor to remain just to talk with him about it. He did benefit and liked how she assisted him, but she could not make him stay. She only demonstrated a few advanced potions during the twins's time there.

Livia got on well with Harry Potter, especially after Baldur Bodlington called a press conference in late 1999 about her uncle's unreliable biography. She told reporters that she lacked a stake regarding her parentage, as she never claimed status based on it. Still, she refused to accept how the author's lie affected her family or how the allegation that they shared a birth mother pained Harry. Livia presented the original letter pinned to her baby basket, her birth certificate, medical records and affidavits from her brother and Rev. Woodcock recalling how they found her on 4 September, 1972. Bodlington released his own statement, having first reviewed her birth certificate on 4 May 1998. He added school records and eyewitness accounts of her 1985 sorting. An affidavit by prosecutor Davis McKenzie further recalled that he saw Livia speak to the writer. He had observed Livia show the woman her locket's inscription, marking her 25th birthday in 1997. Livia argued that the author willfully dismissed what she had said, asserting provable lies to sell books.

Yet Livia just repeated what the sorting hat stated regarding her paternity. She considered the issue a private one between herself, her actual father and his family. She gave him the choice of public disclosure, admitting that some close to her knew since 1997 or 1998. Her real mother never drew interest. She artfully sidestepped a question about her children's father, who the author cast aside as an actor, saying she loved and missed him deeply. Instead, she addressed why she named her daughter Lily – Severus Snape's sly action spared her and Harry found her. Harry never needed to sue. This revelation became vital for installing Severus Snape's portrait at school, too.

Livia thought about all this as she dressed because she knew the now-famous Don Stevens would attend. Stevens, still mostly blond, tan and muscular, might ask about any of these events. Retired from playing for a few years, Don coached and made public appearances, since he no longer had to train. He also enjoyed a more settled life with a family. Other than Selene and Terence, no one had seen Don or Barry a lot over the years, so they had much ground to cover.

Only one event since the birth of C.S. and Lily remained off-limits. Livia never desired to reveal their origins, though among the living Harry Potter knew. She hoped such awareness went no further, but like Professor Snape's resolve, this intention went awry. First, she slowly had let Ben into her life. He attended Tom and Alice's holiday party annually, partly to entertain the kids with Uncle Jack. By Livia's 30th birthday, Ben had declared his love openly and proposed marriage, but Livia resisted, citing her choice to teach. As with Nils's proposal, Livia hesitated for another reason. She lacked a financial concern as Ben did not need her money. She decided she should not marry him under false pretenses but felt disinclined to divulge the truth. She felt stuck.

The incident began the evening of 24 December 2002, when several girls surreptitiously broke into Livia's locked bedroom. Adelaide wanted Amanda and Amy to reach Livia's stuffed toy bobcat, which Livia had put high up on a shelf, nearly invisible. Adelaide had seen Lily with it. In pulling it down by climbing on Livia's headboard, the bobcat fell on the floor and a piece of parchment dislodged. They had found Severus Snape's final letter to Livia. Uncle Jack had gone to the lavatory, and Ben had just returned from the main house when he saw them in Livia's room. He knew how attached Livia was to her bobcat. He saw the dislodged parchment and grabbed both, seizing the letter before the girls could read it. He just chastised them for not asking Livia first.

Before leaving the room, curiosity compelled Ben to scan it. He quickly recognized the handwriting and spotted its date. Ben did not fully grasp some statements, though the tone seemed somehow moving. Yet the question as to whether he left Livia a burden or a gift held unmistakable significance, as did the claim that he could have lived contentedly as Christopher. Ben was shocked. He did want Livia for himself, after all, Ben thought. Who had Livia really loved? Who fathered C.S. and Lily? For Severus Snape, this letter was epic. No wonder why she saved and hid it. Ben could not unread that note, he figured. He had to ask her. It involved him, somehow, since Ben had planned on proposing to Livia until she agreed. This document, however, threw him for a loop. Ben felt entirely stupefied. He could not reconcile the man he knew with this letter's author.

After everyone had left four days later, Ben took Livia aside. They sat on her cottage's couch as C.S. and Lily ate in the main house. He told her about Amanda and Amy trying to nick her bobcat for Adelaide and it falling, showing her the parchment he took from the floor. He had recovered the stuffed animal, returned it to its position and resealed the door. Still, he had read the letter. The color drained from Livia's face. She grasped how and why Sev'rus became enraged, devastated and fearful when she had uncovered things that he never wanted anyone to know.

"You have kept something big from me – you hid it from everyone," Ben stated. "Why?"

"The truth is more complicated than you can imagine," Livia answered. "For years, I felt obligated to protect him, you know, then myself and those kids. It's a weight I thought I must carry alone. I have no idea how to talk about this. I don't even know if or how to tell C.S. and Lily."

"You better figure this out, fast," Ben asserted. "For one thing, I think this unequivocally shows that Severus Snape wanted you for himself. What did he do?"

"Actually, I can't exactly say that," Livia responded. "You really don't know that, either."

"Which one did you truly love, Livia?" Ben put to her. "Did Severus Snape kill his own relative, and that's why you never pushed anyone hard over Christopher's death? Or did he father those children – and that was just an arranged marriage to Christopher? What really happened?"

"You don't understand," Livia stated. She put her fingers on one brow, deflated. "I didn't tell anyone for so long that I got trapped, yet I felt I couldn't say 'yes' to you, owing to this."

"Stop evading the questions, Livia," Ben urged. "Answer – and tell me the truth."

Livia paused for almost a minute, closing her eyes, feeling cornered. She had never planned on how to reveal this. Finally, she opened her eyes and then her locket, asking Ben to look at Christopher's picture. She then showed the reverse, an image of the man Ben knew better – or so he had thought. She flipped them back and forth several times, then requested his assessment.

"They look remarkably alike, nearly identical," Ben observed. "What about it?"

"They _are_ identical, Ben," Livia declared. "There's only one person depicted. I loved the second _because_ I loved the first. In the beginning, I didn't know. Then I compartmentalized it like he did. Finally, I got to the point that I didn't care. Sev'rus became a much better version of himself when he forgot his past. That person existed somewhere within him but only became visible when Sev'rus allowed himself to live more fully in the present. I loved the man he couldn't admit dwelled within him. Biologically, there's only one possible father."

"Why'd he do it?" Ben asked, dazed. "How? And you prepared _his_ corpse? Blimey, Livia."

"In the beginning, he tried to find a way to assess my skills at emotional control as a peer, not himself. He stretched his abilities in making a transformative potion – not the only time he did something that novel. He didn't expect my response. That episode launched a long sequence of events. One way or another, he did a lot of wonderful things for me, and I never can forget that."

"So he himself broke up those budding fights in 1990?" Ben queried. "Why?"

"I think I told you: he couldn't stand to lose _her_ voice again. That year marked the first time I did it. He never acted improperly then, though I unknowingly kissed him once. He warned me about your father but not to break us up. He actually seemed concerned – your father mirrored his. He felt grateful, too. He even helped Nils recover when Gilderoy Lockhart stole Nils's memories."

"Why did he attend your brother's wedding with you?"

"Perhaps because you didn't. He knew I dreaded going alone. I didn't tell my brother about myself until then. It was risky. Just ask Uncle Jack. I also used my fixation to screen my desire to uncover his lies. Foremost, though, he did it because four Slytherins destroyed school property owing to me. I was so livid that I refused honorary status as a Slytherin. I may have embarrassed him or worse. He attended as a peace offering. He kept Lydia from ruining the reception. Still, he pulled back later because things got out of hand. We both knew it, but I didn't accept it well then. He was so good to me that I grew attached to him. I didn't anticipate that nor did he."

"But I saw you with Christopher in 1995. Why?"

"In 1995, I won a bet," Livia countered. "When he asked if I would withhold my assistance with his inventory over it, I told him I'd do better: I'd have Alastair chase him and –"

"Wait, that's what prompted your story about Alastair?" Ben interjected. "You teased him by threatening him over a payoff he owed you?" Ben's eyes widened.

"Yes," Livia admitted. "I was annoyed that he even bet me. Joke or not, he knew I could take him on." Ben didn't know whether to laugh or not. "I told him that he never scared me. Alastair squawked at him, which I translated as 'Go ahead, make my day.' Sev'rus never tested me, though. It was fortuitous. He tore into Nils for showing up. He utterly detested Nils over how Nils broke our engagement. Since he helped Nils, what happened probably felt a little personal to him. He wanted Nils to grasp the risks I took. So he admitted learning everything that happened between Nils and me when I asked him to support my claim of what Lockhart did. That included –"

"Don't say more," Ben interrupted. "I don't want to hear more about you and Nils. I learned too much – clearly, he did, too. How was he not insanely jealous? Is that why he married you?"

"He was livid about what happened with Nils, but I don't know a lot about his other emotions," Livia maintained. "He kept many from me, even about having C.S. and Lily. Yet there was no wedding. He bought a ring to make the story convincing. Albus thought it a great misdirection for him to hide me safely. I never married anyone. I accepted the narrative and planned to take it to my grave. Perhaps I still will."

"Don't do that," Ben urged. "I need to think about this. You did have quite a relationship, after all. I'm beyond astounded, frankly. It seems he respected you like a colleague, too – for years. Give me a few hours, please. Let me talk to you again before you take any drastic action."

"All right," Livia agreed. "Keep in mind one thing: when I told you in 1998 that he reminded me of a conversation we had years before, I did not lie. Lily Evans never forgave him for insulting her. I once asked him if her forgiveness would have made a difference. He said he did not know. Yet _he_ flat out asked me to forgive you, saying it would make a difference. I resisted then, however, feeling vulnerable. Now I will know if he was right or wrong to ask that of me."

Ben vaguely nodded and left. Livia knew she had blown his mind. Part of her wanted to alter his memory. Ben had slowly won her over; she pondered what she should have done. Again, she recalled what that palm reader never said. She took comfort in her kids and her home. She refused to ponder how Ben stewed. After all, she just had accepted an offer for the post she wanted. A health issue forced Horace Slughorn to retire mid-year, but he knew she was ready. Livia prepared to go on without Ben. She had done it before. She just needed a way to tell Uncle Jack.

Ben returned about two hours later, finding Livia in the main house. Everyone watched a Teletubbies video. He asked to speak alone with Livia in her cottage. She kept her wand handy to erase his memories. She never wanted to hurt anyone, so she vowed that she would let Ben go.

They sat on the couch, with Livia fraught but resigned to hear him out. Excessive emotions clouded her mind. Yet she let him speak. She tried to stay calm and prepared herself to act.

"Livia, as I thought over this and tried to digest it, I remembered once again the fact that you never asked me a single question about the years I spent with Rhonda," Ben stated. "To be honest, I never wanted to discuss it, either, because a lot of it was difficult as well as humiliating."

"True, I didn't," Livia agreed. "I could have, but I decided that, given my own choices, I was the last person who should ask you about yours. I also did not relish knowing the actual facts."

"Now I fully understand you. I later discovered everything she said and did at her trial. I can't even comment now, other than expressing horror, so I couldn't fathom you then."

"You didn't ask to talk to me because of her, though," Livia asserted, still with dread.

"No, but I could have extended to you the same generosity," Ben maintained. "Perhaps I never should have read that or questioned you, though I couldn't stop myself until I heard enough. I believe the man loved you as best he could, no matter what either of you say. To me, that necklace proves it. Yet he couldn't admit how he felt, to you and perhaps to himself. He basically let go of you twice because he couldn't commit himself to you. I can. I will. I'll never dispute what you feel you must say about the past. Just say 'yes' to me, so we can go forward with C.S. and Lily."

"What about the fact that I won't be a typical housewife?" Livia asked. "At this point, I feel it would be a crime to not take the post Albus Dumbledore envisioned me having at age 13."

"I agree with him," Ben responded. "It's who you are. You comprise part of his legacy."

Livia cried. She put a hand on her mouth. She had anticipated the worst. Sev'rus had been right, after all, imagining a present and future for her. Ben wanted it, too. He took her hands, moving her 1998 ring to her opposite hand. He dropped to one knee and put on another he had made. It featured a four-leaf clover of heart-shaped diamonds, one for each of them. She felt overwhelmed. They scheduled the nuptials for the 2003 holiday party; they could work with the 10 degree Celsius weather outside. Tom was ecstatic, eager to give her away. People at Becket, Hart and Church ensured the legalities. Rev. Woodcock insisted on officiating. He wanted to know C.S. and Lily, who participated with Adelaide, Russell, Amy, T.P., Livia's friends and Zarwyn Spence. Aldrick Spence begged for his inclusion. Emma Swinton even sent a gift whilst Livia crafted presents for the entire bridal party.

The occasion gave Livia the impetus to expand her cottage and the main house with a conservatory Abby and future cats like the tabbies Kaycee and Mango, who came in 2006, would like. Tom's side received an enclosed octagon topped by a cupola. It attached to a stem on Livia's side, featuring a loft above it that C.S. and Lily could use. Livia's portion connected to her cottage by a sliding door, obscuring activity inside when needed via long vertical blinds. The kids also could still sleep under the stars on Livia's side owing to a partial glass roof.

Ben kept his word. Livia kept her name. Everyone at Tom's 2003 holiday party/surprise wedding on Wednesday, 24 December, 2003, thought it the best event Tom hosted. All the guests arrived early. Alice teased Livia that she married the bloke who most resembled Tom. Ben advised Livia to reveal C.S. and Lily's paternity to them as adults after they insisted on telling Adelaide and Russell about everyone's abilities. Ben also got permission for the twins at 17 to view Livia's interrogations with Alastair, which included every displayed memory and verbal exchange. C.S. narrated the silent commentary. Ben wanted them to know who their mother is. Ben opted to make a new necklace for Lily, too, but found that, by itself, it didn't repel the killing curse consistently but it could. Still, his conviction grew even stronger that Livia spared his father's life, not hers.

Ben never hinted that he knew anything beyond what Livia stated about her past. Enemies could not use her kids against her. Ben adopted them and grew close to both. They retained their surnames. For a time, he pondered if he wanted his own child, but being the only living father C.S. or Lily ever had convinced him that he did not need it. His father would suffer, not him. Indeed, his father tried to induce Stephanie Wayne to have his child, since she would leave prison one day. Stephanie declined. Rhonda Wayne even sued Ben in 2004 to nullify his marriage essentially, claiming that they remained engaged. Baldur Bodlington took care of the case whilst Livia helped Ben finally bury his past. Ben later held a discreet conversation with Severus Snape in Livia's office, but neither informed her of its entirety. Ben only said that he felt better telling the man that he knew everything and did not begrudge him. Indeed, he thanked him for at least two wonderful gifts.

Over the years, Livia often resided at Hogwarts alone. She travelled to Ben's home or her cottage whenever needed from January 2003, letting tutors know if she left. C.S. and Lily visited sometimes, but they could stay with Tom and Alice, Uncle Jack, Ben, their friends or Molly Weasley before she became a busy grandmother. From 2003-2010, Livia served as Slytherin head of house, subtly adjusting it to better reflect the positive aspects of its traits. As an honorary member and daughter of an alumni, the school accepted her. Professor Slughorn couldn't go on forever, and no Slytherin possessed adequate credentials then. Glorianna Gardenia's support also addressed any doubt about hiring a working mother. Despite his illness, Professor Slughorn insisted that he would not retire unless she replaced him. Still, the appointment did not sit well with some.

Five former Sons of Slytherin members confronted Livia that spring. Fortunately, Thor Thornton tipped her off and showed up when they did. The scene quickly became nasty. Thor misfired an attempt to distract the others; he would have hurt Livia terribly had her necklace not deflected it. She knew he hadn't meant to harm her, but they did not. She had neutralized three of the five when Draco Malfoy arrived and cowed the rest to cease. Draco shouted that no one would harm his sister and get away with it. Shocked, they just listened. He recommended they give Livia a chance to improve their house. Its reputation had suffered during the recent war, he said. They missed it, being willfully blind. If Slytherin would reassert its greatness, they had to support her for its sake. Those still upset meekly left, leaving Thor and Draco a chance to discuss revitalizing Slytherin with Livia. Livia expressed great thanks to both for a most productive encounter. None there that day ever revealed the name of Livia's father, in deference to the Malfoy family.

Finally dressed for the July 2011 evening, Livia heard a knock at her door. Ben arrived with miniature burgundy roses he gently fixed in her hair. Both remained attentive and doting in their unconventional marriage. He continued to feel lucky that he had escaped his father and had gotten a second chance at happiness with her. They represented a unified front, even when work separated them. Still, Ben adjusted his schedule to maximize his free time to coincide with hers. Moreover, because they conducted themselves in such a forthright manner, no one opposed Ben joining the Board of Governors, starting in 2005, or that he continued serving on it when Livia became headmistress. He abstained from any vote directly involving her but told everyone how he would have voted and why. Their relationship never stopped them from posing questions or airing disagreements. Usually, the school benefited from these and whatever resolution they found.

Livia arranged for the Great Hall to look festive and entertain the numerous alumni who came to celebrate the night together. The former Ravenclaw roommates and their guests managed to get one table to seat all 12 of them. Don Stevens took center stage as far as the night's press coverage went, with a photo of Livia, Don, Ben and Don's spouse, the statuesque blonde Rita, making a great image. Finally left alone, Don went around the table asking each Hogwarts alumni for one anecdote that represented their proudest moment since graduation.

Two chose having children: Athena bore Thea and Tygris (Ty), whereas Selene had Ted and Beatrice, both with their friends's help. Shelley chose the day she and Liam moved into a new home outside London. She had done all of the work, and it established their family. Ted chose the day early in 1996 when he defied _Daily Prophet_ executives – and his father – over Harry Potter, which ultimately led to a promotion. Ben picked the day Livia forgave him, setting the stage for what followed. Liam chose the day he sold his first custom piece, since the client loved it so much. Barry chose his last professional Quidditch game, catching the snitch in under 10 minutes and giving it to a fan, who tried to return it to him. Medium height Samantha Harris, with light brown skin and medium length dark hair, sat at the table. They had dated for a year. Don himself chose a World Cup title won as a coach, rather than as a player. Terence chose the night of the raid on the Sons of Slytherin, since it seemed like the most exciting thing he had ever done. That is, though he possessed an unsurpassed reputation and record for his uncanny personnel moves, the raid and his strong performance there seemed more consequential. A few were stunned by his choice, given the public acclaim he had received over the years, but he liked subduing those "dumbasses" a lot.

Livia went last. The women expected her to mention her kids. Others expected she would discuss becoming headmistress. Ted thought she might talk about either putting Rodrick Spence or Rhonda Wayne in prison or destroying the reputation of the author who fabricated a story about her parentage. She acknowledged that she could have chosen a number of things, sensing what others expected and listed her book, too, but she chose something she anticipated doing for years.

It started with a new technological musical device, a second generation iPod, which she received as a gift late in 2002. Her brother helped her set it up. She prized it for being able to run at school whilst remaining inconspicuous. She prepared to teach her first class as the new Potions Master in January, taking over the subject as well as Slytherin house from Professor Slughorn. She anticipated resistance from young students unfamiliar with her, if not loyal to her predecessor. She felt that when introduced at the first meal. Many either thought her a lightweight or knew little about her. Only the older students recalled her work with Gardenia or the ministry. Those who knew of the latter credited her as being hugely talented and feared. Nonetheless, she would have to rattle a few cages or never get viewed as a serious instructor with rigorous expectations.

Livia got herself in the right mood, donning her academic robe and walking to the classroom. The first day tended to require a certain performative quality, especially for a 30-year-old woman taking over for a highly-respected older male. This was her chance to get it right:

 _You better lose yourself in the music, the moment_  
 _You own it, you better never let it go (go)_  
 _You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow_  
 _This opportunity comes once in a lifetime (yo)*_

Severus Snape worried that Livia could lose herself in the past. This is where she needed to be. Indeed, she figured she should channel him. She listened to that song "Lose Yourself" during the entire trip to the room, the lyrics fully occupying her mind until she spoke to her first class. It happened to contain first year students. She felt engaged and fully in control.

Livia identified herself, informing the group that she took over for Professor Slughorn, who needed to retire owing to a health problem that he slowly improved from by resting. He also recognized her readiness to succeed him. She told them that she had worked with him but had studied with his predecessor, Professor Snape, a hard-to-please taskmaster who likely had been his best student. She undoubtedly became Professor Snape's best student, the first to score perfectly on his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams. She immediately noticed one particularly unimpressed, inattentive student. He was a dark blond, thin boy, considered a class clown. They called him Buddy, though his parents had named him Chester Newman. Livia decided to give Severus Snape's typical first-day remarks about the subtle art and science involved in potion making as well as what a potions instructor could teach, unless a student opted not to pay attention.

Still in his voice, boring into the boy, Livia addressed "Mr. Newman" and called him out, asserting his belief that she, a mere silly girl, could not possibly teach this class. He seemed shocked, protesting that he never said that. "He" replied that the boy clearly had thought it and, to Livia, children lacked the ability to conceal such thoughts or emotions. Nonetheless, the only thing Livia prized was how well students could pay attention and make a potion correctly. Livia then moved two seats down to Samuel "SamCam" Cameron, a popular dark-haired boy who tended to speak only occasionally during classes. Again in her Potion Master's voice, Livia dressed the boy down and pointed out that "he" began teaching students at almost a decade younger than Professor Woodcock, who "he" began teaching at 25. Therefore, Livia, if still youthful looking, was not too young to teach them. "Mr. Cameron" seemed stunned; he, too, had never questioned Livia aloud. "Professor Snape" also warned the class that he knows she can hear everything because "he" taught her. "He" also indicated just how lucky they were that "he" could not tell them in person what "he" thought of their foolish impudence and various other aptitude deficiencies.

In her own voice, she expressed thanks that she had gotten their attention. She asserted that she preferred to teach congenially, akin to Professor Slughorn but would not ever tolerate being disrespected. She would not lambaste someone for failing to succeed when they worked hard, though potion making demanded care and precision. Sometimes one learned from honest mistakes. She would take glee in insulting lazy work, however, especially regarding their written assignments. She prized those greatly, since they provided a window to the brain and the processes which led a student to achieve or sputter. She took out a piece of parchment and magically affixed it to the front of her lectern. She would demonstrate what she thought of slipshod papers.

Just then, through a window Livia had opened but they missed, the crows Gerald and Allie appeared. She had called for their aid and left them food outside. She announced that these two descended from a crow who she had befriended as a student. Alastair, their father, became a great assistant to her and, as a result, her own son carried his name, among others. Livia asked the two crows for their opinion on lousy efforts on a Potions assignment. Both turned from the parchment Livia hung, lifted their tail feathers and hit it dead center with their poop shoots. She thanked them, gave each a little pet and they departed. She said she refrained from targeting any students, but they should not test her, either. Gerald and Allie's father had been highly protective of her, after all. Thoroughly intimidated and quiet, Livia continued the class as herself. She reviewed their last potion and gave out their next reading assignment and outlined the rest of the week, including their next written task. In future classes, Gerald and Allie only had to appear to make a class docile.

In the seventh-year course later that day, they remembered Livia well. Ian Hobbes, Doc's tall, slightly older brother, asked her if Alastair ever had trailed Professor Snape and if Alastair had joined her at the Ministry of Magic. She answered the first "no," since Professor Snape had paid off a bet he had lost to her, and the second "yes," with Alastair greatly enjoying his "work" there. In all, Livia made her point and proved that she made a better ally than an enemy.

Many of those present at the alumni event had heard some version of the story before, but only Ben had heard all of the details. Be it the impersonation of Professor Snape, including his scowl, or the introduction of Gerald and Allie, the group kept laughing at the whole thing. As more than a few of them had experienced misbehaving children by then, they held more sympathy for an instructor trying virtually to herd cats in getting a class to listen. Don indicated how much he enjoyed everyone's anecdotes, though he particularly fancied Livia's since they had loved her Professor Snape voice for years. Don had no idea it would become so handy. Livia told him that wasn't the first time she had used his voice in an academic setting, and it had not been the last instance, either – just her personal favorite. Truth be told, it was Severus Snape's favorite, too.

Don then asked her about the famous image of Livia featured in a work by Nils Nilssen. He thought it an exquisite portrait but wondered how a man could depict her so adoringly and let her go. Only recently did he sell the original of it, coinciding with his own marriage. Still, he claimed the events prompting "Nils's Regrets" had chastened him and changed him irrevocably.

"Don, it's a pretty picture by a pretty man who spoke or wrote a lot of pretty words to me," Livia stated. "We were engaged. He cheated on me with an old flame he chose to marry. She cared little for him. I told him that he didn't love me enough. I doubt the painting alters that truth one iota."

"It's about him, and his guilt, but I still had to buy the original," Ben revealed.

"You didn't," Livia responded. "I thought you despised him." Livia eyed Ben sideways, puzzled. She had furrowed her brow. Ben just put his hand over hers and kissed her cheek. He hoped everyone at the table knew that he did love her enough. Every day he tried to prove it to her.

"I do, but it's not about him," Ben asserted. "Sure, I learned from contacts that he willfully exposed himself to a manipulative phony. Yet I put the image in my workshop so you remain with me when I'm there, Livia. His loss is my gain, and I'm happy. Your son has admired it, too."

"Well, I confess that I bought and hung a copy of it," Shelley stated. "After all, he painted you from our wedding, Livia, and I couldn't pass it up." Liam nodded in agreement.

Whilst the reunion highlighted the 1991 and 2001 classes, it was open to all graduates. Various attendees wished Livia well as headmistress or asked her about the open faculty post. One alumni who spoke to her and shook Ben's hand was Lucius Malfoy. He asked Livia for a dance and complimented her, again, for her discretion as she destroyed that odious biographer of Severus Snape years ago. Though he and Severus, to an extent, had done regrettable things in service to the Dark Lord, he found the book offensive. He had liked Severus from first meeting him in 1971. Lucius expressed confidence that he would have taken great pride in her many times over, especially as headmistress. Lucius also told her he would acknowledge what happened soon but wanted his family to support his approach fully. Livia nodded and thanked him for speaking and dancing with her. Draco Malfoy introduced Livia and Ben to his wife and wished them both well. They at least occasionally exchanged cards and sporadically kept in touch, so Draco did not need to speak long with them. Over the years when she headed Slytherin – and later when she returned to being the Potions Master and head of house (any house) – she consulted him. He grew up a lot since his own graduation. He even attended her wedding, as did others she knew. Alice and even Uncle Jack still thought Tom resembled Livia more, which made Livia, Ben and Tom laugh.

Only Don and Barry seemed a bit baffled by Livia's interaction with the Malfoys, but Livia did not want anyone to discuss it as long as they sat in public. When she showed them her office, she told Don and Barry. Of course, "Uncle Sev'rus" appeared to be sleeping whereas Albus Dumbledore became charming. Ben joked that she should have been Albus's daughter. When they all returned to the Great Hall, Livia told them to go ahead without her. She would join them shortly.

Livia addressed the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, reminding him that she gave him time to consider the finalist interviews she held there on Friday. He asked her what she was thinking. She said the second candidate seemed most impressive in terms of knowing his subject and his ability to lead in general. He agreed. She had no complaint about his maturity or his aptitude to perform any required duty. He assented. Her only issue remained how he would handle certain students, particularly the most rambunctious. He laughed, saying that issue did not bother him at all. A few pointers by his headmistress would ensure his success in dealing with any problem.

At that point the "sleeping" portrait of Professor Snape became alert. He told Livia that she overcompensated for her personal belief in the candidate. The young man who once led a school resistance group would have little trouble corralling a juvenile miscreant. Besides, he had become such a legend that none of them would dare openly subvert his assertion of authority.

Livia nodded and thanked him for his clear-eyed assessment, then expressed gratitude to Professor Dumbledore for reviewing the matter with her in depth. She told them she would pursue naming him the next professor of herbology, fully expecting the board to approve. She would let all know immediately so she could make the offer binding on Monday. She had decided to hire the young man she had met when he was only 11: Neville Longbottom. She took great delight in it and could not wait to give the board formal notice, which she quickly drafted in multiple copies. She would give one to Ben, one to Uncle Jack and one to the board secretary, longtime member Owen Cypress, who alerted the rest. The fourth copy she planned on sending to Neville with the offer she prepared and signed as headmistress, in case he wished to save either. Once she ensured her owls's fitness, Ardith took Uncle Jack's copy whilst Sevia brought one to Neville and Bernard to Cypress. That pair had owlets earlier than usual that year. She would deliver Ben's copy herself. She smiled and bowed to all and returned to the Great Hall.

Livia apologized for opting to follow up on school business regarding the open post. Ben asked her if she had picked someone. She handed him his copy of her letter and told him that she had sent it to Uncle Jack, the board secretary and the candidate. He looked it over, nodded and put it in a suit pocket. He knew about the interviews, who she had consulted and trusted them.

Barry asked Livia if her uncle ever spoke to her or if he remained as aloof with her as with everyone else. Livia admitted that, though reticent, he would speak to her when alone, especially if she pestered him. He often added to what Albus Dumbledore told her, suggesting he followed her conversations. Livia didn't mention that he had spoken to Alice at length the prior year, too.

"Oh, he's done better than that," Ben told everyone.

"What?" Livia asked. "How do you know that? Do you know something I don't?"

"I do," Ben announced, as Livia held her breath. "Lily spoke to him a few weeks ago when you were busy with graduation arrangements, and he responded to her."

Various people raised their eyebrows or opened their mouths in shock. "Oh no," Livia responded. "What happened? How did I miss this?"

"Nothing bad happened," Ben replied. "You were distracted. It was quick. She told me. Lily asked him why she and C.S. can't contact their father. He told her that he believed Christopher had no objection to how we've raised them, so Christopher didn't wish to interfere. I gather he liked her, since he invited her to speak with him whenever she wants." Indeed, he was tempted to take great pride in her. Gradually, Lily suspected another motive existed for her father's reserve but stayed silent, unable to figure it out before told the truth at 18. C.S. realized it before her.

"I had no idea I left them alone for even that long," Livia asserted. "She's a plucky girl."

"The apple didn't fall far from the tree, Livia," Ben reminded her. Everyone laughed.

After enjoying a dance with Ben and much mirth with her former roommates, Livia retired to her quarters with Ben. After about an hour together, they set up a time to meet for a family vacation before the 2011-12 year required her full attention. Zarwyn Spence would join them for part of it. After checking on the kids, Ben would work on a rush order Sunday so he could participate in formally approving the new professor on Monday, then they all could depart. Livia stayed at school to tie up various loose ends the next day so everything would fall into place once the board approved her new hire. She passionately kissed and hugged Ben whilst saying goodbye.

Later that night she settled into her room, still mindful of the first time she slept there as a Siberian cat. Her bobcat sat on a night table as it had years ago, still containing Sev'rus's letter. Sometimes she sang "Tiny Dancer" there before going to sleep and, whilst dreaming, rolled onto one side and felt as if she were not alone. Unconscious, she would reach for him. In her office, one portrait went blank, but only Ardith ever noticed it. Livia sensed him during her slumber there and would for the remainder of her life. She held onto him and peacefully lay beside him.

The weekend of her brother's wedding in Chester-le-Street made a lasting impression on him, too, though he never told Livia. He could wait for that. He believed she should, too. The living would manage. Ben did everything for her that he found difficult or impossible, alive or dead. She loved Ben enough, Ben told her. She lived happily with Ben, never reconciling her emotions. She did not remember every sleeping vision. Still, he would be there for her, C.S. and Lily, whenever any of them needed him. Beyond his sense of duty, he wanted that much. Ben had judged her correctly – probably him, too. He found more contentment in following what became of her than most things he did when he was alive. In the meantime, Sarah, Sevy and Alastair, among her many animal friends, kept a watchful eye with him.

* Author's Note

The Eminem song "Lose Yourself" appears on the soundtrack to the film _8 Mile_. Both film and single appeared in 2002. Marshall Mathers (Eminem) receives sole songwriting credit.


End file.
